There was once a time when the atmosphere of a certain song or album would unnerve me. Creating a looming anxious dread that sweeps over you much like a horror movie would. The sounds surrounding and suffocating you, restricting your ability to escape as you’re dragged deeper and deeper into the audial abyss. I’ve become rather desensitized to that feeling. Last time I remember feeling that audial anxiety was the first time I decided to crack open and listen to Endless Dismal Moan. The cold, calculating drums, horrifying vocals, and ear piercing guitars struck me down to my core and made me feel like a scared child who can’t keep their eyes off the monster’s victim in the movie. So when I came across this strange looking album simply titled “Audio Document 001-BPS” my expectations were very low. I was prepared for some middle of the road, noisy industrial album trying to capture that horrifying essence I mentioned before. But much to my surprise this album delivered a hard hitting black metal album with that very terror inducing creativity that made me fall in love with the genre in the first place.
With the harsh assault of the guitar’s feedback greeting you, the album quickly devolves into some oppressively heavy riffs paired with cold and calculated drumming that hits every note with an industrial precision. Now, the vocals for this album is something I definitely would want to point out. These are the type of vocals I would consider being the best to create that restrictive and suffocating atmosphere. They’re somewhere in-between a feral animal and a blood lusting human. Both industrial yet organic. It just simply strikes that perfect intense balance that is so hard to come by, but should always be praised when performed correctly.
This isn’t your typical lofi noisy black metal album with two riffs with slight variation. This release has some truly ear catching riffs and guitar passages that really stick with you long after listening. The guitars act as a great grounding component for the album. They just have this rich organic sound that is dripping with a melancholic rage that you don’t hear all to often anymore. It’s a shame because it’s guitars like these that create such a lasting impression to the listener and in turns makes an album that people will remember for years after.
I was thoroughly surprised with this album and enjoyed every second of its 15 minute run time. I consider myself lucky to have a physical copy of this album, but I wish I knew more about the artist behind it. But the thing is with that, I think it adds onto the atmosphere. In this day in age where everyone is hyper connected and we’re aware of the casual lives of our favorite “trve kvlt” black metal band, it’s always a nice touch when the artist is truly anonymous. If you’re able to get your hands on this, I’d highly recommend giving it a listen.