The creeping guitars and ambient instruments start this album off, with a very minimal approach in terms of production, the growing wall of noise builds up this looming sense of celestial anxiety that can only be brought forth from a dedicated shaman deep in a trance. Much like the name of the group suggests this self titled release sets the tone for what it’s like being stuck in said trance. The opening track titled Ein Rute til Mubpienålmaj is a great example of that feeling. Being the longest track off the album running just a little bit over 25 minutes, the build up and progression of this song conjures images of a lone shaman in the northern forests of Europe preparing his ritual while the last moments of the song are these deep guttural chants, along side ritualistic drums, flutes, and a buzzing guitar that creates a forceful wall of sound. The rest of the album follows suit, creating these heady walls of sound using primal instruments alongside the guitar, almost giving it this weird in-between of ancient and modern.
There’s something very psychedelic about this album, especially from a musical standpoint but it’s not surprising given the subject matter here. When approaching a subject matter so primal and spiritual such as this, it’s no wonder that the sound has this psychedelic and progressive approach to it. It sort of reminds me of bands like Ulver (in the later years) or Om with the heavy bass driven, heady approach to the song writing. I think it’s the perfect approach to this type of subject matter especially if you’re trying to make something new or at least impactful to the psyche as the heavy repetition effects the mind and helps get one into a meditative state or shamanistic trance. What’s also surprising is the big transition in sound that O.W.G.A the member and founder of Auld Ridge, a black metal act from the UK that now resides in France, has taken with this new act. From a raw atmospheric black metal sound of similar folklorish background to a more pure ambient and meditative sound that even the ancients would find intriguing. In my opinion, its to be expected for those who walk down the primal spiritualist path, as these sounds and expressions I feel come from somewhere much deeper and someone who is in tune with their ancestral heritage.
All in all I found this to be an incredibly moving album and touched me on a more spiritual level. From the masterfully written opening passages to the harsh and meditative sounds that the rest of the album conjures it’s powerful all around. There’s only been a handful of albums that have moved me like this and the ones that do stick with me for a long time. Hopefully others find this to be a similar case as I believe this album should get all of the praise that it truly deserves.