Synsophony, Rabbit Hole, Acephale Winter Productions, cassette AWP 010 (2014)
Available in a limited print run of 50 copies, this album is a compilation of two EPs “Rabbit Hole” and “Karmic Existence” recorded on two separate occasions in 2013. The music might be best described as blackened dark ambient soundtracks to imaginary horror films. Synsophony is a UK-based duo inspired in equal measures by noise, black metal and experimental.
The “Rabbit Hole” side consists of the original track and its remix by a guy called EGB. The original piece starts as an amorphous slab of extremely black and frightening industrial doom drone with crumbling, crunching rhythm texture, a pale sickly high-pitched wheeze and a fearful mood. Spoken voice recordings lead into distorted crackling noise smears that ebb back and forth. A series of these smeary drones, within which undulations based on human voice patterns bob up and down, develops and continues for most of the track’s length. EGB’s remix renders the track’s early beginning more like a bee swarm hovering over an industrial mixer taken over by a demon spirit that now drives it through the countryside flattening and crushing anything and everything that gets in its way. The bulk of the remix does not differ greatly from the parent track though and any additions or alterations tend to be in the minor details around the repeating loops of drone.
“Karmic Existence”, being a longer track, has more variety in sound, rhythm and mood. It appears to be low-key and quiet but there’s plenty of activity going on though the sound investigation and experimentation seem much less than might be expected in a track of its size. As with “Rabbit Hole”, distortion of sound and repetition of particular melody or effects motifs play key roles in structuring the track and giving it its identity and atmosphere. The atmosphere can be deeply sinister and menacing, and listeners may well feel intimidated by the ominous sounds and the pregnant darkness quietly seething in the background. As the track continues, ghostly choirs start to dominate along with a scratchy drone and the soundscape becomes more fragmented until the whole thing merges with the steaming noise of the tape itself as it rolls along.
It’s debatable as to whether the cassette format is suited to Synsophony’s style of music as the hiss of the tape obscures some of the quieter music on “Karmic Existence” while at the same time adding to the album’s dread ambience and the feeling that a malevolent demonic force is gradually awakening within. Both tracks feature their fair share of creepy music and effects but there is also a lot of repetition, maybe too much even, for the tracks to be truly frightening. Repetition tends to make the pieces rather predictable and less intimidating as a result. This is one recording that listeners probably should not play too often to preserve the element of surprise as surprises are actually few and far between here.
Where the album does succeed though is in building up an atmosphere of dread. The listener’s imagination is led to believe there is more evil and dark influence than the music actually reveals.
Contact: Acephale Winter Productions