The song we’re about to present is “Menvra“, from the album Mundus Cereris. The musicians are a spellcasting quartet from Sardinia, Italy, who go by the name Charun. They have no vocalist; I have a feeling that if they did, the vocals would interfere with the mesmerizing effect of the music, unless perhaps the vocals consisted of nothing more than the whispering of ghosts.
“Menvra” lasts for about nine minutes. The immediate temptation is to cycle back through it again as soon as it stops. It’s so easy to get lost in the sound, to be transported into realms of the imagination — and so difficult to shake yourself and return to the here and now. The effect isn’t exactly hypnotic, because there’s granitic weight in the music and head-moving rhythms, too. The body wants to respond while the mind is moving away; it’s a trance that works on two levels.
The music in “Menvra” builds gradually, the band slowly adding layers to the distant martial drum beat that first creeps from the silence, introducing slow, reverberating bass tones, ambient shimmer, and echoing guitar notes that trace a moody, ethereal melody. By the time all the pieces are in place, the listener is already becoming lulled.
But “Menvra” is also a study in the ebb and flow of power. The music mounts in volume; the rhythm section pounds and rocks; the guitars wail and moan, like a convocation of spectres. The speed and intensity reach a cresting point, and then that rushing tide recedes, paving the way for a wistful, crystalline melody that deepens the spell (while your head continues to move).
If you’ve been waiting for a genre reference, “heavy post-rock” will probably do. But you should probably just listen to this and sort that out later. And after you’ve listened to “Menvra“, you might want to go further and listen to the album’s first single, “Vanth“. We’ve got the stream of that one waiting for you, too.
Mundus Cereris consists of about 40 minutes of music, recorded and mixed in Sardinia at DIY Studios and mastered by James Plotkin (Isis, Sunn O))), Earth, Amenra). The artwork was rendered by Andrea Marcias, aka Waarp! And the album also includes the participation of Italian composer and pianist Stefano Guzzetti on the track “Nethuns“.
The album will be released by Third I Rex on February 25th, and is available for pre-order now (digitally and on CD) via the link below.
Pre-Order (Digital and CD):
https://3rdirex.bandcamp.com/album/mundus-cereris
Charun:
https://www.facebook.com/charunband/