AN NCS PREMIERE: ABIGORUM — “THE DARKNESS OF AEON”

 

Hallucinogens alter perceptions, thoughts, and moods by interfering with normal brain chemistry interactions, creating sensations and visions that may seem real though they are not — or perhaps instead revealing aspects of true reality that are hidden by the illusions of daily life. But the ingestion of hallucinogenic drugs and plant extracts isn’t the only way to become disconnected from your body and from what passes for reality, and to become more susceptible to visions. You could, for example, just listen to the music of Abigorum.

Abigorum is the name of a project from Saint Petersburg, Russia, that produces alchemical reactions using ingredients drawn from ambient music, black metal, and doom. It’s the creation of Aleksey Korolyov, who is also the label boss of Satanath Records and the founder of the ambient formation Satanath. Abigorum’s newest output, which is set for release on November 6th, is a split named Spectral Shadows with the long-running Australian project Striborg, whose music has evolved over time and now merits the label “blackwave”. From that split we present the premiere of “The Darkness of Aeon“.

 

 

The song spawned those opening reflections about hallucinogens because nothing about the music seems quite real, and because it has the capacity to trigger the imagination, creating visions that might prove to be unnerving or numinous, depending on what you’re bringing to the experience.

The drum rhythms alternate from feverish to neck-snapping, from what could pass for the hyper-fast whump of helicopter rotors and a more measured snare pattern to blazing blast-beat fusillades. Across these changing rhythms the whirring riffs and ambient sounds move in waves, a dense miasma of whining and warping sound that engulfs the senses, pierced by the frenzy of flickering leads.

Abigorum is a solo project, but for Abigorum’s side of this split Abstrusus from the Belgian black metal band Absolutus added his voice — and the vocals on this song manifest as a convocation of demons through the interchange and layering of distorted bestial growls, ghastly howls, and ghostly spoken words.

The combined effect of these ingredients is an experience that rushes the blood in the veins, chills the skin, and alters perceptions. Listen loud, and in the dark.

 

Spectral Shadows will be released in a jewel-case CD edition with a 6-page booklet by GrimmDistribution (Ukraine) and Death Portal Studio (USA). It includes four tracks by Abigorum and one long performance by Striborg, a shortened rehearsal for a an hour-long piece that was later performed live with members of The Australian Art Orchestra to coincide with Ryoji Ikeda’s Spectra light installation at Mona. The cover art was created by Depravarts.

Below, we’ve included streams of “The Darkness of Aeon”, another Abigorum track named “Orpheus Dreams” (dedicated to William Berger (Prison Tatt Records), who passed away in 2017), and Striborg’s rehearsal performance of “Spktr“.

PRE-ORDER:
https://grimmdistribution.bandcamp.com/album/029gd-abigorum-striborg-spectral-shadows-split-2018
https://deathportalstudio.bandcamp.com/

ABIGORUM:
https://abigorum.bandcamp.com

STRIBORG:
https://striborg.bandcamp.com

Track-list:

ABIGORUM
01. The Darkness Of Aeon
02. Vortex Cathedral’s Shadow
03. Orpheus Dreams
04. Striborgum

STRIBORG
05. Spktr

Length – 55:58