Is there order in chaos? Does disorder hold a grain of calmness? Humans are looking for the answers to the most important questions staring at the sky and beyond since the beginning of time. Are the stars and planets in line, and if so what does this mean each time?
Urfaust once again summon the elements of cosmos with their fifth full-length album ‘The Constellatory Practice‘. This is not just an atmospheric/ambient black metal album. It is a manual of rituals which demand our astral core to burst into thousands of pieces and travel through space, time and dimension. The Dutch duo manage to remain complex in its simplicity, using low-pitched sounds creating an uncomfortable doom atmosphere, eerie vocals and steady ritualistic drumming. The result is not only auditory, meaning the great composition and production. This album captivates you and forces you to participate in the weirdest unearthly way.
This is why I adore ‘The Constellatory Practice‘ and find it so hard to take track by track to review it. The album is empirical, you have to listen to it to understand its dynamic which is beyond words. I will refer only to the amazing ‘Trail Of The Conscience Of the Dead‘, the fifth track which is the longest along with the first track ‘Doctrine Of Spirit Obsession‘. Both tracks reach the highest form of a ritual, and while the latter introduces us to Urfaust’s dark travel, ‘Trail Of The Conscience Of the Dead‘ unravels the reasons for it. The vocals here are grand and clear. The riff is melodic, until a violin and a contrabass (I think; forgive my ignorance in that) take its place and gradually transform the track into a high classical piece. The album ends with the ‘Eradication Through Hypnotic Suggestions‘ serving the purpose of the whole album, which is to dive into the abyss and not just stare into it.
Mary Kalaitzidou