Dark Space III I

Those of us who've been following this Swiss trio for a long time now - OK, I might not be speaking for everyone who's a fan but there'll be many nodding their heads in agreement with me - know that our obsession with Darkspace's music is not about the quality or the consistency of their music or how they layer it with keyboards, multi-voiced demon choirs or conversations or dark foggy atmosphere that gives the music a thick(ish) sort of ambience; it's about a definite vision of the universe, whether outside our solar system or inside our heads, that the band's albums conjure up once the guitars are in full throttle and the bass and synth drums power the music into the firmament and beyond. This vision is an obsessive one, one that all of us have to face at some point in our lives, and includes questions like: what is our place in the universe as individuals, what is our place in the universe as a collective (as a species or a community) and does the universe care for us at all? If the universe does not care for us - and Darkspace's albums suggest that it doesn't - then is it merely indifferent to our presence or does it even seek to extinguish us? All these are questions that concern one and all, because the answers to them will dictate how we behave towards one another, to our fellow travellers (animals, plants, fungi and all other life-forms) and our own planet Earth which may or may not be the only body in space that has life.

With this album, that view of deep space is still obsessive and the music is as epic and majestic as ever with the implied tragedy of humanity's existence and future heightened and given definite drama. The division into three "tracks" is more for convenience as the music is more or less continuous for over an hour. Everything proceeds at a mad pace, the programmed drumming especially as its speeds are turned up to levels that can only be described as manic and deranged. The screaming that carries on throughout the album is demonic and hateful - I only wish the hazy ambience didn't soften the edges of the screeching as this deserves to be heard in its full alien malevolence in the context that Darkspace operate. Likewise the drumming (which has always been muted on the trio's albums) probably needs to be brought forward in the mix more so that its full inhuman mechanical evil can be given the respect it demands.

Within the roaring maelstrom there are occasional moments of serenity and peace (even if this is not the peace that comes with order and hope for a better future) - the start of the second track, with its gothic industrial space tone-wash, is quite a beautiful piece of sound art to behold and to be immersed in. Of course such moments last briefly before the listener is plunged yet again into deluges of acid tremolo guitar storm psychedelia, church organ solemnity, hollow-cave synthesiser wash and banks of motorcycle bass rhythm grind. As the album progresses, the madness that is always present in the music escalates to the point where in the last few moments of the work it completely takes over, holding listeners in a near-catatonic state. The horror is very real and remains even while the album dies down to an ambiguous close.

I understand of course that on purely technical merit this album might not sound all that different from previous Darkspace albums - where "III I" differs from the others is in the details of the music, the human drama is more overt than previously - but this is beside the point: these albums are intended as highly immersive personal journeys into inner space.

Ahh Darkspace. This is one release I’d be waiting on for a very long time (since their last album ‘III’ in 2008, in fact), and finally here it is in all its glory. For those who are unaware, Darkspace are a Swiss black metal band with a twist – not only does every inch of their music pour with a foreboding atmosphere, but they have a great love for deep space, darkness (well, you may have guessed those from their name to be fair) and unwholesome cosmic weirdness, all wrapped up in a number of generally epically lengthed tracks, all named ‘Dark’, with only a decimalised number to differentiate each from the previous.

The three tracks that make up ‘III I’ begin their journey to the stars with the claustrophobic ‘Dark 4.18’, the longest track available, clocking in at just over 28 minutes. Opening with a deep spacey hum, sparking, static and laser styled crackles, it instantly sets the scene of desolation and darkness from the furthest reaches of the known universe. Once the track truly begins, the programmed drums stutter and rattle to life, along with a melodic guitar refrain which echoes coldly, sounds of gentle breathing – before all hell breaks loose with a maniacal blast of storming guitar scree, blasting deep space iciness directly into your brain. Sporadic use of vocoded vocals add a robotic edge to the chugging guitars and hissed growls (which take on very much percussive edge rather than being clear), adding to the bleak atmosphere of the music. Imagine the final relics of ancient civilisations having beamed signals from the darkest corners of outer space, the first of which are finally reaching humankind after traveling for time immemorial. Giving information on life, the universe and everything, and offering answers to questions we as humans would never have the ingenuity or ability to pose – well, this is the soundtrack to it, and the ominous fear and insanity which would likely follow.

The thing about Darkspace is that they know exactly how to get the most out of every nuance of their music, and use it to maximum effect at all times. ‘Dark 4.19’ crackles into life with echoing, clangs of metal, and the same human breathing once again, giving visions of floating in a space suit, surrounded by nothing but infinite blackness, loneliness and isolation. Using similar styles of synth to Mysticum, Aborym and Red Harvest, Darkspace harness the very best out of their keyboards to wring every last drop of atmosphere into each song, whether they be rattling a chugging riff out, or powerfully echoing single notes out like black holes, with meteors flashing past fleetingly, only to be lost in the depths of the void.

Closing with ‘Dark 4.20’ rather than pulling a 4:20 related unexpected stoner anthem out of the bag, they again revel in the claustrophobia, shuttle afterburners blazing, fear, the dire consequences of problems with atmospheric re-entry, radio chatter and Godlike blasts of atmospheric black metal bombast all combine to finish up what is clearly another complete success for this band. Having just gone to purchase the CD myself, it seems that they decided to limit this release to 500 copies (unlike their more easily available earlier material) and as a result, I missed out (although, the label themselves are happily flogging a couple of remaining copies at extortionate prices on discogs – but hey I guess that’s their prerogative (!)). However, the digital version is of course still available, and I heartily recommend you check it out. A sure fire contender for album of the year, then? You bet it is. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I really should be getting preparing for lift off once again…

Originally written for www.avenoctum.com

Darkness is the most fascinatingly vast concept the universe has ever offered us, and the most terrifyingly claustrophobic. It is infinite -- and nothing -- all at the same time. Apply this concept to our place in the universe, and the reality of what darkness really is lies within the mind of its interpreter. It either limits our existance permanently, or expands it outward indefinitely. In the literal sense, we are neither beacons of light nor darkness, but are mere reflections of both. Take away the sun, or anything else we have construted to give off light, and we automatically have a much sharper understanding that our home, regardless of the planet on which we reside, is outer space. Excited? Horrified? Then consult Neil deGrasse Tyson. I'm only here to tell you what being stuck in the middle of nowhere, and everywhere all at the same time, would sound like.

There are a few things that the Swiss band Darkspace, one of the originators of "space black metal," has always done consistently, such as intersecting the numbering of its tracks from album to album, maintaining themes of cosmic mysticism to its live appearances and album covers, and limiting new releases to only 500 copies. (This does not include digital downloads, obviously, because what kind of a space black metal band would Darkspace be if it didn't allow people to pay for the music digitally?!) For those unfamiliar, Darkspace consists of three members: Wroth, who is the sole member of Paysage d'Hiver; Zhaaral, who is the sole member of Sun of the Blind; and Zorgh, of whom little is known, other than the fact that she plays bass for the project currently being reviewed. All of the members assist one another in the vocal department.

Darkspace has come further out of obscurity with each of its releases since its inception in 1999, but it wasn't until the release of Darkspace III that the band gained widespread recognition and popularity among both space and black metal nerds alike. That's right, I said it, this is some nerdy. fucking. shit. And it's pretty awesome, so you can either continue reading or go angrily snuggle up with your old Gorgoroth records. The release of Darkspace III I not only demonstrates that the the band has an intriguing approach to Roman numerals, but also that the trio has expounded upon its already unique sound to even higher degrees than were displayed on Darkspace III. The album, as surprisingly accessible as it can be at times, is still not an easy thing to delve into, considering it contains only three tracks and spans nearly into 70 minute-long territory. But my, oh my, is it worth the listen...

The album's first track, "Dark 4.18," may indeed be the most difficult asteroid to crack, as it is Darkspace III I's longest and contains its most atmospherically expansive musical attributes. It's quite difficult at times to deduce just what exactly is occuring, as the band's three members are only credited for playing two guitars and one bass. Clearly, there is a lot of extra programming going on, and it's quite genius. Incredibly fast-paced blast beats allow the track to hang in what would be a perfect balance of cacophony and disharmony if it weren't for the singular and long-lasting synthesizer notes. Screams, shrieks, space sound effects and hard-to-describe noise combine with an already perfected formula to give the listener not only a unique atmosphere, but also a glimpse into something far greater than atmosphere itself.

"Dark 4.19" is, surprisingly, a lot more structured than its predecessor, and begins with a very gothic-industrial-electronic vibe. The drum programming is a lot more rhythmic at times, and the synths are much catchier because the notes are not held for nearly as long. Although it is "4.18" that may be the album's crowning acheivement and overall strongest track, "4.19" is equally as impressive, as it manages to recreate the band's same exact "glimpse" in an entirely new, straightforward way. "Dark 4.20" also does not disappoint, and combines a much more relaxed sense of ambiance paralleled with prevailing elements from each of the first two songs.

Aside from all of that, this is truly a case in which the inadequacy of words in general is quite obvious in the face of something so massively layered. Hell, Darkspace's vocal department alone throws up a wall so high over the listener that they are completely wrapped up and inundated by it. At times, all of these vocal, percussion, synth, guitar and bass walls become dense to the point of head-implosion. For the majority of its duration, however, Darkspace III I allows its listener to embrace the infinite vastness that is our universe. Whatever light or darkness the stars may bring us is out of our control. Regardless... We are the beacons of pure, undulating sound, and this isn't the soundtrack to some far away planet. This is a signal from our own planet into the infinite vastness we know only as Darkspace.

-Originally written for lastrit.es, you fuckers.

When it comes to talk about straight atmospheric black metal we can think about numerous projects, but there’s one which instantly arises to our top 3 regarding influence, power and mysticism. One of those high institutions are the Swiss black metallers Darkspace who’ve struck the scene back in 2002 with their debut “Dark Space I”. Six years after the praised “Dark Space III” – time that was used for Zhaaral’s Sun Of The Blind or Wroth’s Paysage d’Hiver – this power trio is back with “Dark Space III I” which was released via Avantgarde Music.

The album begins with an ambient and noise soundscape like some kind of a spatial design or even like a battle due to the laser shots that are heard until an unconventional drumming beat breaks the sounds and the track itself will be headed by a lead melodic guitar. Known by their musical structures of extreme density creating extensive and bombastic walls of sound, Darkspace end up to include slower passages which puts us back on Earth in a lasting pace just to simply overwhelm our senses with a sonic speed over roaring vocals and simple lines of melodic guitars which make all the difference when applied.

As expected, keyboards eventually appear giving the spatial atmosphere a touch of symphony, but nothing too exaggerated… It’s just there to change the constant and thick mist that was previously formed. There are also dark ambient moments which mingle between earthly resonances, machinery and cosmic space working as interludes within the tracks themselves. Even so, the songs don’t feed up only by those characteristics since, in the track “Dark 4.19”, some electronic elements are incorporated to be identically played by a lead guitar accompanied by the double pedals of the drums.

If there was any intuition to create beauty, even though a dark one, the last song “Dark 4.20” is a complete devastation in its initial minutes uplifting all the aggressiveness and violence of the dark space that’s the band itself. However – and more evident than before – the hypnosis that’s brought to light by enigmatic sounds is gathered with a distorted guitar that marks the pace. Even if the bleakness is reached with the ultimate song, Darkspace won’t leave their epic route that’s personified by some guitar shredding that’s heard above the atmospheric blow generated by the rest of the organic instruments.

In sum, “Dark Space III I” is not a record to have in the car or to be played while doing other stuff. This album, like the others in Darkspace’s discography, is an opus to be listened quietly sat in a chair or lie down in bed with low lights letting ourselves be lifted to the cosmic infinite of our universe.

Originally written at www.againstmagazine.com