Atmospheric, Lo-Fi Black Metal with low-fi dungeon synth passages from Iceland.
Reissue of the debut demon from 2021. Jewelcase CD with 4 pages booklet.
In Western pop culture, Cxaxukluth is a minor character added by US writer Clark Ashton Smith to the pantheon of gods in H P Lovecraft's Cthulhu universe; here at MA, Cxaxukluth is a mystery raw atmospheric black metal / dungeon synth project based in Reykjavik with a recent demo "In Deathly Silence of Mortal Agony". Listening to this demo, I can't help but be impressed by the dark and bleak atmosphere behind the music, initially generated entirely by a duet of synth melodies of which one has the most unearthly tones, plaintive and yet rich at the same time, out of which the music and vocals emerge. The actual music is very martial, dominated by thundering drums, blasts of guitar noise and orchestral synthesiser backing. Yet perhaps the most memorable aspect of Cxaxukluth's music is the thin spidery vocals that crawl slowly up your spine and infiltrate your skull and brain with the sure knowledge that once inside your head, they'll stay embedded in your nerve endings forever. Opening track "Silent Whispers from an Unmarked Grave" does a good job of forming the eerie synth-world portal out of which the music marches, takes over the space between your ears and fills it with those deathly decrepit voices, snaking guitar grind and uncompromising war rhythms. Having bound you, the song later takes you farther into its austere universe where light and warmth are unknown, and the only certainty is that the space is dominated by an active evil force.
"A Glimpse of Immortality" is a more melodic song though the tunes are supplied by the keyboards rather than the guitars which act mainly as a droning harsh layer connecting all other instruments and the vocals. The creepy voice exults in its omniscient power over all of us as the music, powered by the brisk drumming, takes us deeper into the abyss. A startlingly clear piano / synth coda topped by bells leads into the long title track which is more BM-oriented in its riffing, structure and clearer vocals. The drums have less to do and stick mainly to their time-keeping role while guitars take over the lead instrument role and occasionally go solo with just odd percussion flourishes around them. Much of the title track is instrumental, driven by surging guitar riffs, while the vocals appear now and again in the black background.
The songs are well written with the guitars and synthesisers trading the lead melodic role between from one track to the next. The title track is long for what it does, meandering through the bleak Cxaxukluth cosmos with listeners in tow and not leading to some moment of truth or climax, and it could have been shortened with no loss of atmosphere. While the style of music is lo-fi minimal, the recording has a very clear sound especially in one passage where piano is present. Out of the three tracks on offer, opener "Silent Whispers …" with its unforgettable ambient introduction that serves as a wormhole to the bleak and horrific dimension contained in the demo, the ominous drumming and the guitars and synths adding layers of harsh texture, all combining into an unconventional and complicated song in its structure and sound, is the clear highlight.
An EP or full-length album would give listeners a bit more info about Cxaxukluth's musical and lyrical direction, whether this project wants to stay mainly song-based melodic raw atmo-BM / dungeon synth or might venture deeper into an immersive blackened soundscape dimension. Thanks again to Vernichtung for pointing out and recommending this demo and Cxaxukluth!
Sample:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PTyWeHEghZs
