Review of Cthulhu
Written By Casey Douglass
Ah Cthulhu, one of my
favourite dark gods. It’s a bit of a shame his image has been
commercialized to such a degree that you can buy cute plush toys and
cartoon mugs bearing his likeness. I favour the more old-school
designs that paint him as a true sunderer of worlds. Cthulhu,
the dark ambient album from Cryo Chamber, falls into the latter camp
in every way, from the evocative artwork on the cover to the
leviathan sounds on the track.
Yes, Cthulhu is
one mammoth track that is almost 80 minutes long. I like this as it
dissuades you from skipping around. You can just set it going and
leave it alone.
It begins with the
sound of sea and storm, wet dripping and some strange creature
hissing in the darkness. To me at least, it conjured the image of an
isolated stone house on top of a cliff gazing down at the undulating
mass of an angry ocean. Then you go deeper.
The sounds take on the
distortion of being underwater, creating an almost claustrophobic
feeling, yet you also have the feeling of being suspended in a great
void with unknown things swimming beneath and around you. You can
hear them. Think whale song but more sinister and you are half way
there. It’s very relaxing, if you are of a certain frame of mind.
It is after this that
the first melodies begin to play. They are haunting and distant, like
ancient horns blown far far away. They conjure Cyclopean underwater
cities and strange flora and fauna to mind, things that have existed
on the planet millennia before humans were around.
As things progress, you
feel that you are inside massive structures, echoing thumps and
shrill cries reverberating from walls that no human has seen or
touched.
About half way into the
track, things turn a little sci-fi. Static and crackles hint at
energy manipulation, reality tearing and the great power of Cthulhu
brought to bear on the veil that separates the worlds.
For me at least, the
rest of the album is the sound of Cthulhu unleashed, culminating in
his appearance amidst the screams of onlookers. His calls and bellows
are epic; the sea around his body broiling and surging away from him.
It could have been his emergence near some sea-faring vessel but I
liked to imagine he was approaching the shore near a large modern
city.
There we have it, a
fantastic dark ambient album that should appeal to any Cthulhu fan. A
knowledge of Cthulhu isn’t a must but you will certainly get the
most from this soundscape if you at least have some awareness of H.P
Lovecraft’s work.
I give Cthulhu
5/5, it’s everything I want from a dark ambient track,
married to a concept that I already like a great deal. Visit the Cryo Chamber page here for purchasing options.
I was given a free copy to review.
I was given a free copy to review.
Album Title: Cthulhu
Artists: Alt3r3d Stat3,
Alphaxone, Aseptic Void, Atrium Carceri, Cryobiosis, Halgrath,
Neizvestija, Ugasanie, Mystified, Asbaar, Dark Matter, Sjellos,
Sabled Sun.
Mastering : Simon Heath
Artwork : Simon Heath &
Nicolas Crombez
Label : Cryo Chamber
Released : 30th
September 2014