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URFAUST
The Constellatory Practice

Ván (2018)
Rating: 8/10

The latest Urfaust record comes oozing from the cracks like a doomy, occult laced Beatles as the opening moans of guitarist IX provide a sense of commercial prowess aided by a simple drum nod.

As we know, however, this atmospheric act from the Netherlands have always been a cauldron comprised of many surprise ingredients. Urfaust’s brand of dark, ambient and immersing black metal has seen them float ghost-like through several ethereal and ambient releases since 2004 debut offering Geist ist Teufel.

With full-length album number five, we’re again summoned to the abyssal portal to once again be consumed by all manner of moods. The ghoulish duo sets the sepulchral tone with ‘Doctrine Of Spirit Obsession’; a 13-minute extravaganza of cosmic eeriness that seems to plumb the depths of the imagination to stride with majesty, grace and arrogance – like some unnatural seeping force so obscure, otherworldly and mocking.

The trudge of the instruments construct a framework of cold doominess; it’s cavernous by design, but also some sort of sturdy, seeping mantra – imagine John Lennon eerily drifting his words and chants over a twinkling rhythm section. There’s nothing abrasive or even dark about it – well, I don’t think so anyway – but just after the nine-minute mark the track, although still at the same low-tempo nod, does become more occult-drenched and gargantuan.

Urfaust bewitch us with their peculiar stance of unearthly trance before ‘Behind The Veil Of The Trance Sleep’ trickles into view like some spectral orchestra. The track pans out like an expansive drift of ambient forces spruced by the constant thud of a drum, but everything about the song is eerie and spooked, Urfaust acting as one meditative state whereby the listener is somewhat drenched by obscure layers of natural forces.

The Constellatory Practice unravels as a soundtrack of being as ‘A Course In Cosmic Meditation’ literally lives up to its name as a sprinkling of cosmic surrealism. Don’t be expecting anything remotely metallic… and yet there is something distinctly “heavy” about this composition. Those unfamiliar may find such a palatial orgy of whispers all too alien or bereft, as again the drum nods seemingly sew together what can only be described as ambient fluttering and lucid dreamscapes.

On the other hand, the unexpected grinding twist within ‘False Sensorial Impressions’ sees Urfaust transform into a semi-black metal act with industrial connotations, as suddenly we’re grated on by the mechanics of the delivery and vocal squawks. Meanwhile, the doomy sludge slog of ‘Trail Of The Conscience Of The Dead’ provides a commanding echo of vocal booms as the track oozes with melancholy, prior to the closing ‘Eradication Through Hypnotic Suggestion’ mesmerising us with a tumbling feeling of dread and Gothic ethereality.

Throw this one on at All Hallows’ Eve, and watch the neighbours scurry in search of candle light. Imagine a church organist lost to time and left to his own devices as his fingers caress the keys in feverish fashion to a chorus of wailing despair. This is an album for the deep-thinker who only tinkers with sleep.

Neil Arnold

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