Moonphase :: Dark Assembly (Petroglyph)

Dark Assembly is at once cold, organic, desolate, and turbulent. The album unfolds like a powerful ascending electronic ritual, shrouded in a vertiginous blackened aura where cinematic tension and spiritual desolation coexist in fascinating balance.

A shadowy, gloomy, and atmospheric post-industrial odyssey

Moonphase is a superb deep audio and doom-laden atmospheric duo formed by Shane Beck (alias The Last American Poet) and Øystein Q. Jørgensen, sound artist and owner of Petroglyph. Judging by the cover artwork and its implicit influences from H.R. Giger and Zdzisław Beksiński, with its frightening underworlds, imaginary dreary dystopian machinery, and hybrid monstrous creatures, I was curious to discover what this project was all about musically speaking. Øystein Q. Jørgensen is a discreet veteran of dark ambient music who has delivered a substantial body of sound productions over the years, mainly through his own label, Petroglyph. More than ten years ago, I had the occasion to publish a digital release on his label. We can certainly acknowledge the success of his initiatives in generously defending the values of indie and craft-based ambient music, embracing a wide diversity of subgenres and stylistic approaches.

Shane Beck is a contemporary American poet fond of dystopian neo-mythologies, Lovecraftian cosmic horror, and fantastical literature. His literary background is vast and eclectic, often turned toward spiritually engaging themes that confront the darkness of human nature. The vivid, neo-primitive, and enthralling mystical worlds of Lord Dunsany and Clark Ashton Smith also come to mind when considering obvious comparisons. Over recent years, Shane has also formed a handful of cinematic and poetically lugubrious collaborations with electronic musicians emerging from the subterranean and isolationist dark ambient scene. His expressive and evocative narrative style gives an additional depth to these sonic explorations, reinforcing their immersive and unsettling qualities.

Dark Assembly is a shadowy, gloomy, and atmospheric post-industrial odyssey that perfectly oscillates between hypnotic electronics, intoxicating bass frequencies, soothing synthesized etherealism, and Shane’s expressive spoken narratives. The result is at once cold, organic, desolate, and turbulent. The album unfolds like a powerful ascending electronic ritual, shrouded in a vertiginous blackened aura where cinematic tension and spiritual desolation coexist in fascinating balance. Fans of Foundation Hope, Morthond, Caul, Yen Pox, Heid, and Wilt will certainly not be disappointed. A truly enjoyable record.

Dark Assembly is available on Petroglyph. [Bandcamp]