Equal parts captivating and chilling; the manner in which Blakmoth crafts dark ambient trajectories is simply perplexing.
A vastness that is unparalleled
Let the tiniest visual elements seep in without straining. The dark ambient composer known as Blakmoth (aka film composer Jack Smith) delivers a half-dozen “doombient” forms, torn at the edges, and with an air of dystopia that can’t be ignored. The subtle and subdued soundscapes of Parallels, “a representation of polar opposites and mutual attraction such as life and death, light and dark, reality and imagination” are present with the utmost clarity and vision. “Darkest Dawn” exhibits these shadows within its five minutes of drifting air-pockets that continue to loop and create a vastness that is, pardon the pun, unparalleled.
As we continue on, these textural modular escapes continue to unravel; the beauty of “Lychgate” provides just enough light to let us in, only to elevate itself through its overcast droning structures. And this is at the heart of these time capsules, the overcast nature and faraway tones feel almost invisible just as much as they are ominously present—the minimal ebb and glow of tracks like “Vermilion Dreamscapes” and “Chiaroscuro” (bright and dark), draws us into these strange and unfamiliar landscapes to spark our curiosity.
Modular and synth fragments are seemingly connected as Parallels begins its closure; “A False Sense” expands and contracts as it ventures through abandoned corridors with loosened echoes fluttering in the wind. The longest piece of the lot and also the finale (“Entity”) provides just enough soundtrack motifs for industrial wastelands and lost worlds; its scraping sounds are muffled and remote as we barely grasp the aura surrounding us. Equal parts captivating and chilling; the manner in which Blakmoth crafts dark ambient trajectories is simply perplexing.
Parallels is available on Errorgrid. [Bandcamp]
