All in all, a very good introduction to Eighth Tower’s substantial catalog for lovers of deep electronic sound art. Quite recommended while reading Margaret Murray’s acclaimed history of European witchcraft.
Related to the occult, divine arts, magic, and the supernatural
Over the years, the Italian indie label Eighth Tower Records has covered an important amount of themes related to the occult, divine arts, magic, and the supernatural, from historical facts to popular culture (cinema, literature). These topics serve as the conceptual background of many collective releases that feature a number of sound artists from the same family circle (most of them have also published individual releases separately for the label).
Titled Witchcraft & Black Magic in United Kingdom, this release is part of the whole concept, but focuses here on witch hunts during the severe repressive years of the Inquisition practiced in a Puritan Anglican Great Britain, notably during the English Civil War. We can remember famous cases during the late medieval and early Renaissance periods, under the cruel activities of Matthew Hopkins toward those accused of renewing a pact with the devil. There is a vast iconography linked to this dark era (Baldung…) and it has also been put on screen a hundred times, as in Witchfinder General, Cry of the Banshee, and Blood on Satan’s Claw.
Haunting aural and sonic explorations ::
The album is delivered as an extended version of a previous edition released back in 2019. For listeners who are not familiar with this label, it is owned by Raffaele Pezzella (alias Sonologyst), and it has gained a solid reputation over the years thanks to numerous collaborations, reissues… which enrich the field of subterranean dark ambient music and post-industrial sound experimentalism. This version of the album welcomes exclusive tracks by Dead Voices On Air, Mario Lino Stancati and 400 Lonely Things.
The musical production embraces haunting aural and sonic explorations, with experimentation on timbres, tone colors, acoustic instrumentation and processed concrete noises. A piece such as “The Village” by the legendary Rapoon is really emblematic of the album, for its soundtrack-like tendency, foggy, echoing acoustic strings and ominous proportions. A personal favorite on this album is the hauntological, ghostly and distorted “Crypt of Saint John” by Howlround. The whole thing is deeply cinematic, evocative, enthralling, abstract and cerebral, with rare moments of suspenseful melodicism.
All in all, a very good introduction to Eighth Tower’s substantial catalog for lovers of deep electronic sound art. Quite recommended while reading Margaret Murray’s acclaimed history of European witchcraft.
Witchcraft & Black Magic In The United Kingdom (Expanded Version) is available on Eighth Tower. [Bandcamp]
