Three from Antifrost

AS11 - Monotheism
antifrost
afro 2035

You get the impression we’re talking Old Testament God here. You know, the one who blithely wipes out thousands for the merest infraction. Given the title of the disc and the fact that the sound sources were compiled from recordings taken atop the peaks of Mounts Horeb and Gebel Musa in the Sinai and Egypt respectively, I guess it’s safe to assume that AS11 is commenting on the state of relations between the Jewish and Muslim worlds. If so, it’s a bleak forecast. The first few minutes seem innocent enough, a rough loop of indeterminate origin, a few clicks, some wind-like references. But then the storm begins, the scythe-wielding hand of God emerges from the clouds and, in a manner of speaking, all Hell breaks loose. What follows is a half-hour plus of howling chaos with enough interior iteration to suggest cyclonic activity. There’s a kind of scouring quality as though what’s left behind after this assault is going to have been sandblasted clean. Played at high volume, the only way to do it justice, this is an impressive, engrossing work, monolithic in addition to monotheistic, but with plenty of mass and detail. The avenging arm recedes back into the clouds rather abruptly; not sure anything’s left alive.

textu rizer - 7
antifrost
afro 2036

The amazing cello of Nikos Veliotis opens the first of four tracks here with controlled ferocity, rapidly plucking damped strings, probably overdubbed (if not, whew!). It’s like watching some burbling but difficult to distinguish activity from a distance. Then there’s a sudden shift as the intensity and volume is ratcheted up a notch or two, though the basic elements remain the same. The entire first track appears to be just Veliotis; if textu rizer partner Coti K is present, his contributions are subtler than I can perceive. More bowing becomes audible as the piece proceeds, hasty scrapes really. A good track, maybe going on a little longer than necessary. It slides directly into the next where, over high, arco siren calls, the electronics do appear (although it sounds like Coti K might be processing sounds that originated with the cello), their lower buzzing offsetting the keening. After an odd, split second pause, the piece picks up in much the same manner that the transition in Cut One occurred: an increase in volume and texture with the same materials. The third track, at 25 minutes, is the longest and gets into much more of a drone area. Again, difficult to discern the specific presence of electronics, though I still suspect sampling and processing of the cello. As on the first track, while interesting enough, it goes on longer than warranted though I can well imagine it appealing to even bigger drone-heads than myself. The final cut is like a drawn-out fade, the electronics contributing grainy static alongside Veliotis’ thin wail. Not a bad disc but one that could have used more concision.

Francisco Lopez/Ilios – Hysechasterion
antifrost
afro 2037

Derived from field recordings made by both musicians at various monasteries in the area around Mount Athos in Greece, each returned to his studio to craft a lengthy piece. Ilios’ seems to reflect large interior spaces, roomy but with sound echoing back off of walls, birds chirping amongst the general thrum. There are several rapid changes in character that occur with the abruptness of a door slamming shut but generally it just exists in space, not too much different an experience, I imagine, than if you’d been in the same areas, your ears well-attuned and that’s a good thing. There are birds aplenty at the start of Lopez’ work, also bees. It subsides into nothingness about a third of the way through, for several minutes in fact, before emerging more electronicized, in more familiar Lopez territory. This gives way to a windswept storm not unlike the AS11 disc which builds to a climax for another third of the track before shutting off completely. Unless something’s occurring below the decibel level I’m able to hear, pure silence occupies the last 12 or so minutes of the 36-minute piece.

Each disc is worth a listen though, if forced to choose, I’d temporarily suspend my atheism and go with AS11.

antifrost