Label: Nigra Mors
Date: October 20th, 2024
Under any normal circumstance, I wouldn’t be doing this review. Not only has it been almost nine months since this brainchild’s inception, but “Koletivo V” and “Koletivo VI” are also already out. Not to mention that this type of music doesn’t frequent my stereo often. Or gladly, for that matter.
But it’s Nigra Mors release, yet another project by my brother in arms Nocturno (not a one-man project though) and it came along with the last batch of material from Galiza, Spain.
This tape (there’s also a CD version if you prefer) is designed in a minimalist fashion, but it is far from meaningless. The whole foldout cover tells a story of a desolate landscape on a distant planet. It is actually taken from a Polish movie called “Na srebrnym globie”. “On a silver globe”, in translation.
Digging further into its synopsis, accompanied by Vflxvrz’s compositions, the picture does emerge somewhat complete. At least as complete as possible without seeing the whole film and taking it all in.
It starts in a wild, uninhabited and unexplored surroundings. Starts with unnerving, frightful, uncontrolled sound of the unknown. As we go on, things get more familiar, our explorers are relaxing, slowly getting accustomed to the world around, setting their lives accordingly. So does the music. Eventually, civilization emerges from the original settlers. We’re seeing and hearing some order taking shape from the primal chaos. However, it’s not human nature to like in harmony and the listener (I’m guessing the viewer as well) is slowly taken along the path of disconcerting uncertainty. Spiralling downwards into violence and eventual spiritual decay.
In other terms, this release is loaded with experiments. Mixing sounds which entail noise, ambient, drone, black metal… Monologues from the film and frantic screams… Vlfxvrz is a sonic probe. A view into a different type of movie soundtrack.
Obviously finding inspiration in lesser known cinema (this is not the band’s first or last entanglement with film), Vlfxvrz has a strong basis for creation. It’s not for everyone, but neither are those movies.
