http://www.vitalweekly.net/1307.html?fbclid=IwAR0Q0ZeTT7PY8QicjQoym1zPyGcQ8kUOm9Fc8mAEoW-nnvODlZYRY9wbigYSVART1 - CIRCONDATI DAI PETALI DA SOLI MORIAMO (CD by Mask Of The Slave)
SVART1 - MONOTONO (CD by Mask Of The Slave)
SVART1 - BELET ILI (CD by Mask Of The Slave)
Where to start? From these three releases by Svart1, 'Circondati Dai Petali Da Soli Moriamo' seems the most recent one, and 'Belet Ili' the eldest, from 2016 (I am pretty sure there is a policy at Vital Weekly about old releases, but somewhere along the line this was approved). I went with the most recent one, and since I don't know anything about Raimondo Gaviano, the man who calls his music project Svart1, nor his ideas about his music, this will be a nice clean start. Initially, I assumed that his music was all about processing voices, as this seems to be rampant in the first few pieces of 'Circondati Dai Petali Da Soli Moriamo'. Given my aforementioned unfamiliarity, I have no idea if it is the Gaviano's own voice we hear or that he cheekily sneaked into a church to record these. There is something about Italians and their love for Catholic symbols, I think, which, just as easily, might be a true satanic ritual. The title means 'Surrounded by petals we perish in solitude', and suddenly I am back in church as a young boy. Against my will, I should add, but while 'III' is playing, I must admit that I don't mind a proper church choir. It is quite a moving piece of music, regardless of whatever is festering under the floorboards. Seven pieces are numbered 'I' to 'VIII', followed by another six pieces with a title. By then, the voices are gone, and the music becomes a diverse collection of gothic-noir soundtracks: a few drum machines, some tribal drumming and intense murky drones. A bit long is 'Camilla Pisani', without too many changes. Still, the pieces become more condensed after that specific track and sport a solid mix of industrial music and ritual ambient. This is a long CD, and I wouldn't have minded the first seven tracks as a stand-alone release. This would've made a somewhat stronger disc, as it becomes too much a bit of everything in the end, and it feels as if Svart1 just had too much material knocking about and couldn't make up his mind.
Is it a good idea to jump straight to the next release by the same artist? I leave that up to you to decide; I did anyway. It is deceptively titled 'Monotono'. Now I don't think the music is very monotonous, but it definitely isn't highly varied either - at least not as much as the other release I just listened to. The music is clearly dark (again), but now without the religious subtext, and it seems more connected to the world of experimental electronics. There are thick drones, a bit of heavily controlled noise and some minimalist form of rhythm somehow inhabiting a neutral zone of what could be regarded as such. There are no titles for any of the nine pieces, and we find very little connection to anything outside the music itself. That is not to say that this is bland music. Far from it, really. I definitely enjoyed this release, as it properly feeds the dark pit inside. In the end, these nine pieces are fine, sturdy slabs of electronic music, skilfully balanced with their proportioned loops, drones, rhythms, bleeps and screeches. Unfortunately, the cover of this release is a grey as the day today.
So, the eldest of the trio of releases is 'Belet Ili' from 2016. It is also the longest of the three. I am not sure where it stands precisely in the historical development of Svart1's music - the project's first release stems from 2007. Stylistically this continues (yeah, in the phenomenology of experience; obviously, it historically precedes the previous album), and maybe I am hearing too much into the time frame thing here, but I think I may discern a somewhat cruder version of 'Monotony'. Three of the nine pieces are over ten minutes long, and I am not convinced that Svart1 can pull off longer pieces without sacrificing something there. He is at his best when he keeps matters concise and to the point. Still, we find a fine sense of sonic density in this instantiation of Svart1, keeping it all on the noisier side - well, most of the time, anyway. In 'Ardot (Orghanon)', he allows for a moment of rest and comes up with a gentle rhythm piece. Throughout these three CDs by Svart1 one notices an exciting variety of approaches, and that sometimes works against the album, but it is also a display of great talent. (LW)
––– Address:
https://maskoftheslave.ro/mirgilus/
