Greek outfit The Black Monolith is, dixit the act, ‘a conduit for the forces that lie beyond the veil of existence’. The project deals with archaic and / or celestial entities, ‘primal energies that stir within the earth’, dwelling around in the deepest and darkest corners of the universe, and of the (archetypical) psyche.
I sort of ‘discovered’ this (young) act through the respectable IDIL contest, and since then I have experienced nothing but aural majesty, thoughtfully created by the doomed soul behind this project. I was very fortunate when I heard that Slithering Black Records took care of a new recording by The Black Monolith, shortly after the noble collaboration with insectarium. So, this album is called Thee I Invoke, which does refer to the ‘spirits of the void’ and the summoning of the aforementioned ‘primal energies’ [] ‘that dwell in the darkness between the stars’.
Thee I Invoke actually consists of seven chapters, with a total running time of about forty-eight minutes. And as from the very beginning, the belligerent industrial vibes are striking. Απο Παντος Κακοδαιμονος (Apo Pantos Kakodaimonos) immediately blustery roars, like a huge assault of noise-waves, flooding all over the listener’s presence like an eruptional avalanche. Soon these monumental yet caustic drones get injected by eerie voices from an undefinable origin, while the echoing surges unstoppable rush forth. That callous approach, initially leaning closely to the likes of Power Electronics and Harsh Noise (!), stands for the spine of this release; especially the first half, with the second part sounding rather euphonious (yeah, why not) and exalted, while the first part deeply concentrates on this corrosive dissonance and coarse rupture especially. Wretched electronica, blackened pulsations, warring sound-manipulation and ominous drone-explorations get injected by diverse uncanny vocal tapes (very mysterious, like these shamanistic-evocative chants in There Is No God Where I Am or the narration in Ούτος Εστίν Όν Οι Άνεμοι Φοβούνται [Outos Estin On Oi Anemoi Fovountai]), rumbling structure-desecration, and apocalyptic, scathing machinery. But some narcotic injections, like the addition of hints from both Dark and Black Ambient, from Ritual Drone (mind the mesmerizing sonic document Weighing The Heart, for instance, or the lengthy aforementioned hymn Ούτος Εστίν Όν Οι Άνεμοι Φοβούνται, which brings a mesmeric manifest of transcendental fairness, clothed in a post-mortal nebula), and from Ambient Noise Wall, prove the immeasurable open-mindedness of this occult record.
PS: this release was released via Slithering Black Records (known for material that is ‘immersive, unsettling, and atmospheric’, dixit their profile) on October 31st 2024, including grandiose black-and-white cover-artwork, designed by label-chieftain Omen North. However, on December 21st 2024, the project did release this fine recording too via its own Bandcamp page, yet with different artwork (and another logo), which is stunning as well, by the way. Hands with a story to tell, and a subtle play with both light and darkness when it comes to the color palette, are clearly the main theme, even though both visual artworks do differ. This last paragraph purely informative, yet of importance as well…
https://the-black-monolith.bandcamp.com/album/thee-i-invoke
https://slitheringblackrecords.bandcamp.com/album/thee-i-invoke
https://www.concreteweb.be/reviews/black-monolith
https://www.concreteweb.be/reviews/insectarium-black-monolith
https://www.concreteweb.be/reviews/various-artists-idil-2024
https://www.concreteweb.be/reviews/kathodos
https://www.concreteweb.be/reviews/insectarium
https://www.concreteweb.be/reviews/maris-anguis