Shibalba

Artist: 
Album Title: 
Samsara
Release Date: 
Monday, December 21, 2015
Distribution: 
Review Type: 

Shibalba are a Greek project with e.g. Acherontas V. Priest (known from e.g. Acherontas, Nihasa, Virus Of Koch, Acrimonious etc.) in its ranks. But despite those other projects this guy is, or was, involved with, Shibalba have nothing to do with (Black) Metal. ‘black’ is correct, ‘metal’ is not. On the Bandcamp-page of Shibalba I read that Karl Nachzehrer (of Nåstrond-fame) is involved as well, by the way. Anyway, Shibalba did release more than a handful of recordings in mean time, amongst which some collaborations with projects and bands such as Arditi / Puissance, Black Seas Of Infinity, Emme Ya, and evidently Acherontas, amongst others. And very recently Cold Spring did release a split with Phurpa (which will soon be reviewed by undersigned, evidently).

This new five-track album, which lasts for almost fifty minutes, is one majestic ritual trip, an exploration downwards the deepest regions of the mind and the spirit. As from the very beginning this is like an evidence: wind bells and chimes, mesmerizing synth lines, esoteric and ethereal chants; it’s a multi-layered aural (and spiritual) experience, delving, searching… Further on there are those ceremonial-hypnotic drum patterns, mystic and magic soundwaves, post-dimensional noisescapes, dungeon-drones and cosmic sub-electronic atmospheres, and from time to time those abyssal vocal invocations and Tibetan-like liturgies.

Imagine a mixture of Equimanthorn, Endura, Arktau Eos and Psychonaut 75, or even the likes of Za Frûmi, Coph Nia, Kerovnian or Halo Manash, and even then you might not have any idea of this project’s Aural Art… It isn’t exactly ‘Music’ what Shibalba bring; it’s like a sonic expression of spi/ritual hypnosis, a transcendental outbursts defined by mysterious and magic sounds, a soundtrack for levitation (although, I tried yet did not succeed) or astral projection (here too I seemed to fail)…

89/100