Suicide in Dark Serenity

This is one of the better Xasthur recordings I've heard; if only someone could have suggested to Malefic that he was better off making short EP releases rather than longer albums. "Suicide in Dark Serenity" is Xasthur in a nutshell: blowy blizzard-style depressive BM with machine rhythms and beats, equally blowy and raspy phantom voices, and some keyboard melodies, all coasting along on a minimalist path that takes detours into minor keys, the effect of which is to render the music as deranged. The songs frequently have passages of instrumental music that have a creepy carnivalesque ambience, as though life itself is one giant freak-show of bizarre monstrosities.

Perhaps it's such a short recording that this EP is easier on the ear and the songs (four in all, if we don't count the intro track, as opposed to 8 - 10 tracks on most Xasthur full-lengths) seem to be more distinctive from one another, even if the difference is only in a change of key from one song to the next, than is usual for Xasthur recordings. On one track at least, "With Hate Freezing My Veins", the music comes to an unexpected and devastating climax; and on the track that follows, "Storms of Red Revenge", the rhythm is more varied and bouncy than I would have expected from a Xasthur song, making for a very chunky song indeed.

Atmosphere and its effect on listeners' states of mind are among the important aspects of Xasthur's work and here the feeling that the listener is teetering with Malefic on the edge of insanity, at any moment sure to fall into deep abysses from which return is impossible, is present in most, if not all, songs. The way in music changes key and becomes darker, more depressed, or tone wash is used to cut off music or fade it out so its energy dissipates and leaves the listener feeling deflated is well done. The chiming keyboard work is very effective in this respect: it sounds a bit like a broken-down hurdy-gurdy instrument which accounts for the Gothic freak-show ambience. (Pity that Xasthur chose on later records not to play up this element.)

If only more Xasthur recordings had been like this EP, we might hold his legacy with more respect!

Xasthur's music is rather a hit or miss; or better said the albums. There is often not much difference between them as Malefic followed a simple rule: never change a running system. Actually, the band has progressed slightly over the years, but in such a slow pace that the fans could easily accommodate themselves with the new direction.

Suicide in Dark Serenity (SiDS) saw the light of day in the year 2003; from the current perspective one of the midterm releases and still in vein of the old style. Icy and reverb loaded guitars create in the background a dense wall -- when listening to the title track, one has to acknowledge how they fit together with the keyboards and form some kind of unity, if this is good or bad depends on the eye of the beholder --, while in the foreground a non-distorted guitar plays a melody line, which works a nice contrast to the harsh sounds of the vocals. The succeeding track has a similar approach, yet both guitars' sound has been manipulated, though. One extreme facet of Xasthur's art are the vocals as they usually come in a metallic and aggressive fashion, like bursts and eruptions and this release is no exception from this. Yet, Malefic has not overdone it on SiDS, but he got pretty close to the limit nevertheless; Storms of Red Revenge. Beside the general shallowness of the compositions, his voice or what is left of it after manipulating it in such an extreme manner would be another facet some black metal might despise; especially since a lot of bands use similar ones for their own purposes now; see Enbilulugugal or Morbifer (Ita).

One question should be discussed: would the perception of this release change in case of a better balanced production? The instruments sound odd at times, muffled and too indistinguishable from each other. Yes, it gives this release an identity and it is also become a facet of Xasthur's oeuvre to suck on the topic of getting the sound right, but the icy guitars play a minor role on this piece and are too far in the background; the combination of keyboards and 'normal' guitar drown them occasionally. Further, the speakers appear not always balanced ... oh well... it would be possible to go on for some time with this.

Not everyone likes Xasthur and their particular kind of black metal, but this release is quite good to listen to, thanks to the extreme kind of vocals and the icy guitars. Together with the keyboards they work together on this record in a proper way and create a special kind of atmosphere other releases of Xasthur fail to reach again; especially on the often subpar split albums. Yes, the whole approach of this American band is limited, but on this demo are some glimpses presented why it can work, despite the shallowness in the concept to which some would refer to. While the first three tracks of Suicide in Dark Serenity are quite interesting, the remaining three are not able to keep up the level and fail to fascinate; a score of seventy-five points can still be justified, though.

This album is one that accompanied a period of time when someone close to me was succumbing to illness and dying. For me, this album breathed desolation and wild hatred into my soul... I have nothing but praise for this album. Xasthur's earlier work is where my loyalties lie, those albums being more recognizably evil and psychologically demented.

Suicide in Dark Serenity has a submerged quality which makes it seem as though the listener is being drowned slowly in a stagnant creek in cold and pitch blackness. The drums have a throbbing quality which can lend the music a certain brutality at times though this is definitely not the overlying mood of the album.
If one is feeling sickening hatred for the world and the human way, this album washes the consciousness into oblivion and slices pieces from your mind; ultimately this album after an entire listening takes the life out of you.

The riffing is droning and the synths accentuate the desolation; the vocals are sometimes indistinguishable from all the other swirling noise that constitutes the bleak sonic scape.

If you had to choose several Xasthur albums to listen to, I would recommend (in order) Suicide in Dark Serenity, Nocturnal Poisoning, The Funeral of Being, and A Gate Through Bloodstained Mirrors.

In my opinion, this is probably the only Xasthur album you will ever need to own. I have not yet heard a release of Malefic's that can compete with the mastery of this work. I am not going to review this release on a song-by-song basis, or spend to much time describing the exact sound of Xasthur, but rather explain why "Suicide in Dark Serenity" embodies the most successful elements of Malefic's work.

The unsettling music that Malefic creates is driven by a direct and well-refined formula, a juxtaposition of dissonance and harmony that demands the listener's undivided attention to be understood. It is essentially meditative music, in many ways much closer to ambient music in it's extremity of atmosphere then what is traditionally understood as "metal" music. Passages are methodically introduced in the music and repeated to give the listener a chance to observe the subtleties buried within the atmosphere. The lines between voice, guitar, synth and drum blur but remain independent and elusive entities. This is what sets Xasthur apart from the pack. With each successive listen the song produces revelations for the untrained ear that allow the work to evolve within the listener's consciousness.

This formula is not always successful, however. If the production and music are not given the right treatment on the release, Xasthur can sound grasping and a bit uninspired. But "Suicide in Dark Serenity" captures all that is best about Xasthur, and keeps it short and simple so that the listener does not become bored and desensitized to the music. It is a superior example of what meditative Black Metal can be, and it has definitely been one of the more thought-provoking albums I've had the pleasure of listening to out of any genre of music. It's uniqueness is a testament to the success of the artist, and I have yet to see an American release that can compete with Xasthur on this level.

Artist: Xasthur
Album Title: Suicide in Dark Serenity
Label: Bestial Onslaught

This is a mini-LP from Xasthur, a one-man American band that plays cold, depressive black metal.

Side A of "Suicide in Dark Serenity" starts off with an instrumental that has to be one of the strangest intros ever put to record. It's a wall of synth, effects, and tortured vocals, so bizarre that it was difficult to decide if I was even playing it at the correct speed.

Next, a simple drumbeat kicks in, and the black metal begins. The key word here is "obscure" - the guitar, synth, samples, and vocals are not so much layered as they are blended, creating a mass of noise. Here and there, the other instruments drop out, leaving one to stand alone in haunting counterpoint to the previous melody. Sound by sound, the melody is then rebuilt. This constant tension between clarity and obscurity gives Xasthur's music a deeply depressive quality.

Once again, I find myself impressed with the production on Xasthur's albums. Important melodies are clearly discernable, but everything else fades to a drone that gives amazing depth to the music. Even the vocals share this treatment. They're perfectly audible, yet distant, as if heard underwater. It's quite a distinctive effect, and one that fits the music well.

This album is similar in style to "Nocturnal Poisoning", but "Suicide in Dark Serenity" seems to advance the ideas of its predecessor, leading to a more unique sound. Hopefully this is a taste of what's in store for Xasthur's next CD, as a full-length album of this quality would be impressive indeed!

Standout tracks: "Suicide in Dark Serenity", "With Hate Freezing My Veins"

Review by Vorfeed: http://www.vorfeed.net