Burial Hex - Initiations

Aurora Borealis, 2008

Burial Hex is certainly one of those individuals who would ostensibly be labeled noise or power electronics, when there really is a different, undefined, and more powerful magick going on than genre. Burial Hex takes a number of left-hand mystical elements and juxtaposes them. This album in particular puts this on display. Orchestral kosmische synths give way to burbling and manic screams from beyond the grave. Hiss and scratch akin to that of Mauthausen Orchestra or Maurizio Bianchi coats the ritual, giving it a din and drone of chaos. Alongside this is are acoustic elements, bowed strings being sawed into horrible shapes. Then it subsides and returns to stellar drifting keyboards. The song "River of Los" goes into more unexpected territory with a sort of stoned-ramblin' and shambolic drum pattern-bustin' music more reminiscent of main man Clay Ruby's numerous free-psych groups (Davenport, Family Band, etc.), yet still contained within the same blackened ritual cloud, making the track more reminiscent of Sylvester Anfang than anything else. The track also reminds me a bit of early Popol Vuh. Glorious gravesongs and acoustic necromancy.

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Burial Hex's sound has changed even further since this recording, moving into a particularly cathartic brand of minimal wave on the recent split with Zola Jesus (check it out over at NO NOT FUN NOT NO), that isn't entirely unlike his split-mate.