Ritual Of Torture / Vlfxvrz – Split CD
Nigra Mors Productions
Review by Miloš Šebalj
The thing about unorthodox musical genres is that the listener needs to be totally in tune with the music on display. See, most people on the planet are really into popular music. Not in the sense of a genre, but as a form of creative approach. Songs that are built in such a way to be easy to remember, understand, move along to. Rhythmical structure, melodic coating, vocal guidance… You, metalhead! Yes, you! Don’t think this doesn’t apply to you. It’s the same thing, only with guitars instead of synths, drums instead of a rhythm machine… But the general idea is the same. It’s all a form of popular music.
But then there is the other spectrum, where composition becomes unnecessary. Careful building of individual tracks goes out the window and all that is left is an expressionist’s nightmare in form of music. The listeners are few, but they are there. And they are definitely in tune with it.
This whole paragraph is but an introduction to the first band which appears on this split CD. Spanish one-man band Ritual Of Torture. Now, there’s always a question whether or not you should refer to solo projects as “bands”. Even more so in this particular case, since the sonic direction this individual has taken is far from being what “regular” bands would. It’s an intro and two songs of a torturous soundscape with themes to match. I would even refrain from using the word doom. It’s something along the lines of drone noise. Topics added, you might just come to a conclusion that these songs are fitting soundtracks to actual putrefaction. Or even something a doomed brain of one being buried alive would come up with, spasming to grasp the unimaginable fate. Yes, it is throbbing, highly distorted wall of sound.
On the other side, Vlfxvrz presents another type of nonstandard music, but one much more appreciated. Even if done with such a blatant disregard towards norms. At this point, after having heard most of this duo’s recordings, I’m going to abandon the usual definition for their sound. They are not just an experimental ambient noise entity. They are a couple of movie enthusiasts doing soundtracks in an irregular way. Or, better yet, their own way, the way they hear it during the movie’s screentime.
Now, the unmistakable sample from legendary “The holy mountain” had my heart skip a beat immediately. I was unaware of “Viridiana” before this track, but what a wonderful idea for the next evening in front of a screen. As for Jodorowsky’s classic, it is easy to vividly remember the scenes and tie them along to Vlfxvrz’s music. It definitely evokes the correct mood and perhaps, in such an allegoric, avantgarde film, it would suit just fine, had it been around at the time.
As is the case with Ritual Of Torture, the listener needs to connect with the sound emanating from “The seven deadly sins” (as the track’s title translates). The one correct way I can imagine is through seeing the movies the band mentions inside of the cover. I can vouch for “The holy mountain”. About “Viridiana” I will let you know.
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