Urfaust – Empty Space Meditation

[schema type=”review” name=”Urfaust – Empty Space Meditation” description=”Label: Ván Records” author=”Basak Günel” pubdate=”2016-10-28″ ]

Dark, occult and bizarre… Urfaust is one of the names that come to mind in the world of ‘dark ambient metal’ genre. Formed in 1999, this Dutch formation calls themselves ‘an occult audial vessel of delirious madness’. Their style is a mixture of many genres ranging from dark ambient to atmospheric black metal. They have had many releases in the past and are back with the latest record “Empty Space Meditation”.

It’s so hard to write a review about records like this one; the melodies and overall vibe tell much more than the words and for each listener, emotions they feel and the journey that they take will be different… “Empty Space Medidation” is a record which contains a lot of contrasts; just like a circle, it starts in this full calmness (“Meditatum I”) but then the listener will encounter the typical Urfaust madness and the dark ritual in the rest of the songs… and with the final song “Meditatum VI”, this circle comes to an end as we are taken away to another dimension…

Sound-wise, starting from “Meditatum II”, the drumming, dynamic and raw, creates a perfect harmony with the vocals and the melodies blended within the record. The record has no pattern but many little highlights blended within each song. Depending on whether you like this genre or not, you will either find the album astonishing or it will be hard for you to assimilate it…. For me, personally, this is a great example of an atmospheric metal/dark ambient record. There are so many diverse elements and dark melodies which make up a whole; just like little pieces which make up a huge puzzle. Although the album is quite dark, the more you listen to it, the more you will find it calm and soothing… and with each spin, you will find yourself being part of this dark ritual and losing yourself in the empty space. A great reflection of this whole bizarre and ambient atmosphere is “Meditatum V”; the clean vocals, calm but evil, form the perfect contrast with the ‘progressive’ and dynamic drums and aggressive riffs.

Consider “Empty Space Meditation” as a whole concept and a passage to another dimension. Clear your head, light the candles in the dark room and feel the darkness with “Meditatum I”. Feel the calmness but embrace the dark ritual which is about to come and which the band has depicted so well. Definitely recommended to the lovers of this genre and lovers of the dark side of metal music.

Tracklist: 01. Meditatum I 02. Meditatum II 03. Meditatum III 04. Meditatum IV 05. Meditatum V 06. Meditatum VI

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