Title: The Sea & The Silence
Artist: ESA
Genre: Electronic
Release Date: 2nd December 2008
Label: Tympanik Audio
Album Review
ESA (Electronic Substance Abuse) was brought to life in 2003 by Jamie Blacker, a major contributor to the Underground Black/Death Metal Scene in England at that time including the release of some demos and lots of touring for a couple of years. He left the scene after listening to acts like SONAR and CONVERZER had a major impact on him and turned towards a harsh and dark electronic style. He signed to Hive Records in 2006 and the debut ‘Devotion, Discipline, And Denial’ hit the streets in that same year, being followed by ‘How Pure Would Your Utopia Be’ in 2008. For his third instalment ‘The Sea & The Silence’, Blacker switched to still rising label Tympanik Audio.
Honestly, this sampled intro sequence gives me the creeps every time I’m listening to it. It’s like long nails purposely scratching over the ground. Then a small backing noise comes in like a painful scream from far away, but soon it’s a forceful electronic percussion that’s dominating the scenery alongside disturbing ambient noises creating a sullen mood. Just, when you’re starting to think that song would go on like this forever, Blacker starts piling up layer after layer in the rhythm section and turns it all around. Just assuming the structure from ‘It’s Hard To Sleep, In Hell’ from its title would lead t a conclusion like “This is going to be a hard and tough ride with no mercy”. Well, that would only be one side of the medal. Complementing the frantic bass drum, which is bumping through the fires are carefully constructed ambient atmospheres like the sublime Gregorian choirs or grand piano clusters, shifting through the gloomy twilight. It’s taking away lots of harshness from the track, rather turning it towards a deep emotional journey than a noise orgy.
We don’t have such a soothing element on the following ‘The Sea & The Silence Pt.1: The Sea’, the first of the two tracks containing the album’s core themes. It’s dragging the listener into the deep seas, where they get fully enveloped by and subjected to the sheer endless powers of the water. A relentless beat vortex, hand in hand with digitized waves of distorted aggression, rushes against you and fractures your every bone “…and with my collapsed mortality came deafening silence.” ‘Pt.2: The Silence’ marks a complete change of sound. I had the feeling to listen to a funeral march through the desert made audible just for my ears. The song’s incorporating middle-Eastern influences as well as percussions sounding nothing like sampled at all; I assume it’s a table amongst them. All these diverse sound working together tower up to a mystical aural monument. Hope that makes sense for you too.
‘Randomly Selected Drawbacks of the Human Condition Pt 2’ was a real surprise for me. I mean, we had lots of ambient in some of the aforementioned tracks, but you wouldn’t expect such a quite placid track like this on the disc that is being carried by a rumbling viscous beat and yet again opens the door to a completely different sound universe, brittle through its acoustic guitar plucks, sombre through its richly layered atmospheres and perfected by the lovely clean voice of Mabh Savage. I can only call this track a masterpiece!
I wasn’t quite sure what to expect from the full release after listening to some snippets of the material, but as I consider myself an open-minded person I gave it a try anyway. Turns out that wasn’t a bad choice. The dynamics inhabiting the sound of ‘The Sea & The Silence’ are amazing. Stylistic shifts into directions you wouldn’t expect from club-orientated dance floor strikes over middle-eastern diversions to lush ambient soundscapes. Everything’s on this disc. I’ll keep my ears open for Jamie’s works from now on. Seems like I missed something…
Tracklist
01. Tasting Nails – 5:13
02. Absolute Fury (In Its Very Fabric) – 6:40
03. It’s Hard To Sleep, In Hell – 5:43
04. The Sea & The Silence Pt 1 - The Sea – 8:12
05. The Sea & The Silence Pt 2 - The Silence – 6:39
06. Dead Fucking Desire – 6:38
07. Your Anger Is A Gift – 4:55
08. Open To Me, Your Black And Bitter Heart – 1:39
09. Randomly Selected Drawbacks Of The Human Condition Pt 2. – 6:06
10. The Devil Worships Me! / All You Brought To Me Was Fucking Nothing! – 19:51
Line-up
Jamie Blacker – Electronics, Guitars, Vocals
With guest vocal performances by Jacqueline Curd, Lesley Lafferty, Riotmiloo & Mabh Savage
Website
http://www.electronicsubstanceabuse.com/ / http://www.myspace.com/electronicsubstanceabuse
Cover Picture
Rating
Music: 8
Sound: 8
Extras: -
Total: 8 / 10
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