KEPLERS ODD : STRENA SEU DE NIVE SEXANGULA
Fractured Spaces Records
Keplers Odd is the minimalist ambient drone project of a group of Swedish musicians including Daniel Jansson, the brain behind Deadwood. “Strena Seu de Nive Sexangula” is their third album; the title translates as “A New Year’s Gift of Hexagonal Snow”, which is exactly the kind of weirdness we like to encourage here at Hierophant Nox. A snowstorm is an apt comparison for the often raging, eerie noise on offer in these three tracks; from opener “079422.3” onwards there is a sense of huge atmosphere in the underlying levels, a wall of sound that is as entrancing as watching snowflakes fall, but not devoid of the sense of threat that hypothermia may bring.
Like the early industrial innovators such as Skullflower, Keplers Odd are distinctly instrument driven, using guitars and effects to manufacture most of their distorted, unsettling sounds. Perhaps because of this, there are no unnecessary bleeps and beats on “Strena Seu”; instead the sound is surprisingly organic considering its uncomfortable noise approach, with one repetitive, droning movement evolving out of the other. On “070603.1” it is as if strange, small doors open in the sound, allowing ever harsher themes to enter, whilst on “071007.1” subtle, metallic noises scuttle across the ebbing background, possibly making the listener question their own sanity.
The fourth track, “070224.4” (Keplers Odd retain the recording file names as track titles, which lends a certain purity to the listener’s perception) is the most painful and uncomfortable on the disc, with ragged, screeching slopes of sound assaulting the mind and breaking down the final defence. “070603.2”, by contrast, has a fuller, deeper sound which soothes slightly, and a very interesting ‘lead’ guitar sound which evokes a large, lost beast calling forlornly in the forest. “070518.3” is another more grumbling, gutsy track, featuring some vocals that sound like the exhalation of a demon, and sound effects like squealing metal to keep the nerves on edge. It’s possibly the most ‘accessible’ of the tracks, evoking Sunn 0))) to some extent.
As the album winds down with the cyclical “070415.2-3”, which features a bassy acoustic guitar out on its own, it’s difficult to reflect upon it, as the harsh droning experience is very encompassing and involving. “Strenu Seu” is not for the ‘amateur’ drone fan, as some of the tracks are a real challenge, but then again the deep moods and moments of subtle beauty make this quite a dynamic representative of the genre, and so if this is a style you’ve wanted to dabble in, this album will not disappoint. For those who take noise to their heart, this is a fearsome blizzard beast that, like Grendel, lives on the boundaries of man. Terrifying and powerful.
86/100
