Ahh Darkspace. This is one release I’d be waiting on for a very long time (since their last album ‘III’ in 2008, in fact), and finally here it is in all its glory. For those who are unaware, Darkspace are a Swiss black metal band with a twist – not only does every inch of their music pour with a foreboding atmosphere, but they have a great love for deep space, darkness (well, you may have guessed those from their name to be fair) and unwholesome cosmic weirdness, all wrapped up in a number of generally epically lengthed tracks, all named ‘Dark’, with only a decimalised number to differentiate each from the previous.
The three tracks that make up ‘III I’ begin their journey to the stars with the claustrophobic ‘Dark 4.18’, the longest track available, clocking in at just over 28 minutes. Opening with a deep spacey hum, sparking, static and laser styled crackles, it instantly sets the scene of desolation and darkness from the furthest reaches of the known universe. Once the track truly begins, the programmed drums stutter and rattle to life, along with a melodic guitar refrain which echoes coldly, sounds of gentle breathing – before all hell breaks loose with a maniacal blast of storming guitar scree, blasting deep space iciness directly into your brain. Sporadic use of vocoded vocals add a robotic edge to the chugging guitars and hissed growls (which take on very much percussive edge rather than being clear), adding to the bleak atmosphere of the music. Imagine the final relics of ancient civilisations having beamed signals from the darkest corners of outer space, the first of which are finally reaching humankind after traveling for time immemorial. Giving information on life, the universe and everything, and offering answers to questions we as humans would never have the ingenuity or ability to pose – well, this is the soundtrack to it, and the ominous fear and insanity which would likely follow.
The thing about Darkspace is that they know exactly how to get the most out of every nuance of their music, and use it to maximum effect at all times. ‘Dark 4.19’ crackles into life with echoing, clangs of metal, and the same human breathing once again, giving visions of floating in a space suit, surrounded by nothing but infinite blackness, loneliness and isolation. Using similar styles of synth to Mysticum, Aborym and Red Harvest, Darkspace harness the very best out of their keyboards to wring every last drop of atmosphere into each song, whether they be rattling a chugging riff out, or powerfully echoing single notes out like black holes, with meteors flashing past fleetingly, only to be lost in the depths of the void.
Closing with ‘Dark 4.20’ rather than pulling a 4:20 related unexpected stoner anthem out of the bag, they again revel in the claustrophobia, shuttle afterburners blazing, fear, the dire consequences of problems with atmospheric re-entry, radio chatter and Godlike blasts of atmospheric black metal bombast all combine to finish up what is clearly another complete success for this band. Having just gone to purchase the CD myself, it seems that they decided to limit this release to 500 copies (unlike their more easily available earlier material) and as a result, I missed out (although, the label themselves are happily flogging a couple of remaining copies at extortionate prices on discogs – but hey I guess that’s their prerogative (!)). However, the digital version is of course still available, and I heartily recommend you check it out. A sure fire contender for album of the year, then? You bet it is. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I really should be getting preparing for lift off once again…
(9.5/10 Lars Christiansen)
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