I feel a bit silly admitting this, but for some reason, I thought I had Soundtrack To The Blind Owl previously. Iran’s foremost dark ambient composer Xerxes The Dark has been active for many years now, and is part of a pretty amazing scene developing in one of the least likely places on Earth. Then again, with the Internet, I am expecting mind-blowing post-Industrial music to pop out of Togo or Burkina Faso eventually.
To the music. There are six tracks of ominous drone on this album. This isn’t a typical drone or ambient album, however. Xerxes expertly mixes in sounds that would have come from Controlled Bleeding at their harshest point, elements of metal done in a tasteful way, and wrapped in a cinematic vibe that sets it apart from others in the genre. Creepy is a word I would use to describe the album, but pleasantly so.
This will go down as a genre-defining album for dark ambient and experimental music. I find Xerxes The Dark’s work challenging and very engaging.
