GEIST OF OUACHITA
GEIST OF OUACHITA “Imprisoned in the Graven Wood”
By Octopi Mills
Signal Rex as a label has found or sponsored some original projects within the scope of it's own end which is black metal. If black metal persons had to pay child support for all of their late-night projects they would be in the lore of Screaming Jay Hawkins and Chuck Berry. This Roanake fellow, sole force of this band, here seems to be no exception. American black metal of the old school garden variety is what you have here and is no surprise that this label has endorsed it. Low fi, minimalist- what cannot be said here when, after several listens, it becomes the standard for what is known and how far one wades into such waters.
I could compare it to many old things, but I will not. I think one understands the idea and ideals by now. The production values are of old times. Many of these albums can be seen as sort of vanity projects from afar and along the lines of being made for the sake of the maker's own satisfaction. For this I do applaud the next ones ahead in this climb, and feel it is far better than the polished and over done projects of commerical appeal. I could also name a hundred albums as a point of reference for the sound here but I shant. Nor will I review each song as it's own piece and unwind the innards of the thing; this would not do.
Just know there's an old grim feel of the past in regards to the matter, harkening to the sorrows and darkly grays of the atmosphere of the middle ages where so much of the inspiration to this kind of music belongs. Today the means is channeling through the electrical instrument, in so much as it would have probably terrified a medieval commoner to fits of insanity and fear back in such a mentioned age. The longing is what I always feel, that need to go back to somewhere or relate to something long lost yet somehow still there, somewhere. This being said it is a living expectation of the quality of stock seen with a record label such as Signal Rex. If I had to say perhaps it has a sort of kinship in atmosphere and feel as MUTILATIION's "Vampires of the Black Imperial Blood" album. Some may have a better explanation.