Eldritch Priest — Dead-Wall Reveries

Dead-Wall Reveries brings together three modern chamber works from Canadian composer Eldritch Priest. Each runs between twenty and twenty-five minutes- all three have a decidedly compelling air, which moves between woozy angularity and sparse disquiet.

Mr Priest has been composing work since the early 2000’s, which he does alongside critical writing regarding the wider experimental music genre.  He has to date put out four other albums to his name- 2024’s Dormitive Virtue, 2022’s Omphaloskepsis, 2021’s Many Traceries, and 2017’s Quartets. Dead-Wall Reveries is his first release on Another Timbre, who of course, have a great history of releasing the work of Candain composers.

We open with the 2023 piece “Dust Breeding”- this is for string quartet, and features players from the highly respected modern ensemble Apartment House.  The work is built around a tight weave of angular saws, plucks, and bays. It’s music you can almost taste with its sour, almost bloody, twisting/ turning metallic presence. It’s a great edgy starter to proceedings.

Next is 2001’s "Dormitive Virtue"- this is for solo piano, with Mr Priest playing. Here we have a rather Feldman-like piece, built around moody and disquieting patterns, which are fed out with moments of reverb and atmospheric fade. The work very much keeps alive a feeling of both disquiet and gloomy surprise.

Finally, we have “Dead-Wall Reveries” a 2024 piece for clarinet, vibraphone, cello, and piano. Here Priest creates a decidedly uneasy, at times sour weave of twisting & turning string tones, climbing & descending key atmospheres, clarinet bass bound disquiet, and suddenly darting flurries of vibraphone apprehension.

I was most impressed by the whole of Dead-Wall Reveries, and very much looking forward to hearing more work from Mr  Priest in the future. Another great Canadian composer discovery from Another Timbre