Joseph Curwen — Daemoniac Heights
The project takes it’s name from one a characters in H.P Lovecraft’s 1927 novelette “The Case of Charles Dexter Ward”. The novelettes plot revolves around Charles Dexter Ward, who in 1918 has become obsessed with past, and in particular the history of his wizard ancestor, Joseph Curwen (who had left Salem for Providence in 1692, and acquired notoriety for his haunting of graveyards, his apparent lack of aging, and his chemical experiments). Ward also has a physically resembles to Curwen, and he attempts to duplicate his ancestor's alchemical & necromancer feats, eventually locating Curwen's remains and by means of his "essential Saltes", resurrecting him. Ward's doctor, Marinus Bicknell Willett, becomes enmeshed in Ward's doings, investigating Curwen's old Pawtuxet bungalow which Ward has restored. The horrors of what Willett finds, and the crux of the identities of Ward and Curwen, form the hinge of terror on which the story revolves around.
Behind the project is one Alexander Roberts(who is also a member of horror/occult noise/drone project The Dead End Street Band)- the project seemingly started in early 2013, and has so far put out around thirtyfour or so digital releases, as well as two or three physical releases too.
“Daemoniac Heights” features two tracks, but in reality this is just one long track with a break in the middle- as the second track flows on from the first. The first track revolves around a mix of wavering, billowing & hovering synth based drone currents, which under fed by the constant sound of chirping woodland bird song. And the second track starts out with a mix of drone & bird chirping, before very slowly the drone mophs into a more pressing & taut setting, with the bird sounds slowly fading back. The whole thing is extremely subtle & subdued in it’s unfold, with the drone currents drifting from the distant hovering to slight more pressing presence- there isn’t really anything harmonic or memorable about the drone current themselves, and they do take on a sort of timeless quality.
I guess you’d say on the second parts drone element does feel a little bit more unsettling & uneasy than the first part - but over all it felt like too little was really happening over the releases just over an hour runtime.
I’ll have to admit the first few times I played this through it was pleasant enough background noise, but really it didn’t grab or enthral me very much. But on proceed three or four plays I found the whole thing a little bit more entrancing, with the constant of happy bird chirping & the subtle shifting, building, then receding drone currents creating quite a distinct feeling of ageless (though very subdued) dread.
So to sum–up I found “Daemoniac Heights” very much of a grower- as you really have to give it numerous plays before it starts to click in & cause some form of effect on you. I can certainly respected & appreciate what Mr Roberts is trying to do here by creating a very subtle feeling of dread/ foreboding, but at times it does feel a little too vague, stripped-back, shapeless & sparse for it’s own good.