Skullflower — Draconis
British industrial drone noise juggernaut, Skullflower, is back with their full length follow up to 2012's Fucked On A Pile of Corpses.Once again on Cold Spring, Matthew Bower and Samantha Davies' newest, Draconis, comes as a 2 CD set, packaged in a 6 panel digipak with a 16 page booklet. Focusing less on crisp, layers of static, Draconis works with dizzying layers of industrial, psych, and traditional world sounds to create a thick, mesmerizing vortex of sound as only Skullflower can.
"Cauda Draconis" begins the swirling ritual with layers playing different games but somehow working together to form a coherent and engaging racket. Drifting and floating along, "Dazed Nymph in the N.O.X." couples rising, falling, quickly moving oscillations with traditional, folk guitars in some sort of cosmic transcendence ritual. Unable to pass through, "Dark Daze" comes along to tear open space-time with low, buzzing gurgle and deep, delayed blasts accentuating classic Skullflower guitar buzz. "To Raise Wolves" lightens it back up again with almost videogame alarms over busy, dizzying layers. This respite is cut short, though, by "Nightblooms For The Witch Queen." Industrial factoryscapes hammer away while the rising and falling drone makes one feel adrift on some terrifying, robot slave cruise. "Caput Draconis" concludes the first disc with fierce guitar drones coming together in cacophony over hellishly low bass notes, showing that Skullflower is truly the best at what they do.
Switching gears for the second CD, Matt and Sam return to more familiar Skullflower turf. The loft, peaks and folky traditional vibe of the first disc is pushed aside for low, crawling buzz and thick staticky hiss. "Alien Awakening" screams with distant, harsh electronics, and lows that would please almost any noise fan. Dreamy but grounded, "Autumns Trinkets" features fornicating guitar drones and super effected vocals dragging the song upward and outward. Outward to what end? "Sunset Dreams" isn't as lovely as it sounds. Slow and careful, this track plays like the end scene of a post apocalyptic battle. Sunset dreams for the planet, maybe, definitely not on your Caribbean cruise. Crushing lows and swirling synths draw the listener into "Dresden Spires." This doom and gloom sets the stage for the album's lion of an endpiece, "Dakshinikalika." For nearly 15 minutes, a creepy, near robotic vocal drone rises and falls like the cycles of the moon, while a light, stringy drone stretches back and forth. This one would be the perfect soundtrack to the timelapsed decay of nature.
Well known, well respected, and easily accessible, Skullflower has been a force on the scene for nearly 30 years. Showing no signs of slowing down, their latest full length, Draconis, hints at the future of the band. Opening up their source material even further, Skullflower can now unlock the drones of cultures across space and time. Maybe they've actually found the strange keys to untune God's firmament.