Trepaneringsritualen — The Totality of Death ( Alpha)

The first, Alpha, is described below and Omega has its own review following

 

The line between industrial and dark ambient is often very blurred, and it's this overlap that allows for some of the creepiest and most engaging grim music. It's in this space where Trepaneringsritualen does his best work, utilizing the dark, raspiness of his voice along with heavy, plodding sounds signalling one's forthcoming doom. Looking at The Totality of Death (Alpha), we see some compilation appearances, a couple of covers, a collab, an unreleased track, as well as a couple of EP and LP tracks. Opening with a very dark and desolate version of Coil's "A Cold Cell," Alpha hits hard and showcases Trepaneringsritualen's vision of darkness and decay. This bleak tribute to the legendary band works very strongly to capture the coldness and isolation of the title and really makes the song their own, and is pretty unrecognizable as a cover. "Maðr In Desolation" follows and shifts the direction to a bit more of a spacy, experimental section. This is previously unreleased and will come as a treat for T X R X P fans. The original version of "An Immaculate Body of Water" from Mashinenfest 2016 is third, and this version is about half as long as the 2017 Kainskult version. This is a nice, quick bit of dark hypnotism to pull the listener in before "Ǫnd þau né átto, óð þau né hǫfðo". Appearing on the 2018 compilation The Black Book, this sparse composition utilizes silence as light by juxtaposing it with heavy synth hits and oscillations, giving something toneless and character free a sonic quality just by comparison. This is a really interesting way to qualify negative space/sound. Until now a digital only release, "The Crownless Sovereign" from 2020's Götiskt Förbund is a long form, ambient pull through thick, cold, smoky air, giving only partial glimpses at the terrifying landscape below. The darkest of dark ambient, this track is a real gem and a testament to Trepaneringsritualen's vision. "Two Crescent Moons" from the 19 Beläten - En Sommar Av Plåga compilation hearkens back to the structure and sound of the first song on this very release, but ups the percussion, giving it a far more industrial profile. Another compilation track, "Union & DIssolution," comes next and thins out the sounds with some more cloudy thickness to obfuscate the vocals and add terror by the unknown. Utilizing somewhat natural sounding effects, this one gives a sense of dread and unease by mixing the familiar with the unknown. The second cover of the compilation comes in an untitled track originally done by The Moon Lays Hidden Beneath A Cloud. From the 2014 2x7" Papist Pretender, this dark take on medieval ambient/neofolk. An interesting turn from Trepaneringsritualen, this track is a fun inclusion and a nice break from the oppressiveness of the previous tracks. "Salve Teragmon" sees the compilation take a 180 and this propulsive and somewhat upbeat industrial number is even pretty danceable. Showing the range of Trepaneringsritualen's influences and abilities, this is a definite treat. His collaboration with Æther, "Åkallan: Sunna," rounds out the first half of this two disc set. Shifting gears yet again, this very minimal view of dark ambient is mostly distant rumblings, making for an excellently creepy background piece. For those willing to delve into the depths and actively explore, there are a number of interesting textures placed within the murkiness and taking this dive is highly recommended.

 

With ten tracks spread over the past eleven years, The Totality of Death (Alpha) showcases a wide breadth of Trepaneringsritualen's sound. Culled from compilations and other various sources, these tracks give a good look at his one off sounds, those which have to stand on their own without the support of other album tracks. This lets the listener see a different side of the project, singular pieces and how they're structured, how they sound, and how they work individually. While most of, if not all of our popular music has been based on singles, the experimental world has worked in albums and completeness. The Totality of Death is an excellent way to see a different side of one of our own.