{"id":71334,"date":"2018-05-04T00:00:16","date_gmt":"2018-05-04T00:00:16","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/?p=71334"},"modified":"2018-08-02T15:29:44","modified_gmt":"2018-08-02T15:29:44","slug":"album-review-urfaust-the-constellatory-practice","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/album-review-urfaust-the-constellatory-practice\/","title":{"rendered":"URFAUST &#8211; The Constellatory Practice (2018) | Album \/ EP Reviews @ Metal Forces Magazine"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span class=\"title2\"><strong>URFAUST<br \/>The Constellatory Practice<\/strong><\/span><br \/>\n<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-content\/themes\/metalforces\/images\/spacer.gif\" border=\"0\" alt=\"\" height=\"3\" \/><br \/>\n<span class=\"title3\"><span style=\"color: #c80000;\">V\u00e1n (2018)<\/span><br \/><strong>Rating: 8\/10<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"image floatedright\">\n<table width=\"100%\" align=\"center\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"0\" border=\"0\">\n<tr valign=\"top\">\n<td><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-content\/themes\/metalforces\/images\/spacer.gif\" width=\"10\" border=\"0\"><\/td>\n<td>\n<div align=\"center\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/urfaust_theconstellatorypractice.jpg\" height=\"200\" width=\"200\" border=\"0\"><\/p>\n<table width=\"100%\" align=\"center\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"0\" border=\"0\">\n<tr valign=\"top\">\n<td>\n<div align=\"left\"><span class=\"smalltext\"><\/span><\/div>\n<\/td>\n<td>\n<div align=\"right\"><span class=\"smalltext\"><\/span><\/div>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n<p>The latest Urfaust record comes oozing from the cracks like a doomy, occult laced Beatles as the opening moans of guitarist IX provide a sense of commercial prowess aided by a simple drum nod.<\/p>\n<p>As we know, however, this atmospheric act from the Netherlands have always been a cauldron comprised of many surprise ingredients. Urfaust\u2019s brand of dark, ambient and immersing black metal has seen them float ghost-like through several ethereal and ambient releases since 2004 debut offering <em>Geist ist Teufel<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p>With full-length album number five, we\u2019re again summoned to the abyssal portal to once again be consumed by all manner of moods. The ghoulish duo sets the sepulchral tone with \u2018Doctrine Of Spirit Obsession\u2019; a 13-minute extravaganza of cosmic eeriness that seems to plumb the depths of the imagination to stride with majesty, grace and arrogance \u2013 like some unnatural seeping force so obscure, otherworldly and mocking.<\/p>\n<p>The trudge of the instruments construct a framework of cold doominess; it\u2019s cavernous by design, but also some sort of sturdy, seeping mantra \u2013 imagine John Lennon eerily drifting his words and chants over a twinkling rhythm section. There\u2019s nothing abrasive or even dark about it \u2013 well, I don\u2019t think so anyway \u2013 but just after the nine-minute mark the track, although still at the same low-tempo nod, does become more occult-drenched and gargantuan.<\/p>\n<p>Urfaust bewitch us with their peculiar stance of unearthly trance before \u2018Behind The Veil Of The Trance Sleep\u2019 trickles into view like some spectral orchestra. The track pans out like an expansive drift of ambient forces spruced by the constant thud of a drum, but everything about the song is eerie and spooked, Urfaust acting as one meditative state whereby the listener is somewhat drenched by obscure layers of natural forces.<\/p>\n<p><em>The Constellatory Practice<\/em> unravels as a soundtrack of being as \u2018A Course In Cosmic Meditation\u2019 literally lives up to its name as a sprinkling of cosmic surrealism. Don\u2019t be expecting anything remotely metallic&#8230; and yet there is something distinctly \u201cheavy\u201d about this composition. Those unfamiliar may find such a palatial orgy of whispers all too alien or bereft, as again the drum nods seemingly sew together what can only be described as ambient fluttering and lucid dreamscapes.<\/p>\n<p>On the other hand, the unexpected grinding twist within \u2018False Sensorial Impressions\u2019 sees Urfaust transform into a semi-black metal act with industrial connotations, as suddenly we\u2019re grated on by the mechanics of the delivery and vocal squawks. Meanwhile, the doomy sludge slog of \u2018Trail Of The Conscience Of The Dead\u2019 provides a commanding echo of vocal booms as the track oozes with melancholy, prior to the closing \u2018Eradication Through Hypnotic Suggestion\u2019 mesmerising us with a tumbling feeling of dread and Gothic ethereality.<\/p>\n<p>Throw this one on at All Hallows\u2019 Eve, and watch the neighbours scurry in search of candle light. Imagine a church organist lost to time and left to his own devices as his fingers caress the keys in feverish fashion to a chorus of wailing despair. This is an album for the deep-thinker who only tinkers with sleep.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Neil Arnold<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>URFAUSTThe Constellatory Practice V\u00e1n (2018)Rating: 8\/10 The latest Urfaust record comes oozing from the cracks like a doomy, occult laced Beatles as the opening moans of guitarist IX provide a sense of commercial prowess aided by a simple drum nod. As we know, however, this atmospheric act from the Netherlands have always been a cauldron [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[24,4086],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-71334","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-album-ep-reviews","category-urfaust"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/71334","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=71334"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/71334\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":71335,"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/71334\/revisions\/71335"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=71334"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=71334"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=71334"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}