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side-line magazine
Cocytus is the river in Hell referred to in Greek mythology as the river of wailing and described by Dante as a frozen lake. Inhabiting the ninth and lowest circle of Hell are the perpetrators of the most despicable and reviled acts of betrayal and treachery, Dante describing Cocytus as imprisoning Lucifer himself from his waist down in ice, the lake replenished by his tears and frozen by the flapping of his wings as he tries to escape. This release features remastered versions of three of Famine’s tracks from 1995 and adds two new tracks to complete the album. Available as a free download and limited edition cd, the album contains four tracks named after the four greatest traitors in history; Caina (Cain), Antenora (Antenor), Ptolomea (Ptolemy) and Judecca (Judas Iscariot). Perhaps surprisingly, “Cocytus” is not harsh and unforgiving but full of soft tones and drifting textures that ebb and flow. Although it undulates calmly there are hidden depths to this music, ominous drones darken the tone; “Cocytus IV: Judecca” depicting the theme using tortured screams and sudden dramatic crashes while the clanking of chains in the 17 minute “Names Of Dead Kings” hints at the suffering endured for wrongs committed. “Cocytus I: Caina” is a melancholy opener full of remorseful sentiment while “Cocytus II: Antenora” is more minimal and atmospheric, punctuated by tortured wails. “Cocytus III: Ptolomea” heads down a similar route, toning down the demonic wailing but increasing the droning atmospheric tones to heighten the feeling of condemnation. Loaded with a subtle but dark, tortured presence “Cocytus” slowly unfolds and paints its picture of eternal damnation with careful attention to detail. What at first seems quite soft and gentle in tone slowly reveals its true nature on further listens.
(PL:8)PL.
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they fell e-zine
Recommended
In 2008 Famine hit the scene with the debut album Every Mirror Turns Black, a rhythmically disjointed and brutal affair perfectly suited to the Bugs Crawling Out of People label. Now, Famine returns with Cocytus, an EP featuring 3 tracks from 1995 and two new ones. Where Every Mirror Turns Black utilized broken rhythms and samples, Cocytus shows a completely new side to Famine, one that will easily draw in more fans and reveal this versatile artist as one to keep your eye on.
"Caina" opens the release with sweeping scapes that are at turns placid and haunting, before expelling the listener into the barren "Antenora", which gives the impression of an airy, rocky wasteland. Cocytus is a finer and more subtle exploration, feeling almost like an excercise in disquieting restraint. Songs like "Judecca" showcase a talent for handling both the bigger picture and the minute details, with its large scope alternating gauzy and abrasive textures.
The only detriment to the album are the length of the songs, which will be painfully short to anyone looking to get themselves lost in the intricately woven canvases the album unravels.
Cocytus succeeds not only on account of its beauty, but also because it exceeds commonplace expectations. A magnificent phantasma that should leave everyone unsure of, and anticipating, what's coming next.
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reflections of darkness e-zine
In last year’s May, FAMINE surfaced with his first official album release ‘Every Mirror Turns Black’ on Canadian brand Bugs Crawling Out Of People and let loose an orgy of extreme rhythmic complexity mixing it up with an extreme music form from another genre: The Black Metal. Shortly before last year ended he came across with another release. The EP ‘Cocytus’
“In Greek mythology, Cocytus, meaning river of wailing (Greek kokutos, "lamentation") was the river in the underworld on the banks of which the dead who could not pay Charon wandered…” “In Inferno, the first cantica of Dante's ‘The Divine Comedy’ Cocytus is the ninth and lowest circle of Hell.” And that’s the part, where FAMINE enters the game. He’s making this unreal world audible... sensible for us. He’s bringing to life the frozen regions of the lowest cycle in Hell in the centre of which Lucifer is imprisoned, desperately trying to escape. It’s astonishing that ‘Cocytus’ has not become another realm of insane complexity, but an ambient manifesto of sorts, which starts with ‘Cocytus I (Caina)’ putting upon our souls dark humming drones and from afar we can hear the raging screams of Lucifer before a realm of lush ambience opens up, confronting the listener with deep, soft textures carrying a subliminal undercurrent of sadness within. Our path leads us further to ‘Cocytus II (Antenora)’ where a daunting mood takes hold that is being multiplied along the path and in ‘Cocytus III (Ptolomea)’ manifests as stark fear when the ghostly calls of the souls, captive deep inside the frozen lake penetrate the surface to haunt you.
On the fourth part of ‘Cocytus’ named ‘Judecca’ we’re being exposed to a wall of sound made of textures, pads, abstract choirs and samples. Each and every single layer seems interlaced with the others. The spatial depth of the sound is breathtaking even multi-dimensional and excels everything we’ve come to hear in the other three pieces by far and takes everything to an entirely different level. The last track on this disc is called ‘Names of Dead Kings’ and grasps almost 17 minutes of duration. Listening to this piece makes me feel like roaming through an old subterranean crypt and every new corridor that’s emerging in the darkness bears more tombs and more names of a royal dynasty that’s long forgotten. Still you can feel the sublimity of this place and it makes you shiver.
Well, I can say that I didn’t expect FAMINE to come up with such a release, really. That’s totally different from what was going on ‘Every Mirror Turns Black’. Three of the tracks on this release actually originate from 1996 and were re-mastered for better sound quality. Sometimes you can hear the age streaming through, but for me who’s grown up with tapes it adds a nostalgic factor to the whole thing. To cut a long story short: I think is a top ambient release and it’s free to download, so what are you waiting for? If you’d prefer to have something in your hands, there’s a limited CD edition available as well.
Sebastian Huhn - jan 2009
Rating:
Music: 9
Sound: 8
Extras: -
Total: 8.5 / 10
reviewer: Alan Milne, August 2007
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