"Alter" By Karin Park & Lustmord
Fascinating Horror Movie Sounds
All those of you who can relate to the more dark sounds should definitely pay attention to this music tip. A new gem in this field will soon hit the record stores – "Alter" is a collaboration between Lustmord and Karin Park from Årabrot.
Good collaborations are a tradition at Pelagic Records. The Berlin-based music forge around the post-metal giants of The Ocean has a sense for high-quality music. They mainly serve the post-music genres – which, of course, also includes the horror movie score niche.
Friends of Portishead, Dead Can Dance, and Hans Zimmer's Soundscapes will definitely get their money's worth, and fans of Tool head and sound genius Maynard James Keenan (with whom Lustmord has already collaborated several times) and Godspeed You! Black Emporer should also carry on reading.
Imaginative and terrifying
The menacing darkness resonates in every note. Unknown ghosts creep through the air and take possession of the atmosphere. The first track, "Hiraeth", opens a dusty chest with long-held secrets that desperately wait to come to life. Above all this heaviness in the music swings Karin Park's voice – like a well-balanced dark pendulum.
Well-thought-out dramaturgy
Lustmord's music provides exciting drama and draws the bow to the next track, "The Void Between", in a pretty clever way. The track pulls me deep into the void while listening to the song. Ravens are circling in a dark sky.
The third track, "Perihelion", creeps almost unnoticed into my ear and draws me under its spell. The transition is also nothing but brilliant.
Karin Park's singing captivates me. She has already taken possession of the sounds of Lustmord's cinematic horror music. She uses it to her advantage and ennobles the recording with her voice. The singer describes her collaboration partner Brian Williams like this:
"He is the Gustave Doré of music. He paints magical pictures with a sound so big it leaves room for your imagination."
Flattering words that phrase what awaits you better than I ever could.
Karin Park's voice makes my head spin
The fourth track, "Twin Flames", also messed with my head right from the start. I'm not exactly sure, yet but it might be my favourite song on the record. Two hearts are beating in this musics chest that couldn't be more different and yet speak the same language.
The Musician from Wales and the Swedish singer know how to deliver, and they are stirring the musical imagination properly. "Entwined" is the name of the fifth track. There lies a chill in it that goes through marrow and bone. The spooky ambience is soon blown away by Karin's dreamlike vocals, only to deepen again immediately. Scenes from well-known horror tales pass before the inner eye.
The whole record is sensationally elaborate and stylish at the same time. Like scenes from a David Lynch movie, the pieces unfold on stage, sending their messages one after. The sixth song, "Kindred", is the dramaturgical highlight of the album.
Scary effects from the first to the last note
After all this darkness, "Song Of Sol" almost seems cheerful. Its orchestral note suits the song quite well. It sets the stage for the last track, "Sele". It draws me back into the coolness of Gothic halls and lets me wander through dark aisles of the past. All in all, the last piece on the records stands out from the others, mainly because of its heaviness. The creepy effect is taken to the extreme and comes to an abrupt end after 9:11. Time for some sunlight!
Lustmord, aka Brian Williams, has worked with giants like Wes Borland, Puscifer, and Melvins. He has also created soundtracks for films such as "The Crow", "Underworld", and "First Reformed". Karin Park might be familiar to you from her work with the noise-rockers Årabrot. She has been a permanent member of the band since 2012. The singer-songwriter also played in the Norwegian horror film "Hidden" and has made a name for herself with her solo projects. Here she mainly serves the genres of electropop, folk and indie. Her debut album "Superworldunknown" was on the Norwegian album charts for six weeks in 2003.
"Alter" by Karin Park and Lustmord will be released on 25 June. You can pre-order the record here.