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BECUZZI, GIANLUCA - Black Mantra

Format: do-CD Label & Cat.Number: Silentes / St.An.Da 2355 Release Year: 2023 Note: after a series of compelling works "Black Mantra" is inspired by the goddess of KALI, the "Anit-Mother" , BECUZZI mixes Indian classical music with doom metal influences and post industriial - choir chants and bell sounds are confronted with heavy bass + guitar noises and drones, its a powerful, abyssal but still somehow fragile and transcendental soundworld.... really surprising and innovative arrangements, wow.. lim. 200 copies Price (incl. 19% VAT): €16.00 More Info Kali, "The Black-One", is the Hindu goddess of death, time, supreme power, destruction and change. She is dark and heartless, the anti-mother with a bloodied face. She is "The One Who Dances", leading the world towards dissolution, end and rebirth. The origins of the Thug clan, stranglers known for their ritual murders, are linked to this karmic cycle. Since the last century, her mysterious charm has inspired literature and cinema, making her a popular figure also in the Western world. Just as, more generally, Indian mysticism and its traditional music, based on the sound continuum, is origin and source of inspiration for all Drone Music and for musical avant-gardes linked to it. Gianluca Becuzzi [June 2023] All tracks composed and produced by Gianluca Becuzzi [2023] Gianluca Becuzzi [on CD01 and CD02]: electric baritone guitar, alluminium neck guitar, alluminium neck bass VI, sampling, programming Antonio Tonietti [on CD02]: indian harmonium, modified acoustic guitar, bouzitar Images by Stefano Gentile Artwork by Deison Silentes / St.An.Da. 2023 https://gianlucabecuzzi.bandcamp.com/album/black-mantra "One of my top finds of the last several years is Gianluca Becuzzi. This prolific Italian experimentalist is known for his atmospheric music that often fuses together influences from different genres. Black Mantra is his second release of 2023 and a high point in his discography. The stylistic hybridization here is that of Indian classical music and chant with drone metal. Think of it as a captivating combination of Dead Can Dance with Sunn O))). Conceptually, the music as a whole is based on Becuzzi’s fascination with Kali, the Hindu goddess of death. As such, it exhibits appropriately dark tones. While a long 2CD release, Black Mantra is exemplified by two tracks that appear early on the album. The Hidden Temple kicks off the album with a gong and acoustic strings before Becuzzi drops slow-moving and massive guitar riffs that are held into feedback. He employs baritone and aluminum-neck guitars as well as the bass VI to emphasize the low notes and sustain. Atop this, he layers repeating mantra-like chants. As Becuzzi is also credited with samples and programming, it is unclear how much of the non-guitar source material was recorded specifically for this track. But it ultimately does not matter due to his artful amalgamations. In contrast, Devotional Prayers is centered around drum beats accentuated by bells. Becuzzi adds a bass line and chants that resemble uttered incantations. He uses distorted guitar chords to fill space between cycles of the chanting, as well as to provide thick melodies for the latter half of the track. While each contributing line is relatively simple, again it is the combination of these elements that makes the overall piece engaging." [Avant Music News]