Various Artists - Azathoth

Last year Cryo Chamber brought to their fans one of the biggest surprises the dark ambient/drone scene has come across in a while. Twelve different artists brought their talent together to create over an hour of grimly lit electronics called "Cthulu" as a tribute to H.P. Lovecraft. What many may have thought to just be a one shot call to arms has turned into something more, as just in October Cryo Chamber unveiled their latest, bigger, and badder than ever collaboration effort "Azathoth". 

Azathoth, in reference to the Cthulu Mythos and Dream Cycle stories of Lovecraft and other authors, is the ruler of the Outer Gods. First mentioned in a note by Lovecraft to himself that simply read "AZATHOTH--hideous name", the being would later be mentioned in further works such as The Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath, The Whisperer in Darkness, and The Dreams in the Witch House. Other authors therefore mentioned this unknown being, such as August Derleth and Ramsey Campbell. 

But now, Azathoth comes to full recognition and fruition via this gigantic collaboration which features: Alphaxone, Alt3r3d Stat3, Apocryphos, Atrium Carceri, Cryobiosis, Darkrad, Dronny Darko, Halgrath, Randal Collier-Ford, Sabled Sun, Taphephobia, Ugasanie, Wordclock, Kammarheit, Foundation Hope, Aseptic Void, Dark Matter, Mystified, Neizvestija, Sjellos, Svartsinn, and Terradaemon. While "Cthulu" had a working roster of twelve artists, "Azathoth" nearly doubles up with twenty-two projects working together. With a greater palette of talent available, Cryo Chamber upped the ante and created a 2CD release with both tracks spanning nearly an hour long for a total run time of one hour, fifty-five minutes, and twenty-one seconds. 

The first track begins off down to earth, with a slow intro trickling rain into the foreground. As the song progresses, an unearthly sound rings out loud. It's as if an unfortunate individual were walking down a street with the fog so thick that they could not see a thing before themselves. With each step they took, however, their environment just dissipated until they were no longer walking, but floating in a deep space before whatever creature Azathoth might be. Before this creature's might, they bowed and succumbed to its whim - whatever it might be. And, if the first song is their promise to be Azathoth's mortal errand runner, then the second song's ritualistic aesthetic and moody tone is the audio to them performing Azathoth's will and - eventually - evolving into a higher form of life. 

What is so, so ironically funny about my journey through this brilliant masterwork is that it actually began off as simple background noise as I worked on other writing habits. However, "Azathoth" consumed me; what was to simply fill a void in my head soon came to take over my mind and ears. I found myself putting down whatever I was doing just so I could hear this album out in full detail. This is a dark ambient album that is more than just background noise. And for this, I salute every artist that worked on this well crafted aural sensation. 

If H.P. Lovecraft were alive today, I'm sure he would smile a wicked smile as he praised "Azathoth" for bringing his horrifically creative stories to life through ominous atmospheres. 
Nov 04 2015