Back in stock, this is the newest album from the shape shifting improv ensemble Aethenor, which originally formed around the duo of Daniel O'Sullivan (Guapo) and Stephen O'Malley (Burning Witch, Sunn, KTL, Thorr's Hammer) and which now has them working with Steve Noble from Derek Bailey's Company/N.E.W./Tongues Of Fire and Ulver's Kristoffer Rygg. En Form For Bla is comprised of live recordings from three separate performances that went down in Oslo, Norway in 2010, where the group delved deep into strange dark realms of otherworldly doom-laden ambience, dark fusion atmosphere that at times resembles Miles Davis circa Bitches Brew filtered through spectral shadow, and eddies of powerful sonic movement. Mostly, the music is driven by Noble's fantastic detailed bursts of percussion and the warm, fluid Rhodes keys that O'Sullivan melts like black syrup over the sheets of guitar drift and amp rumble. The effect is enthralling, making this one of my favorite offerings from Aethenor yet, and easily their "jazziest".

"Jocasta" opens as soft looped thrum and abstract metal percussion leads into cymbal washes, deep resonant rumblings, smatterings of fusion-y Rhodes piano and warped jazz guitar, crashing into controlled swells of doom laden darkness and low end heaviness, but never ventures too far from the menacing ethereal improv. Rattling drum volleys appear beneath sparkling star clusters, then veer into strange nocturnal prog soundscapery and minimal dark ambience, a mix of delicate processed guitar, distorted bass tones, and pounding freeform drumming, eventually becoming super blown out and chaotic for a moment at the midway point, then abruptly slips into a clanking anti-groove, almost spacious free jazz blurt and stumble. After a powerful freeform drum freak-out, the track transforms into eerie deep space blissout later on, mixing almost kosimiche textures with the detailed percussive work.

The next track "Laudanum Tusk" is more abstract creepiness, ominous metallic scrapes and squeals over subdued drumming, barely there at times, creating this horror movie style atmosphere that builds to a stunning dark prog jam. "One Number of Destiny In Ninety Nine" takes shape as a strange glitchfest symphony of metal clatter and processed brass sounds, and "Something To Sleep is Still" sees volleys of blast beats sounding through a vast ambient jazz shadow alive with pulsating keys and super-distorted doom-laden bass rumble. More of that deep fluttering bass and rattling percussion scuttles around on "Vyomagami Plume", rumbling beneath gouts of cable sputter before birthing a lumbering and fractured prog jam that forms into something that resembles a chopped up, glitched out Goblin track.

This one is highly recommended for fans of dark, atmospheric improvisation, fans of Bohren and the Mount Fuji Doomjazz Corporation/Kilimanjaro Darkjazz Ensemble, and Ulver's most recent work. Both editions are beautifully designed by O'Malley, the disc in a gatefold jacket and the double Lp presented on colored vinyl in printed inner sleeves.