Possibly my favorite out of all of the killer new releases on Cold Spring this week, Book Of Delusions is a collection of re-mastered rare and out-of-print material from Clay Ruby's self-described "horror electronics" project Burial Hex, including the material from the original Delusions Lp that came out on Aurora Borealis plus the B-Hex tracks from the splits with Zola Jesus and Kinit Her.
The original Book Of Delusions tracks are a delirium of blackened industrial psychedelia. The opener "Final Litany"
starts with the voice of Charlie Manson leading us into shadow as cymbals and drums shudder and rumble out of the depths, and a swirl of electronic drones and metallic thrum begins to circle round ghostly piano and distorted deformed guitars, while murderous whispers skulk at the edge of earshot. That trails right into the foul industrial urk of "Urlicht", where hideous mangled guitars coil around sputtering black synthesizer noise and insectile buzz, and massive pieces of metal rhythmically pound against concrete surfaces, hammering out a menacing ritualistic tempo. On "Crowned & Conquering Child", an assault of horrific death metal style vocal-vomit combines with throbbing synths that sound like they've been lifted from an early 80's post-apocalyptic film, brutal metallic percussion, piano and wailing tortured vocals for one of the strangest tracks on the album. It's a weird nightmarish cabaret, and reminds me a lot of Gnaw Their Tongues but far more "musical". Pretty brilliant, really. It's gets weirder with the nearly fifteen minute trance of the title track, where guest musicians from Kinit Her and Wormsblood join Clay for a propulsive krautrock-influenced psych-jam that spreads out across a pulsating almost techno-esque beat, stoned vocal exhalations and drugged out chanting drifting around the droning electronics and steady thump of the drums and sheets of reverb-heavy guitar. Very hypnotic and Circle-like.
The next two tracks both come from the Vedic Hymns collaboration with Kinit Her. On "God Of War And Battle", we're treated to more than ten minutes of abstract, minimal piano and nocturnal forest sounds, a din of chirping crickets singing in the darkness as this bleak melody slowly unfolds on the keys. Later on, it explodes into flurries of fast paced notes, transforming into this darkly beautiful modern composition piece at the same time that these hideous death metal style gurgling vocals appear. "Storm Clouds" is even more freaked out, the harsh anguished vocals have a real black metallish feel while the music is woven out of mournful violins that soar over dubby echoing drum hits and sorrowful piano, making this sound like a maniacal funeral march.
The last two tracks on the disc come from the split Lp with Zola Jesus. It's just as creepy and deranged sounding as the previous material. "Go Crystal Tears" again featuring Clay's hysterical howling vocals over another plodding, heavy industrial trance, the sound very "soundtracky", keyboards and pulsating synth and electronics mixing with doleful piano parts and bits of ugly noise, like some weird cross between black industrial and an 80's sci-film score. On "Temple Of The Flood", the band slowly tumbles into the abyss as ritual drums bang in the depths, a billowing haze of cymbal shimmer and deep synth drone swirls all around, and bizarre demonic vocalizations seep up out of the blackness over trippy fx, haunted pipe organs and narcotized Middle Eastern melodies.
This disc is a must-get for Burial Hex fans if you weren't able to pick up the original limited vinyl. Burial Hex's blackened post-industrial soundscapes and bizarre ritualistic electronics are pretty unique, possessed with a mysterious black glow that's unlike anything else out there...