Xasthur, A Gate Through Bloodstained Mirrors
A Gate Through Bloodstained Mirrors was originally recorded in 2000/01 at a time of transition for Malefic — a time that saw Xasthur shift from a band to a single, solitary member. It is Malefic’s initial foray into what is now his signature take on despair fueled black metal. It’s the start of a one-man, doom riddled black metal and hateful assault on the world.
I never got to hear this one on it’s initial release but upon hearing this reissue my brain immediately flashed to any unnamed nightmarish horrors that may have pierced the veil of sleep in my youth. Seriously, A Gate Through Bloodstained Mirrors is the soundtrack to every midnight horror that ever woke me, startled awake with fear as a kid. It’s mono-aural recording only adds to its immense and suffocating sound.
In addition to the release of this milestone in black metal, Hydra Head records will also be releasing with it a six-track bonus disc of unreleased material recorded from that same time.
Intro
The mood is set with wavering strings, light drum work and a good bit of noise.
Moon Shrouded In Misery Part I
Nasty riffing gets this one going as background static and sounds add to the eerie presence of Xasthur. The end of the track has some nice riffing and sets up the transition to “Suicide in Dark Serenity” nicely.
Suicide In Dark Serenity
At over 12 minutes in length, this oppressive monolith of hate and despair starts out with catchy riffing. Throw in more dark orchestral work and you’ve got another dark, eerie bit of musicianship. The 6:20 mark on the track sees a bit of a shift in the song with driving drum work before slowing down again to the speed of a rotting corpse.
Dwelling Beneath The Woods
Static and a bit of noise accompany this funeral dirge of a riff as choir vocals moan in the background. There’s so much distant between the music and the speakers on this album that it’s hard to say if we’ve really even heard Malefic’s vocals yet. There are instances when it sounds as though he’s screaming in the chaotic sea of static in the background, but it’s not possible to tell just yet.
Cursed Be The Memory Of Light
Catchy drum work, keyboards and dark riffing pick up the pace a bit as Xasthur emerges from the static fog the previous four tracks enveloped him in. There’s some creative bit of guitar work around the 4:15 mark after the sound has weaved in and out of veiled darkness a few times. The track ends softly with static and some light guitar work.
Possession
“Possession” includes a wide array of black metal elements in Xasthur’s recipe for antisocial nonexistence: tempo shifts, chaotic noise, eerie choirs, sound effect and evil riffing.
Spell Within The Winds
Finally we get some lead vocals. Malefic’s evil growls and screams fit nicely with the less-than-holy riffing that he’s shredding through. I can see this one as the soundtrack to every nightmare any kid has ever had. It’s down right evil and fuck.
Storms of Red Revenge Part I
Keyboard work and string instrumentation fade in and move slowly over the 1:20 span of this first half of “Storms of Red Revenge.”
Storms of Red Revenge Part II
The second half of this song sifts dramatically from the slow moving “Part I” with patented Xasthur riffing drowning in static. Malefic vocals are nicely done in this one, ranging from deep guttural growls to his midrange screams that fans of his music are more accustomed to.
Eternal Empire of Majesty Death
Exploding like demons through the walls of heaven, this Mutilation cover starts off much quicker paced than any of the previous tracks. It’s seven plus minutes of evil riffing and noise.
A Gate Through Bloodstained Mirrors
The title track starts off dramatically with disharmonic keyboard work over solid drumming. The drums pick up the pace a bit at the two minute mark as the riffing gets a bit more evil. This one is a dark, disjointed journey to despair and desolation — buckle up and enjoy the ride.
Kingdom of Burning Crucifixions
I love the smell of burning crucifixions in the morning. Smells like victory. In all seriousness, this one probably has my favorite bit of riffing through out its four and a half minutes. There’s a good portion of pummeling drums as well.
Moon Shrouded in Misery Part II
Desolation fills the air with this instrumental. Eerie keyboards and guitar work will the air with despair and thoughts of suicide. It’s perfect for that Monday morning commute into the office.
Black Spell of Destruction
This next one is a Burzum cover. It’s definitely a little more structured than Xasthur’s material in terms of the relationship between guitar and drum.
Lost Behind Bloodstained Mirrors
The last 40 seconds of the album is simple and refined with discordant noise and keyboard work.
~ ~ ~
Like I’ve said a couple of times through this review, Xasthur’s reissue of this album is the soundtrack to every nightmare children around the world have suffered through. It’s a dark, desolate and thoroughly evil affair that every one needs to experience at least once.
Favorite Tracks:
All of them
Additional Notes:
N/A