TenHornedBeast – The Lamp Of No Light (Hymns For The York Doom Stone) (Album – Cold Spring)
Genre/Influences: Dark-Ambient, Drone, Industrial.
Format: Digital, CD.
Background/Info: Christopher Walton -who I remember from his Endvra project, strikes back with the first new album of TenHornedBeast in five years. The work is directly inspired by the doom stone in the crypt of York Minster. It’s a relic from the 12th century, carved in deep relief, illustrated for a medieval audience the horrors that awaited sinners in Hell.
Content: The concept of the work has been transposed into an extremely dark and tormented atmosphere. Raw, ripping noises, buzzing sound waves, echoing drones and Industrial blasts are leading the listener into an obscure universe of sonic horror.
+ + + : The main strength of this work is the extremely tormented atmosphere hanging over the production. It in a way is a Walton trademark. He became an expert creating perverted sounds and -atmospheres and he once more encaged the listeners in imaginary, frightening dungeons. The ominous sphere mixed with heavy Industrial blasts come to an apotheosis at “Upon Their Head Names Of Blasphemy”.
– – – : I personally prefer the first half of this work, both last cuts being less convincing.
Conclusion: TenHornedBeast belongs to the darkest sonic artists from the Ambient/Industrial/Ritual scene and this new opus only confirms the demonic effect of its creation.
Best songs: “Upon Their Head Names Of Blasphemy”, “Into The Mouth Of Hell”, “This Is The First Death”.
Rate: 8.
Label: www.coldspring.co.uk / www.facebook.com/coldspringhq
Listen to “The Lamp Of No Light (Hymns For The York Doom Stone)”:
About TenHornedBeast
TenHornedBeast is the solo project of English musician Christopher Walton, who works in doom-ambient, drone and ritual industrial. Walton recorded with the dark ambient group Endvra during the 1990s, and has run TenHornedBeast on his own since.
The London label Cold Spring issued the first TenHornedBeast CD, “The Sacred Truth”, in 2007, followed by its companion album “My Horns Are A Flame To Draw Down The Truth” in 2009 and by “Hunts And Wars” in 2010. “Death Has No Companion” appeared in 2017 and “Capra Hircus” in 2024. The project is also represented on the label compilation “Arise – A Cold Spring Sampler”.
Cold Spring released “The Lamp Of No Light (Hymns For The York Doom Stone)” on 29 April 2022 on CD and digital. Walton recorded its five pieces through the winter of 2021 and 2022, photographed the doom stone himself, and Martin Bowes mastered the album at The Cage Studios. Abby Helasdottir handled the graphic design.
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