Hybryds – Desert Of White Salt (Digital Album – 3RIOART)
Hybryds remains an extremely active project that released its first production 40 years ago. Throughout the years, Sandy Nijs, aka Magthea, has remained the driving force behind this Belgian pride, collaborating with a wide range of artists. At the end of last year, this new album was released, once again featuring collaborations with Peter De Koning, aka TraumaSutra, and vocalists Madeline Arndt and Katharina G.
“Desert Of White Salt” takes us on a two-hour sonic journey, spanning a total of 14 tracks. The first part of the album in particular sounds brilliant. Hybryds naturally remains a reference point in Ritual music, but listeners will also recognize other influences such as Industrial textures and Trance-like fragments. The rhythms, combined with dark, repetitive soundscapes and Ethereal voices, create a hypnotic sensation, as if Hybryds aims to draw the listener closer to illusory gods. The whole work is perfectly constructed, with a true sense of harmony between all its elements. The second part of the album sometimes feels slower and less driving, but it still contains several standout tracks, including the more than 20-minute-long “I Walk The Wasteland”. This piece is a gem in terms of sound design, effects, and dark atmosphere. Both musical visionaries behind the project are perfectly attuned to one another, complementing each other down to the finest details.
“Desert Of White Salt” strikes me as an ambitious work, as it is no easy task to keep the listener engaged for two full hours. Even so, in my view, they succeed in doing so on several key passages once again. (Rating:8½).
Listen to “Drums Of Exile”:
https://hybrydsmusic.bandcamp.com/track/drums-of-exile
I have been working for over 30 years with Side-line as the main reviewer. My taste is eclectic, uncoventional and I prefer to look for the pearls, even if the bands are completely unknown, thus staying loyal to the Side-Line philosophy of nurturing new talents.
Since you’re here …
… we have a small favour to ask. More people are reading Side-Line Magazine than ever but advertising revenues across the media are falling fast. Unlike many news organisations, we haven’t put up a paywall – we want to keep our journalism as open as we can - and we refuse to add annoying advertising. So you can see why we need to ask for your help.
Side-Line’s independent journalism takes a lot of time, money and hard work to produce. But we do it because we want to push the artists we like and who are equally fighting to survive.
If everyone who reads our reporting, who likes it, helps fund it, our future would be much more secure. For as little as 5 US$, you can support Side-Line Magazine – and it only takes a minute. Thank you.
The donations are safely powered by Paypal.
