Genre/Influences: Dark-Ambient, Cinematic, Drone.

Format: Digital, CD.

Background/Info: Italian solo-project Nihil Impvlse is driven by Francesco di Stasio. “Anabasis” is his fourth full length opus and the second released by Eight Tower Records. “Anabasis” has been introduced as ‘the drone industrial soundtrack of the constant strife for the pursuit of progress.’

Content: “Anabasis” sounds like the entrance to a dark and unknown sound cave. Somewhere in between obscure Cinematic, Dark-Ambient and Drone the tracks are resonating throughout the speakers with low vibrations. I noticed passages with vocals’ exclamations empowering the freaky sound experience.

+ + + : The tracks have been meticulously built up featuring elaborated sound treatments and impressive sound effects. It all leads towards a poignant, tormented, visual strength which mainly comes through at the beginning of the work. “Anabasis” sounds in the line of previous work although it became darker and tortured.  I salute the efforts and accomplishments of the artist who seems to have reached a next step and higher, qualitative, level in his artistic exposure.

– – – : I regret that the album only features 6 cuts. I also got the feeling Nihil Impvlse still has more potential than what came out.

Conclusion: This is a fully accomplished piece of dark music; a thorough sonic nightmare which will give you cold sweat.

Best songs: “Fog Of War”, “Blood On Our Hands”, “Drifting Ground Zeroes”.

Rate: 8.

Label: www.facebook.com/eighthtower

About Nihil Impvlse

Nihil Impvlse is the Italian solo project of Francesco di Stasio, working in Drone, Industrial and Dark-Ambient music since its first effort, “Teil I: Katabasis” (2010). “Anabasis” (2023) is the project’s fourth full-length album, released on Eighth Tower Records as a follow-up to “Stasis” (2020) and the label’s second release from the artist.

Inferno Sound Diaries

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.

www.side-line.com

Genre/Influences: Cinematographic, Industrial, Dark-Ambient.

Format: Digital, CD.

Background/Info: After having released the albums “Teil I – Katabasis” (2010) and “Teil II – Stasis” (2018) Nihil Impvlse joined hands with Eight Tower Records to unleash by the end of 2020 “Stasis”. The work has been introduced as ‘an exploration, in seven chapters, of the diagrams of the power mechanisms caging us in an invisible prison: civilization’. 

Content: I noticed 4 tracks from the album were already released at “Teil II – Stasis”. The sound is an exploration of different styles, which are centered on Industrial noises, Dark-Ambient sound corridors and field recordings. A few spoken samplings accentuate the ghost-like effect of the work. The tracks have been progressively built up and sometimes resulting in an imaginary vision of inferno.

+ + + : The work is quite diversified, mainly because of the different influences. I personally prefer the second part of the album, which is more consistent and resulting in a few frightening sonic climaxes. “A Prison Within A Prison” perfectly symbolizes the concept of the album, but also appeals for a terror-like vision. Another attention grabber is “Zeitgeist Penthotal” where the few spoken samplings empower the spooky experience. Last, but not last there’s the last track “To All Our Futures These Ruins Shall Return” has been progressively built up revealing an imaginary world of despair. Nihil Impvlse perfectly knows how to create strong atmospheres, which the listener transposed into his own images of horror.

– – – : The album is just missing an absolute apotheosis; it sometimes feels pretty close, but never comes true.

Conclusion: “Stasis” is a dark work reflecting the world of today… an invisible prison called civilization!

Best songs: “A Prison Within A Prison”, “Zeitgeist Penthotal”, “To All Our Futures These Ruins Shall Return”.

Rate: (7½).

Label: www.facebook.com/eighthtowerrecords

About Nihil Impvlse

Nihil Impvlse is an Italian project whose Discogs chronology lists the albums “Teil I – Katabasis” (2010) and the “Katabainein” EP (2011) on Interitvs Nvmen, followed by “Teil II – Stasis” (2018), which previewed four of the tracks that reappear on “STASIS”.

“STASIS” was mastered by Sonologyst with artwork by Francesco Di Stasio, released by Eighth Tower Records on 17 December 2020. The project’s next album, “Anabasis”, followed on the same label in 2023.

Inferno Sound Diaries

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.

www.side-line.com