Esoteric – The Pernicious Enigma remaster (Aesthetic Death)

When I first heard this astounding album years ago, I knew that I had to turn off the lights and to listen on headphones, omitting all else from my attention.

This provided a theater-of-the mind, with every session evoking different images, and it seemed that I always heard something new.

This was the most atmospheric music that I had heard, and the doom was both sorrowful and frightening.   It was exhilarating to ride the songs into my mind.

When I heard that there was a remaster, it replaced all other hopes.  It became available on vinyl first, which I could not hear because I have no suck playing device.

It is finally available on CD.  To quote Victor Frankenstien, “with an excitement than amounted to agony” I unwrapped the parcel, vanished all light, and selected my best headphones.

I cannot adequately describe the sensations of that first foray.  The new mix is beyond what I had expected.  I cringed and almost convulsed in parts.

The immediate difference was the sense of space and depth.  Yes, the original mix was rich, but in this remaster one can glide with any of the sounds, swimming freely and touching other timbres as one may wish.  I was completely lost in the music.

I’ve heard it five times already, and each provided a different otherworldly experience.  This is one of the greatest pleasures to bestow your ears.

If you are familiar with the original mix, then I caution you to set aside all other things for your first experience.  The new way of perceiving what had been previously known may be too much to bear.

If you have never heard this groundbreaking album, try the song “Stygian Narcossis” as your first savoring of this exquisite music .  You will be utterly consumed.  Traverse the gates and alleys of your mind.

I STRONGLY suggest that you purchase this album.  Do not delay!

The record label website is https://www.aestheticdeath.com

You may also buy it from the band directly at https://www.esotericuk.net

Esoteric - The Pernicious Enigma remaster (Aesthetic Death)
Esoteric – The Pernicious Enigma remaster (Aesthetic Death)

Skepticism – Stormcrowfleet (Svart)

If you have heard Stormcrowfleet by Skepticism, then you must set aside time for the first time that you will hear the remaster,  and find a dark place, and put on headphones.  The auditory experience is jaw-dropping.

You will enjoy new sounds.  That really is the best way to describe this.  There is also a sense of added dimension.  You soar through the notes.

When this album first appeared, it was like nothing that came before it.  In the doom world, this music was colder, somewhat lifeless but with sudden transformations, sometimes absolutely crushing.

There was nothing like it before.  The band has stood unique since that time, with albums changing, of course, but the essence was always preserved.

Again, if you have enjoyed the original release, this remaster will be savored.

If you have never heard this album before, it is a vital one in the history of doom.