Following the October release of Marthe’s Southern Lord debut, Further In Evil, the Italian anarcho punk teams up with label-founder Greg Anderson who returns as The Lord, with the pair collaborating on two new tracks.
The Eye Of Destiny and Wisps of the Black Serpent were released earlier today via Bandcamp, and continues the excellent run of form from both artists.
Following Devotional, The Lord’s 2022 collaboration with Petra Haden which took out Sun 13’s Album of the Year, and his collaborations with Slint’s David Pajo and Daniel Kubinski, Anderson returns with another series of cinematic hellscapes alongside Marthe, who offered comment ahead of the release of the two tracks:
“Collaborating with The Lord was an exciting challenge, and something new, and stimulating to me. I don’t usually deal with such soundscapes and when Greg asked me to add vocals and drums to The Eye of Destiny, I accepted. The track was intended by Greg to be a tribute to Quorthon (Bathory), an artist who has been a huge influence on my moods. I had started to add in battle-drum beats, but soon faced the hard task of using words to describe what (to me) is the most talented artist of all time. How to contribute in words what I can’t even process in emotions?
“There’s the person behind it, and along with the talent there’s the reality of the loss, since he’s not here anymore to witness the legacy of his sound. What’s left of his feelings on his blog, his emotions, his development as an artist and as a person and that spark in his eyes. The eyes are the mirror of the soul, we say. And I was reading some notes he left on a letter, and it went something like ‘may the eye of destiny be wild with you and show you the right way through life’.
“The Eye of Destiny was an evocative image to me, to picture in my mind the aura of his memory, as a human being and a musical genius. As words are dominant in a tribute, it was impossible, in the most humble way, to find words for him. So, I took his own words: checked all the lyrics and made a caviardage of words that in the end composed a tribute in what I considered the most honourable way possible. I love the final result, it’s my small tribute to a musical giant.”
Tonal Intoxication: In Conversation with The Lord’s Greg Anderson and Petra Haden
While The Eye of Destiny features Marthe’s subtle vocals weaving in and out of Anderson’s endless guitar tracks, on Wisps of the Black Serpent the overriding tones that featured heavily throughout both Devotional and The Lord’s debut LP, Forest Nocturnes, return here. Soundtrack drone that could shift planets, and amid Marthe’s ghoulish howls, it caps off a wonderful year for the Italian artist, who also spoke of Wisps of the Black Serpent prior to its release.
“For the second song, Wisps of the Black Serpent, I wanted to incorporate more synths, since lately I’ve been getting into soundtracks and especially horror music composition (following from my love of horror movies, especially Gothic Italian classics). The vocals here are an improvisation. I wanted to let out some negative energies, so I imagined a shamanic exorcism to get rid of the weight I was feeling that night. I love when songs sound more like a lament than actual songs, because I can remember the exact moment something unplanned came out, which fuels the next one and the next and so on. It’s similar to freestyle hip hop, it gets you excited while doing it!”
The Eye Of Destiny and Wisps of the Black Serpent are out now. Purchase from Bandcamp.
Sun 13 