MYSTIC TIMBRE 034

२ played on Anticipating Nowhere | Mystic Timbre Tapes Special (mixcloud.com/SimmoMaz/anticipating-nowhere-mystic-timbre-tapes-special/)

"A deep, dark, ritualistic 50-minute release that weaves meditative drone through raw black metal passages, patiently revealing each new layer, from heady ethereal trance down through to the sepulchral earthen raw. Mesmerising." - Duncan, Order ov the Black Arts (youtube.com/channel/UCyrY6Tk9f5WFsAlaqVXbWig)

"Abhasa’s mysterious and esoteric blend of post-black metal, sludge, and dark ambient is a ritualistic journey into bleak atmosphere. This is 50 minutes of dark mood music, combining blackened soundscapes with minimal ambience ... The music is easy to become absorbed in, with hypnotic drone and ambient calm combined with other musical elements, such as lonesome clean guitar, blackened distortion, or highly atmospheric post-black/sludge. Ethereal and oppressive, this is not the sort of album you’d put on just before you go out at night, or when you hit the gym. No, this is more contemplative and meditative, and very good at what it does." - Wonderbox Metal (wonderboxmetal.com/2020/06/15/abhasa-%e0%a5%a7-review/)

"So, what exactly is this? १ is the debut album of mysterious American entity Abhasa, here remastered and re-released. The band is mostly about crafting eerie atmospheres with Eastern music instruments, timbres, and philosophy, and throws in a healthy dose of sludgy post-metal. The album is crushingly oppressive and fascinating." - Dæv Tremblay, Can This Even Be Called Music (canthisevenbecalledmusic.com/immortal-onion-abhasa-slift-the-archetypal-syndicate-color-wheel-and-jeraf/)

"The ritualistic sounds of Abhasa are undeniable, as they penetrate the ears and soul with emotional atmospheric music that border the genres of black metal and dark ambient." - David Loveless, The Dungeon in Deep Space (thedungeonindeepspace.com/2020/04/04/abhasa-amalgamate-ritualistic-dark-ambient-and-bewildering-black-metal-on-%e0%a5%a7/)

"Es un disco que hay que tomarse con paciencia: en cierto modo, es como si hubiesen tomado un tema instrumental de black metal (o de post black metal) y lo hubiesen estirado hasta los cincuenta minutos. La intro ambiental, que tanto suele gustar en estos estilos, se extiende aquí a los tres primeros temas y hace que podamos hablar de un disco a caballo entre dos géneros: empieza con cuencos tibetanos, nada menos, en una meditación letárgica y tristona que va incorporando instrumentación, incluido uno de esos pasajes de guitarra acústica también tan característicos en el mundillo. En el cuarto tema irrumpen las guitarras eléctricas y la batería, pero en cierto modo permanece el espíritu atmosférico, de descripción de un paisaje desolado, y de hecho todavía nos queda una dosis de ruido aislacionista antes de la traca final de ६ y ७. Pero, claro, aquí vamos a empezar el viaje por el final." - Carlos Benito, Evadidos (blogs.elcorreo.com/evadidos/)

"Certainly one of the more unique albums you’ll hear this year. Abhasa’s १ is ethereal and ambient. An album that conjures up images of dark and deep deserts, ancient monuments rising high into the sky and bleak depths of underwater dungeons. All places where man or woman hasn’t set foot in for centuries at least ... With this constant draining soundscape, there is the thought that the ‘post-black metal’ side might be just too much sheer brutality. However, Abhasa create a beautiful and mournful sound that wraps and encapsulates the mind. It’s epic stuff and some of the best post-black metal music you’ll hear this year. The Final Score - 9/10." - Carl Fisher, GBHBL (gbhbl.com/album-review-abhasa-%e0%a5%a7-mystic-timbre/)

"I have no idea who these people/person are/is, but this is magic. Sick, sad, grating, but magic nonetheless. FFO: Windswept, Summoning, Blut aus Nord." - Machine Music (machinemusic.net/2020/02/01/nine-songs-i-liked-this-week-in-list-form-jan-25-jan-31/)

"Such blackened power and beauty in this ritual by Abhasa." - Freki (bandcamp.com/millerpack888)

"When ... you're looking for that calming yet unnerving and deserted ambiance. It's that grayscale instrumental post metal ready to shed its skin and metamorph into something forebodingly sinister." - Virtuososo, Focal Points: 2020 (rateyourmusic.com/list/Virtuososo/focal-points-2020/)

Deriving their name from the Sanskrit word for reflection, Abhasa take us deep into the cave on debut full-length १. Mixing ritual and dark ambient with crushing sludge and post black metal, १ weaves meditative soundscapes and sacred might into a cohesive, unfolding aural experience, each track giving way or bursting forth into the next like divine light breaking darkness. Sepulchral guitars envelop the listener like an earthquake on all sides, drums pound with ancient power, singing bowls echo across vast expanse, and majestic keys brood in the cataclysmic furor, cloaking all in darkness but where the light can touch.