[reviews] afe093cd
bestia centauri: teratogenesis

2004. Seems an age away. So much has changed in that time. I vividly remember reviewing for another website "The Self Immolation Rite" by Bestia Centauri when it first got released . I had the previous two releases, "Ubbo-Sathla" and "The Antidiluvian Earth", by the artist already in my collection but had never written anything about them. Never got asked to is the real reason why. Which is a pity because I thought at the time that here was an artist worthy of total respect. An artist who immersed himself deeply in the mythology and philosophies of a by gone new age. If you will. My moment eventually had come and I would not fail the artist. The end result was a review that mentioned Dido, who I had a sexual fantasy thing for at the time, and the mumbo jumbo bollocks of the insert which had flown way over my head. Talk about letting yourself down. The moment was there to be seized and I had thrown it away.

Three years have gone and now I find I have a chance to redeem myself. The fates have decreed it so. But although I'm older I remain no wiser. If anything my intelligence level has dropped even further. I remain a Viz man at heart. A mindset just above the gutter and no more. Therefore I will not even attempt to try and explain the modus operandi behind the man and his music. You can read that for yourself on his website. I know my limits and when to quit. Instead I'll try and explain the music contained in "Teratogenesis" in simple layman's terms. Best for everyone all round I feel. Something which should meet the artists and labels approval. I do hope so anyway.

Cursed be anyone who dares to mention the words "Black ambient" in any context with regards to this recording. For although it initially has the shape and form of atmospheric dark sounds these six pieces go way beyond any ambient structure. "Teratogenesis" is almost unnameable. Though I'll give it my best shot. Mixing avant-garde tendencies with a refined electro-acoustic approach and cosmic vibe the soundscapes the artist creates takes music into hitherto uncharted terror-tories. The miss-spelt word deliberate on my part but summing up succinctly the music that defiles the ears. Defiles is probably too harsh a word but the first spin of the recording threw me well off guard.

I had forgotten just how much this artist likes to play on the senses. To take things to extreme levels and back again, generally headfucking all those who come in close contact with it, whilst still making it reasonably approachable at the same time. No mean feat when said at the end of the day. As the sounds build up in kaleidoscopic layers, bathed in an otherworldly radiance, the free form nature of the music is allowed to mutate and change form at will. The compositions bursting at the seams with cohesive thought and expression aligned with a doom filled aura that majestically sweeps back and forth as the disparate sounds collide and separate.

A flicker of disembowelled voices can be faintly heard and disseminated amongst the turbulent electronic waves and sub bass sonics that rumble with a life of their own. There is this feeling that you are privy to something special taking place all around you but the mind cannot fully comprehend the information as it desperately tries to decipher the meaning of it all. Leaving you isolated and vulnerable as the chaos reigns all around. The shrill frequencies that abound, appearing at the most unexpected times, a caustic reminder that this will be no easy ride for the uninitiated. For there are no rhythmic passages or peaceful sojourns to find any solace in. Just the relentless unforgiving alienation that the artist has created for you to be swallowed fully up and encased within.

As the last note from the last track flickers and dies you realise just how powerful a piece of metaphoric music "Teratogenesis" actually was. The full force of the music only truly appreciated amongst the descending silence. Heart stopping in every conceivable way. Which leaves me with a sense of sadness. For I know that because Bestia Centauri dares to be different in his approach to music that many of you will never get to hear this seminal work. You will be put off by the more experimental aspects of "Teratogenesis" for sheer fear of the unknown. This recording can be difficult to understand and break down in places. You need to have a fully open mind to allow its darken beauty to embrace and take hold. But give it that chance to enlighten and you will find a wealth of rich thought provoking sounds with which to give yourself up to. A class "A" release in every sense of the word.

[Alan Milne]