Black Aleph • Apsides [LP]

Apsides by Black Aleph on vinyl. 

This is a co-release with Art As Catharsis. 

After months of preparations we can finally unveil our next record, the sensational debut by Oceanic sound shamans Black Aleph a wondrous and nearly ritualistic post-rock experience!!

Drawing inspiration from orbital mechanics and the relationship between light and darkness, Black Aleph have crafted a uniquely ambitious yet unequivocally universal sound. Channeling the quintessential nature of the elements and the power at the core of the universe, Black Aleph have composed a post-rock ritual; a highly meditative sonic experience. Tectonic in both sound and scope, Apsides roars with the might of a volcano, and sings with the grace of the wind, this is a post-rock triumph.

The ritualistic character of these compositions lends itself to the central themes of the record, namely orbital mechanics, and the notion of ‘apsis’ (points of distance between a celestial and a primary body -sun-earth-moon- in an elliptical orbit), and the relationship between light and darkness. The comparison with Godspeed You! Black Emperor might seem obvious to you, but this is truly up there with legends of the genre already, just listen and see for yourself! 

Release Date:

This product is a pre-order currently slated for release on October 25th.
Orders containing this item (and/or other pre-order items) will be shipped only once all items in your order are in stock.
Please note: We expect to ship this product around October 30th. Exact shipping date is however subject to change without notice. We will promptly inform you of any such changes via this webpage. Thank you for your understanding and for your support! 

BIO

Black Aleph are a Sydney/Melbourne based experimental ensemble featuring Lachlan Dale (guitar/effects), Peter Hollo (cello/effects) and Timothy Johannessen (percussion).

On their debut album, the trio draw inspiration from diverse sources ranging from post-metal to middle-eastern modal music. Apsides features both composed and improvised pieces that involve the players layering live-loops, ritualistic-beats and doom-metal style musical variations that progressively unfold and build in intensity throughout the performance.

Black Aleph’s style has been compared to Justin Broderick, Neurosis, and Godspeed You! Black Emperor - though there is a borderline spiritual quality to the music that comes from the unique instrumentation: guitar, cello, and Iranian daf drum.

The sound is tectonic - apt for a record centred around concepts of orbital mechanics, like the notion of ‘apsis’, which is the points of extreme and least distance between a celestial and a primary body (sun-earth-moon) in an elliptical orbit. A second theme concerns the relationship between light and dark, or more specifically the difference between bodies that emit versus those that merely reflect light - and in-between those that obstruct it.

Apsides was recorded over a number of years by Tim Carr (We Lost The Sea) and mastered by Mell Dettmer (Earth, Sunn O))). Jessika Kenney lends her sublime voice to a number of tracks, as does Natalya Bing her violin.

The album cover artwork was created by Melbourne-based artist Darren Tanny Tan, whose process involves ‘destroying’ a solid surface using various materials and techniques, while the single artwork was produced by the Syrian artist Salah Alkhal. 

LISTEN