Xasthur is one of USBM's big three. Along with Judas Iscariot and Leviathan, Xasthur has forged a wholly original body of work that has influenced and inspired artists far and wide. Like Burzum, the patron anti-saint of black metal, all three "bands" are really one man operations. Among the three, Xasthur a/k/a Malefic a/k/a Scott Conner has always tended toward experimentation more than his fellow brethren. That experimentation has increasingly grown with each subsequent release to the point that it is questionable whether or not to still classify Xasthur's music as black metal. Somehow I don't think Conner has a problem with that, as he has been fairly vocal about the limitations of any "scene," black metal or not.
And while some heads up their ass black metal purists may decry Xasthur's evolution, the rest of us have been richly rewarded by Conner's progression. I was a huge fan of the criminally overlooked "Defective Epitaph," but even that album's experiments didn't prepare me for this masterwork. This is the album where everything Malefic has been working at came together perfectly; Conner's compositional skills (which are truly impressive even buried under the lo-fi blacked murk), his penchant for woozy, nearly psychedelic rhythms, blackened ambient, and of course the occasional fit of grim black metal. This album stayed on continuous play ever since its release last spring.
"Reflections" is an emotional listen, and not just because it evokes the sometimes draining hatred and nihilism that a lot of earlier Xasthur does. In fact, hatred and nihilism are nary to be found here. Instead there is a sort of morbid spiritualism, a longing for something lost in the darkness. It kind of sounds like a soundtrack to a ghost story, told from the point of view of the ghost, with all the yearning, mournfulness and disquiet that a ghost might feel. For those with a penchant for the darkness, this is really quite a beautiful work of art.
As a side note, the cd version comes with a second cd that is just as impressive and highly recommended.
Listen to stream of entire album below:
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