Releases from the Eastern European label Tantric Harmonies are always something special. Special packages, obviously manufactured with care, limited releases, and subtle, often ambient music to stimulate your senses. This cd of Staruha Mha comes in a bleak black and while digipack, with somewhat vague photos of misty landscapes. The tribal ritual music on this album also sounds rather mysterious and distant. The inspiration for this project comes from archaic nature cults and psychedelic experiences. Most tracks have titles which refer to elements of nature. With no less than 80 minutes and 12 long soundscapes “Rusali” is filled to the brim.
You can hear death ambient, with harsh guitar drones and elements of industrial noise. But also more atmospheric passages, with ethno-ambient influences and sounds of field recordings. And indeed, the music of Staruha Mha has something otherworldy or out of line with modern times. I love the deep drones on ‘Grasses’, making me want to close my eyes and wander to ominous ancient landscapes. The music is too noisy to be truly relaxing. But the dense textures have a lot of brooding atmosphere. There is also something machine-like about the music, industrial rumbling soundscapes like ‘On Branches’ or ‘Deformation’ go and and on, disturbed by nothing. A good piece of work if you like dark ambient and ritual drones.
