"CD repress of the original Ain Soph debut album! A must for all researchers and collectors of early exoteric dark industrial…"
"Ain Soph are a legendary group - or rather an entity - that over the years has managed to win a small but select following, reaching a true cult status. Formed in the early '80s in Rome, they started their activity by publishing a series of tapes not intended for publication but intended as real "magic" rituals. These were sound experiments inspired by magic texts, in particular the thought of Aleister Crowley and his tome "Magick". The approach was extremely naive but, nevertheless, it had an evocative power and a unique genuine feeling. The sounds created an esoteric and mystical atmosphere, worthy accompaniment of a book by Julius Evola or an occult novel by Gustav Meyrink. Luckily the value of these recordings did not go unnoticed, so much so that Misty Circles took an interest in them by publishing the first 3 works on tape under the name of Ain Soph, which together constitute a true trilogy of magical thought.
One can certainly make comparisons with the first Current93, the standard bearers of the esoteric-industrial, but, in reality, the ability to assemble the sound sources of that mythical project is lacking here. In Italy the closest experience to that of Ain Soph was, in some ways, that of Sigillum S, an industrial group which, in works such as Bardo Thos Grol, explored sound universes and related mystics (it is no coincidence that the two groups also shared a tape published by Cthulhu). However, despite the obvious roughness of the sound material, the fact that it was an experience that went beyond mere musical discourse, somehow made these experiments unique (so much so that, personally, I even prefer them to the aforementioned and beloved Current93).
Later on, the Roman band will also be able to release more complex and elaborate albums like Kshatriya and Ars Regia. Luckily the meritorious Old Europa Café has reissued the whole mentioned and legendary trilogy starting from this I.
I is the first work of the Roman band and captures all the energy of that mythical period. Imagine yourself in a deconsecrated church while celebrating a black mass: this is the feeling you will have while listening to these esoteric compositions, composed with extremely simple electronic means and manipulations: the result is in any case guaranteed and will really transport you into another dimension.
The album is divided into 2 parts and contains 4 tracks: the first one is a long, endless and monotonous loop in which we can also hear bells and percussions and disturbing noises. The track was composed and inspired by the already mentioned "Magick" by Aleister Crowley and the work "The magic of the Kabbalah" by S.L. MacGregor Mathers. The second part is definitely more interesting and varied. The first section is worthy of the soundtrack of a horror movie and is always inspired by Crowley's reading, being described in the booklet as "the recording of a real involvement", while the next one, inspired by the reading of a text by Paul Huson, has a truly mystical atmosphere that will take you into a dark dimension in search of a hidden reality. The last section is a dark and dark esoteric ritual where formulas describing the tasks of the adept are recited and is taken from Aleister Crowley's "Liber Cheth".
In this first incarnation Ain Soph were Foraenovis and Atrocity. Of course, to fully appreciate this kind of music it's certainly important to try a bit of interest in "esoteric" themes but it's not strictly necessary: if you have the aesthetic taste for the esoteric avant-garde of the early Current93 and for sure dark-industrial you'll find bread for your teeth."
