Drone music is a deceptively difficult genre to get right. Sure, anyone can play very slow and heavy, letting the feedback carry them into obscurity. But in truth, it is all about what happens in the space in between, and the feeling that the artists can transmit. The Immortal Samsara Travellers are more than capable of delivering exactly that with their debut record, Hanging Gardens In Glacial Apocha. But of course, everything has a starting and In order for them to achieve this result they channel some of the scene’s usual suspects.
The echoes of Sunn O))) are undeniable, as the low-end energy finally erupts in the opening track “Samsarishi Portal To The Second Glacial Epoch.” Here, the duo of Robert Halloran and Stanley Christiaensen mold the feedback to its oppressive form. However, they do not only relish the more punishing aspects of the genre. There is a certain depth to the riffs, and the duo alter their nature towards something meditative. The over-the-top approach gives ground, dialing down the overwhelming splendor in favor of introspection. Starting with minimalistic inclusions they introduce electronic components that break the monotony of drone. In their more extravagant outbreaks, they even take an even more worldly approach adorning their structures with Middle Eastern themes in the second part of the closing track, “Battle of Hydaspes.”
It is the sum of many small inclusions that elevates Hanging Gardens In Glacial Apocha. The minute artifacts in the opening track sow the seeds, which then become the foundation for the otherworldly experience that is “Spacing Guild Sustain.” Slight bleeps and glitches carry on this experiment, as they eventually overtake the scenery in a feat of immersive electronica and noise. Suddenly, vocals enter the fold, the faraway laughs and cries opening up this alien transmission to further interpretations. In this otherwise incomprehensible opus, this is a moment when The Immortal Samsara Travellers imbue it with its own mystical language.
The final achievement arrives with the break of barriers of drone music. The duo is not looking to follow the norms here, allowing for the synthetic percussion to completely alter the face of this work. “Bolomb Combor” undergoes this transformation, as it takes on a solid form with a defined sense of movement and progression. What starts as a nice add-on effect becomes central to the proceedings, granting a surprising sense of immediacy. On the other end of the spectrum, the clean guitars that bid farewell to the ending of “At The Edge of the Known World” trade the primal element for a strangely sentimental drop. It is these little things, or what at least appears to be small additions that highlight the brilliance of Hanging Gardens In Glacial Apocha. In a genre dedicated to punishment and overwhelm, it is very welcome to see an act like The Immortal Samsara Travellers opening up the fold to additional dimensions.
