To follow up my interview, Bruno asked me if I could review the full-length, EP and single he has released through Hypnotic Dirge records. Because, these three releases put together clock in at nearly eighty-one minutes, I feel it would be easier on me and all you readers if I just reviewed them in bulk and just divided it into three parts as opposed to three separate articles. I will order them based on chronological release which means we begin with the full-length released last year, Haunted Memories.
I will say this is the most eerie of any of the releases and definitely worth a purchase for any fan of music that emulates horror soundscapes. While there are no lyrics as far as I know throughout Immundus’ discography, the message being portrayed is very clear, especially on this release, and that is what I consider the most important part of music composition; to be able to express oneself musically without relying solely on lyrics. Minimalistic terror sends shivers down the spine and I swear if you listen to this in total darkness, you will be looking over your shoulder just to see if something is there.
The thing I love most about this release is it isn’t even remotely overdone. You will hear passionately haunting melodies without even the slightest hint of cheese; it can be taken seriously. One such melody that sticks out to me is the violin playback on “Dining beside an Old Corpse.” The gothic neoclassical approach fuses so harmoniously with the ambient and noise inspired overtones that one feels as if they are experiencing the dark secrets of the Victorian Era. Don’t worry though, as haunting as it is, the music seems well versed for the classic horror films that focused on a well made plot as opposed to the modern gorefests that will bore you to sleep with mundane silence until all of a sudden something jumps out and surprises (not scares) you.
Of all the tracks I would say the most frightful would be “Chains of Hate.” The execution is flawless and I could swear this is the perfect ambience to instill fear on a lost victim before a serial killer comes out to perform his sinister ritual. It reminds me a bit of the theme to Magus’ Castle in the video game Chrono Trigger, which I swear would be an eerie classic if it wasn’t limited to 16-bit production. Despite this tracks’ perfection, I would say my personal favorite is the follow-up track, “Dementia.” Maybe I’m just a sucker for a music box with music of this style, but I feel it fits perfectly as to look into the mind of a dementia patient which is a personal thing for me. My great aunt was diagnosed with the disease when I was young and before then I had a great bond with her and as her symptoms kicked in, I was too young to understand what was wrong with her and this track helps me look back.
The next two releases are offered as free downloads so unless you are limited in space on your hard drive, I don’t see why you wouldn’t get them. However, the full-length is my favorite and I think you should try to get a copy while they are still available. There really isn’t much more I can say without potentially ruining the experience.
A few months after Haunted Memories came out, Immundus gave us another great offering with The Methods Learned which as I just mentioned is a free EP for download available on Hypnotic Dirge’s website. This release while retaining the haunting sounds that have become signature for Immundus, seems to have a completely different approach. We are given four tracks that are each around six to seven minutes apiece which are longer than most of Duarte’s works in the past. The ambience is heavily industrialized and for me creates the aura of a steampunk world gone wrong or a post-apocalyptic survival. Audio is much more atmospheric than before and the sounds are much more futuristic. In fact the only track that seems entirely horror-inspired is the concluding track “Repentance of Midnight,” yet even this one has a post-modern tone.
My personal favorite not only from this EP, but Immundus’ discography would have to be “Sublimation at Zero Hour.” The track seems mournful, yet at the same time beautiful and so much emotion cascades the entire song. Of the two free works I would say this one is my favorite just because it stands unique from Bruno’s normal writings, though don’t let that sway you away from his recently released single, which further solidifies him as a great and underrated composer of modern times.
With that we are taken to a less than fifteen minute single Poemia, which is heavily inspired by the works of Edgar A. Poe. Three songs make up this release with “The Sleeper” being a very well executed introduction, though pretty modest compared to the other two tracks. I would say “Alone” seems to depict Poe the best out of all the tracks and if I had to guess I would say it is based on arguably his most famous work, The Raven. This piece blends the haunting appeal with a more accessible sound much stronger than anything previously written as well, though my favorite from this release for leisurely listening would have to be the concluding track, “Spirits of the Dead.” This must be one of the most progressively oriented songs I have heard not only from Immundus, but from any ambient artist since Aphex Twin or even as far back as Brian Eno.
I urge everyone reading to listen to these releases, even if you don’t want to buy the full-length, download the free releases and enjoy them. I have never heard horror music sound so fresh in a long time and you all owe it to yourselves to experience it at least once.