“ … tension, darkness, and urgency.”
07/11/2022 Deep Water Acres / primordial undermind / review
In a smokey basement somewhere in the cosmopolitan city of Vienna, Austria, a foursome of humans are conducting a sonic experiment. They are finding out where exactly their combined sonic flow will take them, both musically and lyrically. While the guitars creep meanderingly and the drummer and bassist explore the space, a lone lyricist recites the words that could have only popped into existence on that exact moment in space and time…
Tensity beyond comprehension // I’d forgot my ticket // There creeps the primal fear // lost all concept of existence//Is this singularity? // Everything Is and I am everything, I am terrified but fear nothing…
The tension builds up and up and explodes in a crescendo of bursting energy, coming down and down, dissolving, and turning into the next song.
Things only bend until they break…
It’s this cycle that repeats seven times on An Imaginal Abydos, each resulting in seven completely different outcomes. Yet each filled with a certain similar tension, darkness, and urgency. Lyrics come and go, turning up only when they are summoned by the heavily fuzzed up guitars. Drums and bass fill in the blanks with a strong jazz feel, yet this is not that. It’s not jazz, and it is not experimental, it is four humans, listening closely to each other, and following the creative stream, from here to everywhere…
Illuminous echoes from within //t ell a story of old // In voices too quiet to hear // Oh I wish it was real
Yet real it is, and ready for you to dig in. If you are truly an open minded worshipper of the Weirdo Shrine, An Imaginal Abydos will take you exactly where its makers want you to be.
Eric Arn, an American expat in Austria, and guitarist/vocalist in Primordial Undermind was kind enough to shed some light on their work. Being quite overwhelmed with An Imaginal Abydos I was only too happy to be given some well needed context from its makers.
Firstly, can you introduce the band? I understand that it has been a coming and going of members and that that is a policy of yours, right? So who’s in the band right now, and are they the same people as on the album?
This little band of misfits has existed for over thirty years now, based in five different cities on two continents, and with yeah, somewhere around 45 people involved over that time. Everyone involved has participated voluntarily as their life situations, and their own desire, interest and inspiration allowed, so things have naturally evolved. I can’t imagine how we could have come so far otherwise, and it keeps things fresh. The current lineup is the same as on the new album – Toni Rosa de Pauli on bass, Xavi Scholz on drums, and Chrisi Weikinger and myself providing guitar and vocals. …
Check the full Q & A at Weirdo Shrine.