Lustmord
Zoetrope

Since 1984, with that "Paradise disowned," Lustmord, aka Brian Williams, has plumbed the depths of the human psyche with the electronic and terrifying overtones of the most impenetrable and infernal dark ambient I have ever heard. Lustmord has heavily experimented with and influenced this genre, reaching hallucinatory heights first with "Heresy" (1990) and then with "The place where the black stars hang" (1994). Then there were other works, all more or less positive. Among them is "Zeotrope," which intrigued me not so much for its cover, track titles, or anything else but for what lies behind the birth of this work. "Zeotrope" is, in fact, the soundtrack to an eponymous short film, based on Franz Kafka's story "In the Penal Colony" and directed by a certain Charlie Deaux.

Kafka's story talks about the execution of a soldier. This is described to us through a deep and intricate analysis of the character, and this is naturally catapulted into "music" by Lustmord to be adapted to the short film. As is his style, the overall atmosphere is shrouded in total bleakness: sinister echoes ensue, the icy sound of water drops, noises coming directly from hell.

This is the scenario of Zeotrope, and for those not "well-versed" in the genre, the challenges arising from listening are quite treacherous, making such a work overly indigestible. For those who already have a good knowledge of dark ambient, tracks like "The cell", "Cellular blur", "Descent", and the hypnotic sound of "The harrow" are small but hefty musical gems.

"Zeotrope" is certainly not Lustmord's most successful work, but once again he has reiterated his great compositional skill in a genre where it probably matters the most. Dark, magmatic, penetrating, and decidedly horrific: in short, a work that clearly bears Brian Williams's trademark.

1. "Main Title - Infinite Space" (7:17)
2. "The Cell" (5:48)
3. "Cellular Blur" (4:31)
4. "Descent" (5:03)
5. "Transitional Pathway" (5:25)
6. "Amalgamated Man" (8:02)
7. "The Harrow" (7:26)
8. "Disintegration" (3:48)
9. "End Titles" (4:58)
10. "Zeotrope Trailer" (3:28)