i AM esper is a guitar-based drone/doom/dark ambient project founded in 2009, which has already released dozens of cassette, CDr and digital releases on numerous labels from around the globe. His output is staggering and it’s hard to know where to begin, so I’ll just start with the releases he gave me. This album has already been released in 5 editions, on 4 labels from 4 different countries. The one I have is a CDr on French label Le Crépuscule Du Soir, which came in a DVD amaray case with a poster of the cover art.
True to the concept of the album’s title, the first track is called “Sinking”, and it chronicles our descent into the dark sea, complete with water sounds. The three middle tracks form the titular “Swept Beneath The Black Waters” suite. The first part habitates a dark, somber, meditative zone, while the second is more graceful, but still bleak and soul-crushing. The way it manages to be so expressive while being so quiet and minimal is truly remarkable. As soon as it ends, however, the third part demolishes everything with slow doom-metal chords. As with the first two parts, it inhabits its space for over 10 minutes, then clears the way for the next track to do something entirely different. The album ends with “Emerging”, which lifts us out of the dark waters, but not out of the darkness.
While I’m still making my way through the i AM esper catalogue, releases such as this are already enough to convince me that this is a remarkable project.
Kadaath Records / Le Crépuscule Du Soir / Tapemancy Recordings / Smell The Stench
