Dark Awake
Abaris Hyperboreios
Steeped deep in esotericism, occult philosophy and ancient lore, Greek band Dark Awake have been exploring the hidden, subterranean currents of the European spirit for over 15 years now. In that time, the project has amassed a discography of respectable size, including the 2019 album 'The Last Hypnagogue' on Steinklang Industries. 'Abaris Hyperboreios,' referencing the legendary figure of Abaris of Hyperboreia from Greek mythology, is an album both timeless and old school, drawing from the perennial wisdom of the European spirit and inspired by the cornerstones of traditional martial industrial and post-industrial. Belligerent martial rhythms and heroic orchestrations mix with passages of deeply mysterious, abstract ritual ambience, enhanced by evocative neoclassical arrangements. From dramatic choirs to crackling layers of synthesizers, the musical breadth of the album is considerable. This is not an album of elaborately orchestrated, exquisite sounding but soulless, cinematic emptiness. Rather, in the classic tradition of the genre, the compositions are often understated and stripped bare of all meaningless excess. What results is an album that will appeal to fans of all eras of the martial industrial scene. Evoking atmospheres of sinister menace, heroic spirit, ancient mysteries and the perenniality of sacerdotal truths, like the namesake figure of the album, 'Abaris Hyperboreios' sagely parts the veil for a peek at the concealed, esoteric nightside. Of history, modernity and the future, informed by hermetic, transcendent wisdom. Comes as 6-panels glossy laminated digipak, limited to 100 copies.