Autarkh: Form in Motion

While I listened to this album, I couldn’t help but think that Autarkh could make the weirdest relaxation videos. They could have listeners close their eyes, breathe in and out, and then get ready for the strange and sometimes off-putting sounds here. They could even scream if things get too dark and scary. If you want to hear this strange and possibly contemplative side of things, check out “Metacognition� or “Impasse� or “Primitive Constructs.� Sure, the music can be a little odd, but there’s something oddly thoughtful about the ways the various sounds play together. Humans are pattern makers, and this music definitely invites various attempts to put the pieces together.

Having said all that, I should be clear about one thing: Autarkh is not a band for the quiet moments, for the times when you want to kick back with a book or doze off for a little while. Instead, the band wants to push your ability to listen to sound of all kinds. If you want to hear the kinds of contrasts this band plays with, check out the way “Metacognition� feeds into “Clouded Aura.� As things shift, everything explodes but there’s still the slightest trace of the calm that “Metacognition� established. The power lies in these shifts and transitions and the album is full of them.

Autarkh is the brainchild of Michel Nienhuis, one of the founding members of Dodecahedron. With this band, Nienhuis takes what he was doing in that band even further. He blends more sounds together and frankly hopes to challenge everyone’s sense of what extreme metal can do. The music draws on everything from blast beats to noise to glitch effects and IDM-style beats. Some listeners may find it a bit too jumbled but it’s fair to say that there’s a method behind the madness.

If you’re feeling particularly experimental, you might find the music here to your liking. It is very ambitious and it also hopes to open listeners to depths beyond their own personal experience. It works pretty well, but your experience will depend on how much you want to be confronted with everything Autarkh is up to. A good strategy might be to listen to this one several times.

Track Listing:
1. Primitive Constructs
2. Turbulence
3. Cyclic Terror
4. Impasse
5. Introspectrum
6. Lost to Sight
7. Metacognition
8. Clouded Aura
9. Alignment
10. Zeit ist nur eine Illusion

Added: July 1st 2021
Reviewer: Carl Sederholm
Score:
Related Link: Bandcamp Page
Hits: 507
Language: english

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