Enigmatic Hanover-based electronic producer The Church Of Synth apparently started out playing live techno sets around Germany, before tiring of more predictable dance sounds and turning to the impressive arsenal of vintage analogue synths (and circuit-bending knowledge) he’d inherited from his father. As both his production moniker of choice and the grainy, funereal sleeve art hint, this self-titled debut album on Robot Elephant sees TCOS fashioning, vast bleak soundscapes built around icy synth grandeur, the resulting sweeping fusion drawing equally from ambient, drone and witch house. Opening track ‘Kristuskirche’ gives a good indication of the overriding aesthetic here, as deep, buzzing bass drones rise into place beneath gently shimmering synth ambience and melodic tones, the brighter textures somehow managing to maintain a sense of dreamy optimism even as the droning feedback buzzes like an angry hive of wasps beneath.
‘Das Dronen Der Gottlichten Ra’ meanwhile sees cold electro synths flickering away at the edges of the mix, the more ominous swelling bass synth elements slowly being replaced with an icy Kraftwerkian motorik glide that sees clicking metronomic drum rhythms locking into place beneath burbling EBM-tinged synth arpeggios and hoovering bass drops. Elsewhere, ‘Der Fall Von Leviathan’ sees things veering into more familiar witch house territory as harsh distorted snares carve a path beneath a vast, droning backdrop of bass and poisoned-sounding rave synth sweeps, before ‘Enoch Und Kobal’ sees squiggling acid 303s working their way in amongst faded-sounding rave synth stabs, the weary-sounding drum machine rhythms suddenly accelerating up into house tempos as the shimmering layers of synths build into the middle distance. Toss in some additional remixes from Burial Hex and Ourobonic Plague that manage to turn the menace factor up a few notches, and you’re left with an impressive debut album that’s distinctly aimed towards fans of dark, dragged-out synth-heavy electronics.
Chris Downton
*
