The primary focus of Belgium’ Miguel Boriau – whose past projects include Weihan, Insomnia, Beyond Infinity, Nihilum, and Mannus – Simulacra is a convincing outlet for his slow-burn, instrumental “dark ambientâ€. Limited to 500 copies, this album is widely available compared to past releases on 100-run 3-inch CD-R and 50-run cassette. As conjured by the title, the spectre of death looms large over these five tracks, but they’re the kind of compositions onto which listeners will project their own mood as well.
That said, the church-like hum of the nine-minute opener “Unsullied By The Touch Of Time’ summons to mind the darkest days of religious practices in centuries past. It’s ominous yet subtle, encroaching like a low-key horror score only to recede again. It comes on in waves, but not with any predictable frequency. The 21-minute title track is similar at first, although perhaps more swirling and murky. It’s like a slow pan through a torch-lit cavern. The variations are at once fluid and glacial, and the track becomes oddly calming by the halfway point. We suddenly notice it’s free of tension or dread; it feels almost like acceptance.
The remaining tracks are shorter, ranging from seven minutes to four and a half. “In Solitary Confinement’s is by no means claustrophobic, despite its title, and feels like gusts of damp, bone-chilling wind. “I Have No Blood / I Have No Heart’s uses the same sort of creepy beginning as each of these tracks and makes similar progress from there. Mystified’ closing remix of “Above Me Only A Shimmering Light’s is a wide gulf of slowly modulating and reverberating sounds, getting under the track’ skin without betraying Simulacra’ carefully considered priorities. A lovely listen, There Is A Fountain Filled With Blood proves ripe with fluctuating imagery and bestowed with a truly transporting effect.
Doug Wallen
