Messenger of unearthly horror

Emit - Cold fire (mp3)
Interview
I have had really controversial oppinions about this one-man-band of Unknown I from UK. First thing I heard was Emit's 2005 album "A sword of death for the prince". I got quite a negative impression about it. But that was a mistake - I had not heard the previous releases. It's not that Emit has changed much during the time, his music has been uncompromising black noise from the beginning, but the demos seem to be somehow more interesting from my point of view.
I will post two reviews about this, the first is written after listening "A sword of death..." album, and the second is written when I had heard most of the previous material also.
No. 1
Emit is pure black-noise. This is total deconstruction of everything that is worth listening in music. "A sword of death for the prince" is a full length album with a number of free improvised "songs", but it's almost impossible to take it as a piece of music. When I got this album I was able to listen only two tracks maximum. One minute of it can be fun - like a shock therapy. But there just is nothing to listen to. The operatic vocal sample in the beginning of the first track is the only interesting thing worth mentioning during the whole album. I enjoy dirty sounds a lot, but this is like some idiot masturbating with distorted guitar. Playing an instrument with absolutely no idea about rhythm or melody and having nothing to say. But still playing and playing and playing.... . It's BORING beyond human understanding. But I don't know, maybe people who can enjoy serialism and Luciano Berio find it interesting.
On the other hand I think that it's really great achievement. I take black-noise as a very manipulative form of music. It's not about telling a story with concrete words and putting it into musical arrangement as in pop or rock . Like in improvised music, it's about finding a musical expression to all kind of feelings and experiences (all kind of negative feelings, that is). Improvised music is good when it can create those visions in the mind of the listener. Obviously black-noise is ment to be the most evil and nihilistic form of music. It's not that Hannibal Lecter's evil genius stuff (although, if you have a really high IQ and you happen to love this music, may be it'll take you there), it's like pointless evilness with no excuse on the gut level of primitive mind. Emit makes me almost angry with being such a disturbing nonsense. It just sucks your brain out and leaves you catatonically staring at the time counter on the CD player : when will this torture end? I think that's the exact meaning of it. And what about that name? I wish it would mean just TIME backwards. Why not make things even better by adding a dose of absurd mysticism (I'm just too excited about my kaos magik theory here).
No.2
Contrary to first impression, I have to say that Emit's music is actually deep and sensitive. When I have settled down and realized, that there's no point in expecting groovy riffs and catchy themes, that there is almost no connection with black metal as a form of rock music, the picture slowly starts to fold out. With that type of music, it's impossible not to see the influences of Abruptum, but Emit seems to be much more mature. You see, there are no drums, which are sort of rudimentary thing (drums add immediately that rock music connection) and the guitar has dirty blackmetal sound, but there are never riffs played - only dissonant "melodies" played on open strings. "The sword..." album left me very monotonous impression, but as in this track from "The dark gods", there are a lot of things happening on demos. Obscure sound collages, acoustic guitar parts, church organ, chanting voices, morbid moans. It's the ugliest guitar torture of Abruptum with the disturbed haunting atmosphere of Moevot (I'll be writing soon about this extraordinary french phenomenon).
The music is so full of mysticism, that it never let's you understand the whole meaning. Or you can use it just as a soundtrack for your personal horror fantasies. For some inspiration, look at the picture above the article - that's so called Belmez face.This and some other similar images are appearing on the cement floor of some old house in Andalusia since the beginning of the seventies. I find it one of the creepiest real life haunting tales. And this picture is also on the cover of one of Emit's demos.
Some of the song titles give a clue, as if there were a story behind the music ("Behind the manor house, amongst the weeds", "A lunatic hermit dies in his woodland home"), but there are no explanations given.