Empusae – "The Alchemist’s Rift"
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Some artists capture sound the way the Japanese cherish porcelain — with attention, love, and awareness that even if broken, it can be mended with gold and become even more precious. Empusae has always been one of them for me. I always listen to his albums on my best headphones, trying to catch every nuance — because here, every nuance matters. "The Alchemist’s Rift" opens as if we were entering a mysterious land — a land of vast spaces, swirling masses of air, water, fire, and some unknown substance. Everything blends into one, overwhelming and primal. I imagine an endless landscape, filled with gigantic elements towering over me. I feel small. I don't know yet if this place is dangerous, but the unease does not stop me from walking forward.Slowly, more instruments join in. I wonder what beasts await here, what creatures lurk. The soundscape is built from impressions, from delicate shifts, from subtle additions — this or that instrument weaving in and out. At one point, I sense a second line of melody breaking away from the main, darker stream — a lighter one, perhaps sadder, but less threatening. "Invocati on" feels like a plea, a supplication. But to whom? Whom is the Alchemist trying to appease? After a brief moment of silence, the melody strikes — with such overwhelming power and depth that it almost stuns — especially compared to the subtle, discreet build-up before. "Circuits and Sigils" feels like stepping into a shrine, a chapel, a cosmic temple filled with stars.
The energy glows faintly, pulsing, as we watch it grow, not knowing whether it will explode or fade away. I listen, surrendering to the incoming sounds — the ones on the surface and the ones lurking underneath.Suddenly, it feels like an enormous sonic window opens before me — vast, dark, endless.Masses of matter sweep past, indifferent to my existence — like ancient creatures who do not even notice me. I feel as insignificant as dust before the stars, the universe.brings a slight shift towards stronger electronics. A beat emerges — more familiar, more comforting. But only for a moment. Soon, the sound matter fractures again. If the Alchemist is still experimenting, it feels like he is nearing the Philosopher's Stone — the track is grand, expansive, but not oppressive. It breathes.
"The Echo o f Shadows" draws me back into the mysterious darkness.I feel the heavy beat of footsteps, the rhythm of creation itself. The beat intensifies, but it's more inviting than terrifying. The side melodies are hypnotic, trance-like — beautiful, striking straight into the center of my sensitivity, my taste, my love for sonic forms. This piece is absolutely wonderful — perhaps my favorite on the album. Then "A Soul Reclaimed, a Darkness Born" — and the soul returns to the Alchemist. Melodies fall back into a darker path. The heartbeat becomes mechanical, surrounded by chaos, darkness, and thickening sonic matter. It's a heavy, oppressive track — the kind that makes you want to cover your ears and hide. Brutal in its honesty, growing into an avalanche of sound that seems to crush everything.
Like a tidal wave, like an earthquake — inevitable and unstoppable. "Eternal Rift" doesn't offer peace. It is harsh, dark, disciplining.It doesn’t comfort; it unsettles even more.
Yes, there are flickers of lighter sounds — like distant stars shining faintly in the blackness — but the overall atmosphere remains merciless. It’s raw, unrelenting.Where did the Alchemist arrive? Did he lose himself? Or did he merge with his Jungian shadow, becoming more aware, knowing now that we are both light and darkness? What was he searching for — the Philosopher's Stone, or himself? What did he find? I don't know. But while listening to "The Alchemist’s Rift", I disappeared — gone deep into darkness, into the core.
That final scream, that wild, raw sound at the end — what is it? Acceptance? Surrender? A union of opposites? I don't know yet.
Maybe I will never know.
Label: Arcane Dirge
Format: Limited edition CD
Release Date: May 16th, 2025
Tracklist:
"Invocation (The Fractured Self)" (5:17)
"Circuits and Sigils" (7:16)
"Through the Rift" (10:03)
"The Echo of Shadows" (9:30)
"A Soul Reclaimed, a Darkness Born" (6:15)
"Eternal Rift (The Unending Void)" (7:50)
The energy glows faintly, pulsing, as we watch it grow, not knowing whether it will explode or fade away. I listen, surrendering to the incoming sounds — the ones on the surface and the ones lurking underneath.Suddenly, it feels like an enormous sonic window opens before me — vast, dark, endless.Masses of matter sweep past, indifferent to my existence — like ancient creatures who do not even notice me. I feel as insignificant as dust before the stars, the universe.brings a slight shift towards stronger electronics. A beat emerges — more familiar, more comforting. But only for a moment. Soon, the sound matter fractures again. If the Alchemist is still experimenting, it feels like he is nearing the Philosopher's Stone — the track is grand, expansive, but not oppressive. It breathes.
"The Echo o f Shadows" draws me back into the mysterious darkness.I feel the heavy beat of footsteps, the rhythm of creation itself. The beat intensifies, but it's more inviting than terrifying. The side melodies are hypnotic, trance-like — beautiful, striking straight into the center of my sensitivity, my taste, my love for sonic forms. This piece is absolutely wonderful — perhaps my favorite on the album. Then "A Soul Reclaimed, a Darkness Born" — and the soul returns to the Alchemist. Melodies fall back into a darker path. The heartbeat becomes mechanical, surrounded by chaos, darkness, and thickening sonic matter. It's a heavy, oppressive track — the kind that makes you want to cover your ears and hide. Brutal in its honesty, growing into an avalanche of sound that seems to crush everything.
Like a tidal wave, like an earthquake — inevitable and unstoppable. "Eternal Rift" doesn't offer peace. It is harsh, dark, disciplining.It doesn’t comfort; it unsettles even more.
Yes, there are flickers of lighter sounds — like distant stars shining faintly in the blackness — but the overall atmosphere remains merciless. It’s raw, unrelenting.Where did the Alchemist arrive? Did he lose himself? Or did he merge with his Jungian shadow, becoming more aware, knowing now that we are both light and darkness? What was he searching for — the Philosopher's Stone, or himself? What did he find? I don't know. But while listening to "The Alchemist’s Rift", I disappeared — gone deep into darkness, into the core.
That final scream, that wild, raw sound at the end — what is it? Acceptance? Surrender? A union of opposites? I don't know yet.
Maybe I will never know.
Label: Arcane Dirge
Format: Limited edition CD
Release Date: May 16th, 2025
Tracklist:
"Invocation (The Fractured Self)" (5:17)
"Circuits and Sigils" (7:16)
"Through the Rift" (10:03)
"The Echo of Shadows" (9:30)
"A Soul Reclaimed, a Darkness Born" (6:15)
"Eternal Rift (The Unending Void)" (7:50)
