What does Kaya North sound like?

Dark primordial ambience.

The review of Kaya North – Myths

Kaya North’s new album ‘Myths’ is a dark ambient voyage into the very fabric of Earth. The idea behind it is that by going back to our roots and tapping into the rhythmic drone of the lava beneath our feet, we can discover myths of Earth and beast. This translates into 40 minutes of thick, densely packed drones and beats that fall somewhere between ancient hymns and cavernous ambience.

There are two sides to this album. One is the more tribal side. Tracks like ‘Lava’ are rustic, aggressive offerings with harsh drums and guttural brassy rasps from synths and drones. It is punchy and ravaged, verging on industrial machine noise as the raspy sinews of the synths and sounds spew out onto the speakers. ‘The Temple (Hymn)’ has a similar vibe but sounds more ceremonial. We are walking to war trumpets and pounding drum skins as post-rock-sounding electrified synths curl upwards in a raging angst. ‘Depth’ muffles all the tribal elements as if a ceremony of legends is taking place beneath your feet. It is incredibly clever sound design and sounds great with good headphones on.

The other side of Kaya North is the drone ambience. ‘The Truth’ is a dark arcane monk drone distorted and ravaged by fire and dust. Atonal synths and whines add to the foreboding sense of dread the track portrays. In a similar vein, ‘Rise to the Marble’ bends gently around the same note for eight minutes but adds in all kinds of effects and distortions. I’m sure I can hear the metallic bells of hell in there, or maybe they are metallic shackles. It is so densely oppressive, that you could equally zone out to it or have a panic attack.

Two tracks that straddle both sides are the haunting horror show of ‘Invok (Pure Kult)’ and the primordial ‘Feral Fauna (Severed Myth)’. Both tracks take the best of both sides and create dark ambient soundscapes that you could chant to or pound a drum along to as well.

I always run out of words to describe dark ambient music. When done right, I get an electricity in the pit of my stomach that evokes wonder and dread in equal measure. Kaya North gives me that with ‘Myths’. It is a numbing nightmare fuel that soothes the soul whilst sacrificing a mammoth. Let your imagination run wild and you’ll enjoy it.

Recommended track: The Temple (Hymn)

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