Reviews
Black Ships Ate the Sky
Black Ships Ate the Sky
by Current 93
Durtro/Jnana (UK), 2006
Few bands are recognized for their overt interests in Thelema, chaos magick, and Hermeticism. Current 93 is one of them. Others include Psychic TV, Throbbing Gristle, Death in June, Nurse With Wound, and Coil. All of the aforementioned are interrelated, and members have worked together in the past. Their songs speak of magick, reality, and emotion, and all are appealing to Witches and magicians of all types.
Characterized by David Tibet’s abstract, long-spoken, and highly poetic lyrics, Current 93’s music is orchestral, rocking, ambient, and all over the map — their newest recording, Black Ships Ate the Sky, is no exception, and is trance-inducing, emotional, and spiritually stimulating. Current’s experimental Gothic “apocalyptic folk” edge shines through on this release. The main thing that differentiates this album from past releases is the number of guest vocalists. These include Marc Almond, Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy, Antony, and quite a few others. All the guest singers lend their vocals to a rendition of a 1763 hymn called “Idumæ”; seven different versions of the song appear on the album, each with a different vocalist. The song’s opening lines are haunting: “And am I born to die? / To lay this body down / And must my trembling spirit fly / Into a world unknown…”
This is yet another fantastic release from a magickal, mystical band.
RAVEN DIGITALIS.
RATING: 4 Broomsticks
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