LUSTMORD & KARIN PARK – ALTER CD

Nordic pop diva KARIN PARK of ÅRABROT adds her ethereal, mournful voice to the primordial sound of legendary electronic pioneer LUSTMORD for this sublime and poignant collaboration. ALTER is a ritual of our times. On the pair’s first collaborative effort, the nine tracks that make up ALTER are every bit as heart-wrenching as they are terrifying, mining new sonic territory for both artists: a fascinating study of light and shade that delves deep into vast uncharted darkness. Opening with an eerie crescendo of low frequency noise, Lustmord’s ability to create atmosphere on the album opener “Hiraeth” is second to none, perfectly assembling a harrowing backdrop for Park’s lilting sound of longing. From there, Park’s vocals add all of the emotional depth and power found in names like Kate Bush and Elizabeth Frasier, perfectly playing against Lustmord’s waves of dark drama and creating a wholly unique record that recalls Dead Can Dance, Massive Attack and Portishead at their greatest. Considering the credentials of Karin Park, it might be surprising that a collaboration with Lustmord would fit so seamlessly. Utilising a sound that is comprised of elements of industrial, synth pop and more, the celebrated Swedish solo artist and member of rock band Årabrot leans on experimental sounds and ideas in her version of pop music, blazing trails and bringing to mind the work of Björk, The Knife, Robin, Gary Numan, Zola Jesus and more in her darkly-rich compositions.

”Lustmord is the Gustave Doré of music”, collaborator Karin Park offers pensively. “Painting magical pictures with a sound that is so vast, it gives space for your own imagination.” Brian Williams grew up in North Wales, beginning his musical career as Lustmord in 1980 and becoming a pivotal figure and pioneer in the early industrial music scene in the UK. A former member of SPK during arguably their most crucial era, Williams went on to work with Throbbing Gristle members Chris & Cosey and appeared on early albums by Current 93 and Nurse With Wound amongst others. After relocating to LA in 1993, Williams worked on dozens of motion picture soundtracks including The Crow, Underworld and Paul Schrader’s First Reformed, in addition to several video game, television scores and solo albums. Williams has also contributed to and collaborated with artists as varied as the Melvins, Clock DVA, Jarboe, John Balance of Coil, Clock DVA, Paul Haslinger (Tangerine Dream), Wes Borland (Limp Bizkit), Puscifer and more, including Grammy Award-winners Tool from their much acclaimed effort Fear Inoculum.

FOR FANS OF: Lustmord, Årabrot, Dead Can Dance, Hans Zimmer, Sunn O))), Fever Ray, Chelsea Wolfe, Boards of Canada, Heilung, Zola Jesus, Swans

1. Hiraeth
2. The Void Between
3. Perihelion
4. Twin Flames
5. Entwined
6. Kindred
7. Song of Sol
8. Sele