Review: Chrysantheme Delirium by Blind Ruler Cursed Land

The bridges that lie between drone, noise and ambient music have never needed to be particularly long. There is a plethora of acts who are constantly crossing between these three strands, often with a focus on one of them more than the others. Sometimes though they incorporate them together simply through their own organic compositional styles as opposed to any conscious decision of synthesis, and it's in this mid-point where Blind Ruler Cursed Land sits, the solo project of Czech musician Willhelm Grasslich. The project's debut album Chrysantheme Delirium is a record of stupendous depth that is at times beautifully mesmeric whilst at other times harrowingly dark. Inspired by an outside view of Imperial Japan, and dedicated to the filmmaker Toshio Masuda, there is an atmosphere to Chrysantheme Delirium that evokes both the futurism and historicity one associates with the land of the rising sun.

Split into four sub-titled parts, Chrysantheme Delirium flows as one piece although there are distinctive changes in tone and timbre that occur with the individual tracks. It begins with the short introduction Part 1, In This Sign You Shall Conquer, which overlays a high pitched wail, a crashing gong and some children shouting. Part 2, Thousand Stitch Belt, pitches a solid drone with phased, echoing percussion and twinkling chimes into a sublime piece of melancholy. It twists slightly at the end into a darker melody, before fading into the harmonica that opens the next track.

Part 3, Thousand Scars Shore, develops this harmonica into a huge reverberating tone before bringing in the subtle droning melody that the track is built upon. It's utterly hypnotising, slowly assimilating into every aural space. There is a low rumbling bass that seems to be on the verge of cracking apart, and ascending high tones that dig into your skull. In between this is a mid-range that carefully progresses from a driving distorted timbre in the first half into a sombre, choral melody in the second half. Seemingly made up of a number of glacial voices, it's dotted with beautiful details of static and harmony, and bass that gradually pervades through the ambience, opening the door for an acidic line of synths that cut through the sweetness of the drone.

As the track reaches it's conclusion, we're given an overlay of sampled anthemic voices and bomb blasts, which set the tone for the the final track, Part 4 In This Sign You Shall Perish. The berating voice of a military drill sergeant commanding troops echoes out whilst the sound of marching kettle drums and heavy rainfall increasingly progress into an all consuming wall of harsh noise. It builds into a peak and it appears as though it may carry on into eternity; but, in a sudden turn, the track snaps into a dramatic sample of soulful orchestral pop. It's rather disquieting, though also a somewhat comforting closing movement to the album.

Chrysantheme Delirium is an album which, thematically, wears its heart on its sleeve in a way which still maintains the elements of subtlety and mystery that instrumental ambient music delivers so magnificently. I feel like there is more that could be explored within the theme though, and I hope this isn't the only time Blind Ruler Cursed Land delves into this subject with their music. There are some highly memorable moments and these sonic landscapes are wonderful to behold. For a project in it's infancy, this is a highly impressive accomplishment. 

Chrysantheme Delirium by Blind Ruler Cursed Land is out now via Rum Fixion Records, check it out on their Bandcamp page.