“The Southern Reach Trilogy” is a trio of books by Jeff VanderMeer depicting the events occurring in Area X, a place that has been reclaimed by nature but that also takes on a warped reality that appears to have replaced the one that existed before. Things feel familiar yet completely off, and the mystery surrounding the place continues to unfold in increasingly strange ways. It’s a hard experience to shake.

“Master’s Murmur,” the experimental new record from black metal force Yellow Eyes, instantly made me think of those books and how I felt when I read them. This is not a typical album from this band; it’s the first of two releases that precedes their next “normal” record and shows this force continuing to warp and stretch convention. The band—vocalist/guitarist Will Skarstad, guitarist Sam Skarstad, bassist Alex Demaria, drummer Michael Rekevics—does reveal some aspects of their previous selves on these nine tracks, but the bulk is made up of unexpected passages, immersive, mind-altering compositions, and adventures that leak into your brain and make what’s in front of you seem disarmingly different. It’s an imaginative, provoking record, one that might accompany reading or meditation, though do pay attention for the sharp barbs that weave through this thing as they can still pierce your flesh.

“Old Acclivity Dream” dawns with noises and whistles, paving the way for guitars to begin scorching, burning through mesmerizing atmosphere and into the title track that immediately envelopes you in the cosmos. Howls echo as the strangeness just begins to get its footing, mystical powers encircling as dimensional horrors bleed through, the synth building as your brain begins to tingle. Eeriness looms large as acoustics settle into the cracks, sealing off this section of dreams. “Winter Is Looking” feels warped when it dawns, chants following, the cries tearing through sci-fi synth. Jazzy bass flexes while guitars drip, leaving the terrain in a thick fog that feels like early morning. A synth haze and acoustics meet, and then drums erupt, a black metal fury storming through unexpectedly, symphonic glory bleeding away. “Irrlicht” opens with morbid keys, orchestral-style movements glazing over and changing the features of the land in front of you. Disarming chirps and drone lifting off the ground make for an unsettling scene, Patrick Shiroishi’s (he also played on the new Agriculture album) sax moans and aches, and the playing contorts and fades. “When Jackie’s Lamps Have Showed” has Rekevics on vocals, and they’re utterly tormented, wrapped with a ghostly plot, the keys turning into a nightmare. It feels like hypnosis is taking heavy hold as the track continues to spiral and develop, fading in bizarre fashion.

“The Ritual Is Gone” has drums exploding, decimating everything in its reach, slipping into haunting winds that chill and terrify. Bells vibrate as the percussive assault continues, torching with strange voices, synth lapping like a frozen wave, the final ignition leaving blistering. “Gold Door to Blindness” writhes as animals bleat, strings are plucked, howls reverberate as the darkness thickens dangerously. A fever dream aura takes hold and grows like an irrational fear, burning openly as the agitated animals call again. “Tremble Blue Morning” starts with acoustics and warped strings, woodwinds making it feel like a damned wind is blowing at your back. Drums echo as the rustic patterns increase, ancient pathways finally crossed for the first time in forever. Howls scrape as the symphonic push gets richer, fantastical forces showing you their true nature. Closer “Garden Trick” brings things to a close with regal synth, guitars bubbling, and the sounds forming a creature that slinks off into the shadows, its eyes on you.

“Master’s Murmur” shows a very different side to Yellow Eyes, almost as if the band and its sound was absorbed into another plane of existence, forming something altogether different and scarier. Things feel unsettling, almost like colors are bleeding into your field of vision as these songs take over your psyche, changing it and pushing it into places it never explored before. This is but the beginning of a two-part journey, and my mind is overwhelmed with mystery over what’s coming next. But for now, we’ll absorb these pieces and try to make sense of this new world in which we’ve been thrown.

For more on the band, go here: https://yelloweyes.bandcamp.com/music

To buy the album (cassette), go here: https://yelloweyes.bandcamp.com/album/masters-murmur

Or here (vinyl, not available until 2024): https://gileadmedia.net/collections/pre-orders

For more on the label, go here: https://sibirrecords.cargo.site/

And here: https://gileadmedia.net/