Style: Dark ambient
Primary Emotions/Themes: Forget not that when you gaze into the abyss, the abyss also gazes back into you.
Thoughts: The idea that there is darkness in man is nothing new. Many figures have spoken to this over time, most of world history is shaped by this darkness. While some darkness is overt and instantly notable, there is a more insidious kind that dwells deep within. It resides within every single person on the planet, and often goes unnoticed. This is the darkness that Codex reflects.
There is a place, no one knows where it is, but we have all found ourselves within its corridors. It's a small confined space, a single hallway leading forward. The walls seem to close around me as I try to traverse forward. As scary as it is, there is only one way to go. I can't go back the way I came, the way is shut.
The music found within Codex is claustrophobic, yet expansive. It preys on the primal fears in my mind, yet it is freeing at the same time. It forces me to face that which I am most frightened of, yet it builds courage. This is the paradox that is within this record.
The music itself is minimalistic, based more on pure emotions and tones than anything truly melodic. It is always foreboding, and always deeply unsettling. It's one of those rare albums that I don't remember the specifics of the music, but I remember intimately how it makes me feel.
Pipe organs, drums in the deep, field recordings... all of these things are used to perpetuate the atmosphere produced by Atrium Carceri. It's like an insidious worm that borrows its way through my scull and settles in to my primitive brain... it rests there and feeds off my fear - growing ever stronger as the base emotions cascade out of control.
The more I write for this blog the more I understand why specific albums are in my collection. Some are there for joy, others for when I need to rage, others still for when I need to contemplate my life and it's meanings. Codex is in my collection for one reason: fear.
Written April 16th 2024
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