Sunday, January 12, 2025

Eldritch Priest - Dormitive Virtue [Halocline Trance 42]

Put out on the circuit via the Egyptixx-run Halocline Trance label on October 11th, 2k24 is "Dormitive Virtue", the latest album conceived for the imprint by Vancouver-based artist, writer and composer Eldritch Priest. Over the course of eight brand new pieces and a total runtime of a little more than 32 minutes Priest takes a deep dive into the realm of basically improvised solo guitar recordings only slightly influenced by the classical Jazz training he underwent decades ago, but capturing and recording the first live solo guitar performance he played in 35 years - in April of 2k23 somewhere in Vancouver's Chinatown. The result of this rather adventurous undertaking, with the live recording of what was planned to be a one-off show initially not intended for release at all, is quite a fascinating one, opening with the raw and feedback heavy, yet extremely detailed "Grave Needs, Rainbow" showcasing the technical intricacies of Priest's highly intuitive playing before the "Supposition Engine" cuts back in intensity, entering rather calm, soft and comforting, probably even romantic quasi Jazz terrain. The subsequent "A Problem With The Stars" follows on a rather similar path, evoking memories of a hot summer sun setting over vast pastures whereas "Outlaw" takes this feel to a slightly more twangy and dynamic level, taking a few odd musical turns and unexpected delays every now and then due to its improvisational nature and "Iris", originally composed by Wayne Shorter, indulges in slightly wobbly and vintage sounding late night guitar beauty. Furthermore "The Ghastly" dabbles with rather dreamy, extended and probably Prog-influenced solos of a quite widescreen panoramic nature, "A Gilded Madman" weighs in a short exploration of detailed, Jazz-informed Free Improv before the title-bearing cut "Dormitive Virtue" harks back to a rather calm and mostly inward looking perspective once again for a closing. One for die-hard solo guitar enthusiasts, this one is.

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