The Night Of The Burning

'Sophisticated industrial' is not something you hear a lot. As a genre, it tends to be either very violent or very club-friendly (read: shitty), and if it strays into philosophical territory it comes across as pompous more often than not. Young Hunting pull it off nicely, though. The Edinburgh duo, comprise of Marc Dall and Alex Ander, have created something that echoes with the sound of ritval magick and dying nights. Comparisons to experimentalists such as Coil, Dead Can Dance, Current 93, and The Virgin Prunes are apparent, but this is no retro-rehash: The Night Of The Burning sounds vibrant and fresh, each song soaked in a different vibe yet still cohesive when taken as a whole.

'Embers From The Pyre' opens with a rising wail before exploding into pounding tribal drums and wordless chants; this is the sound of massive fires in pagan woods, tended by shamans with a dark purpose. 'A Hunger Artist' pulses with menace, becoming more bestial as the drums beat even more frantically. A great shadow is conjured up, looming against the sky and blotting out the stars: this is an apocalypse soundtrack. The vocals dominate this one, soaring high before dipping low into orchestral strings and chimes. The almost medieval ambience of 'Spiritual Abandonment' sways with chiming bells that dissolve into a wave of electronic dissonance and spoken word, beneath which the ghost of Lisa Gerrard is summoned to give birth to operatic demons. The grand finale of 'Entrance From The Carnal Mind' is grand indeed, a choir of lust blending and bleeding against a massive organ (ahem) that forms the backdrop of this hymn to despair. I'm tempted to make a pun like 'sinimatic' but I won't; this album deserves better (and I've already just made a dick pun besides). Suffice to say that this is one black mass you won't want to miss.

What impressed me the most about The Night Of The Burning was how effortless it felt. For such a young group to be releasing such high-quality experimental music is really quite stunning. Like fellow weirdos Water Borders, these two wear their influences on their sleeves while creating something that still feels unique and exciting.

Young Hunting - The Night Of The Burning (short clips)