Sa Bruxa - From the Depths

by Malcolm Carter

published: 22 / 10 / 2019

Label: Pariah Child
Format: CD

Nineteen minute dark and ambient new release from Sa Bruxa, the project of Giuseppe Novella, which will soundtrack your worst nightmare

Review

That the images that ‘From the Depths’ conjures up are chilling to say the least is perhaps one of the factors which make it such compelling listening. The shaky black and white image of what could be a monastery on the sleeve sets the scene perfectly for the sounds that are captured on this CD. I’d like to go in there and take a look but I’m a bit scared. Sa Bruxa is, as far as research shows, the work of Berlin resident Giuseppe Novella. His sound collage which he aptly labelled ‘From the Depths’ winged its way to the Yoshiwara Collective record label. Although the tape the label received was an unmastered version they took it to Michael Lawrence at Bladud Files, known for his mastering with Current 93 for him to work his magic on. According to the label ‘From the Depths’ is “a dark ambient piece…(Novella) has distilled his cinematic approach into a single eerie movement of ritual death ambience.” They go on to add that it’s genuinely unsettling. And they are not far wrong. I live surrounded by trees, some which have been on (in) this earth longer than I have. A few meters and I’m into dense woodland, walk far enough and a few abandoned military buildings come into view. Built from thick slabs of concrete, no windows and heavy metal doors they draw me into them every time I pass. I don’t know what I expect to see in the darkness but I can’t resist looking in. Other times, my faithful dog will stop and stare at something in the woodland that I can’t see or hear and we’ll follow his gaze only to discover nothing there. And then there’s those nights when something compels me to take a walk along the winding paths in the woods, how different it looks at night; with one of those head-torches I look like Torchy the Battery Boy but the shapes the light picks out are both scary and beautiful. I don’t have headphones on during these walks; I like to take in the sounds around me. After listening to ‘From the Depths’ on headphones, which is the only way I think anyone should take in the nineteen-minute track, I wish I had the courage to let the piece soundtrack one of my excursions. Yes, it’s that scary. The soundscape is one that will conjure up images of lost souls trying to find their way in the ether; the sounds of heavy chains and stretched leather will bring to mind images of torture while those footsteps which echo around you will make your head spin trying to pinpoint where the danger is lurking. The drone that prevails through the nineteen minutes is enough to turn the listener's hair grey, the ghostly voices, heavy doors slamming, the faint but sure manic laugh and the ghostly, distant organ all add to the atmosphere. The piece is made of your worst nightmares lurking in the shadows ready to pounce as you pass. It’s the soundtrack to your own private hell. So why then is it so gripping why, ultimately, is it bordering on being comforting? After nineteen minutes of the sound of hell, why are we left with some kind of soothing effect? And why do we feel the need to listen again? I don’t know the answers, I just know one night, when I have the courage, I’m going to walk into those woods with ‘From the Depths’ soundtracking my journey. I’m actually quite looking forward to it.