Kali and Urlagarne

During the summer of 2006, it happened that one day I got the feeling that I had to compose an album. It was simply necessary; I knew I had no choice in the matter, so over a period of a few days I wrote and recorded Kali. Never before had I been compelled to create an album spontaneously. Indeed, when I compose I plan out my compositions over periods of weeks, sometimes months, so it was somewhat of a surprise. Of course, I was pleased with the results, but I knew that the composition was an anomaly.

This is no longer the case.

In 2008 the phenomenon happened again with the result being an album of such similarity to the first, that their relatedness should not be overlooked. The album is called Urlagarne, and I have just recently learned that its proper release is finally being planned. In the interest of its release, and since I have not discussed Kali on this blog yet, I present the following notes.

The burst of inspiration that triggered Kali came to me as if the music was already written. The melodies and counter melodies of the soprano guitar lines had been waiting in the ether for me to seize them, and so yielded when I sat to compose. The progressions are simple, but the melodies are remarkably active in comparison. This is a stark contrast from the complex harmonic structures that frequent my work. Kali is also marked by subtle (and not-so-subtle) rhythmic variations, long repetitive passages, and intense emotional content. All in all the music is very different from my previous material, undeniably a result of it being the music of a spontaneous expression of a distilled feeling stemming from a potent idea.

The underlying theme of the album is the archetype of the terrible mother. The Life Force encompasses both birth and death, being that the creative and destructive elements of the universe are intertwined on the physical plane. Just as our planet is fruitful and provides us with nourishment and protection while simultaneously maintaining the power of the destroyer, so too is Kali a symbol of motherhood and fertility, yet as destructive as the quaking Earth and its overflowing molten underworld. This fundamental concept, which is ingrained into our psyche, provided the impetus for the whole album.

Similarly, the inspiration for Urlagarne is centered around a specific fundamental concept. For Urlagarne this concept is fate or destiny. The word Urlagarne means original law and is the ancestor of the word örlög. This original law is the Wyrd determined by the three Norns of the Teutonic mythos. The concept of a pre-determined destiny is an archetype of the human unconscious. It is an idea that appears again and again in our mythology and has been an important theme throughout western history. Carl Jung, with his Synchronicity, has expounded upon the phenomenon: synchronicity is the experience of the perception of the divine meaning of original law available only to those who are sensitive to it.

The music of Urlagarne is, as one would expect, similar to Kali in many ways. It is hypnotic, minimal, and emotionally charged. Like Kali, there are melodies and counter melodies interacting in soprano guitars and the arrangements are based on rhythmic variation. The composition also consists of three metal tracks with interludes in between, the same arrangement as Kali. These similarities are not the result of a calculated effort on my part, but simply innate qualities of the compositions themselves. Again, Urlagarne also felt as if it were pre-existent, with all of the material ready and waiting to be channeled like the requisite storm of a lighting flash. Thus is the nature of these compositions.

Of course, Kali and Urlagarne are also different in significant ways. The most obvious is the production. While Kali has more of a razor sharp, icy guitar sound, Urlagarne is crunchier and thicker. The drums in Kali have a super heavy kick, while the drums in Urlagarne are more balanced. In addition to these differences, Urlagarne will occasionally become drenched in a layered, psychedelic wash that Kali never had. This gives Urlagarne a cloud of mist where Kali is naked. The interludes also bear a mark of differentiation; for Kali they are ambient, for Urlagarne they are folk.

With the arrival of Urlagarne, there is the continuation of a fluid, inspired form of musical expression. These works are unique amongst the Eldrig repertoire. They only appear during the times in which there is music that has to materialize and does so suddenly without the composer having had any foresight of the act. It is my hope that such unpredictable compositions continue to periodically grace the Eldrig catalogue bringing with them a sense of musical clarity in the midst of the more complicated works I am always immersed in. That, however, seems to rest in the hands of the Norns.

MYSTERION

The Ray of Green Light

Arise, Black Sun
The Inward Star.
Entranced, I turn the Key
With my Left Hand.

Stream out, Green Ray
The Inner Source.
From Holy Grail I drink
The Emerald Blood.

Physis

Aeons of Earth
I hold in my hand...
Ages transform
Cold matter into flesh.

Aeons of Birth
Of Death, forever...
Expand Time and Space
In One Golden Breath.

Aeons of All...
Forces harmonize
Behold! We Live!
Physis! Perfection!

Abraxas

Abraxas! Daemon God!
Both Creator and Destroyer.
Inhale, Exhale,
And shatter the Green Glass.

Abraxas! Both light and Dark!
Under the Banner of Life.
Inhale, Exhale,
And break through the Cosmic Egg.

Abraxas! Beast and God!
Through the Dancing of Forces...
Dagaz, Jera,
...Turning the Wheel.
Ascending Descent!

Abraxas! Reflection!
Collision of all matter...
Dagaz, Jera,
...And all spirit
United as One!

Pleroma

One Soul.
Forever,
Vibration Throughout.
Divine Will to Power,
The All, The AUM..
Change not..
..Polar Strobe,
I NOUS I AM.
Pleroma...
...Now Eternal.
One Will.
One Soul.

The Golden Sun

Sunna,
Mother Light,
The Rays of Power.

Absorb,
From the Height,
Celestial Fire.

Spiral Wind,
Give Life,
Illuminate.

Our Bodies,
Bathing in the Light,
Of Heat and Vision.

Rise Up! In Gold! Azure! Blood Shine!

Beyond the Strength of Kings

The first Eldrig composition, recorded in 2003, consisting of three movements, each around 20 minutes in length. Inspired by the process of Will to Power as Evolution, the first movement, “The Body and the Force,” illustrates the development of primitive life, consciousness, and finally self assertion and spiritual deification.

Pulsing Breathing Rising Over Mountain-Starlight Shining
Knowing Thinking Calling Above Planet-Spirit Reaching
Forcing Warring Gaining Beyond Cosmos -Soul Dispersing
Mind Connecting-Earthly Body

The following image consists of the original diagram of the complex rhythmic arrangement, woven into the cycling chord structures of various themes during the acoustic overture at the beginning of the album. It first shows three individual mappings for rhythmic motifs corresponding to three different chord progressions, followed by a series of squares, circles, and triangles representing each motif in proper arrangement.



The second movement, “The Life and the Law,” deals with the inescapable Laws of Nature, and the experience of Life. The passage here describes the trinity of Polarity and Union (The One, The Other, and The Whole) and further explicates on the subjugation of Matter and Life by Cosmic Law.

Thrice is the union
Merging...Constant
Threefold the axis dictates:
One is All...

...All Fire All Ash
It grabs one by the throat
Stares one in the face
And demands action.
All Fate All Change
It brings upon the fight
Gives one not a choice
And lays waste to those who cower.
All Birth All Death
It thickens up the blood
Forges hard the bone
And hurls one into all pain and suffering.
All Light All Dark
It makes the mind a sword
Forces one to kill
And reaches in one's soul with flaming hand to appraise the power.

The second image shows the original rhythmic charts for various extended passages. These charts proved quite necessary during the recording process because of the speed at which these passages are played and the unusual arrangement of the various rhythmic refrain. As seen, different motifs are represented by arbitrary symbols and mapped out on measure charts.



The final movement is concerned with Man’s destiny on Earth within the context of unity with the Divine Forces. It’s title is “The Way and the One.” The following excerpt expresses the desire to live a life of honor and consequence. To reach for a higher meaning through reverence of Eternal Law and blood continuity.

I can breath,
When my lungs fill with air of ancients.
I can see,
When the view reaches infinitely.
I can feel,
When my soul touches rays of starlight.
I can be,
When my heart pumps the blood of millions.

Hail Natures Will

“Beyond the Strength of Kings” is a work of uncompromising musicianship that expresses the far reaching desires of the Higher Man to unify his actions with the Spirit of Cosmic Law, thereby awakening the God-Force within. It stands as the audacious, sprawling first effort of the Eldrig discography, signaling the spirit of artistic independence destined to grace every Eldrig release.

The King of Fire

The name “Eldrig” is derived from the Old Norse - Fire and King.

:Fire: Representing Heat and Light, as that of the Sun, and also of the Hearth. It is the energy source, and also symbolizes the act of living, emphasizing the burning of passions. Although the source of light and life, fire is also a destructive force that consumes everything in its path. In this way it is also an element of purification, a force that reduces to ash any who are undeserving of its power.

:King: Representing the Natural Order as applies to the hierarchy of Men through the self willed authority of the dominant personality. The Universal Will to Power drives all species to struggle for dominance within their own kind so that the assertiveness of an inborn inclination to rule, combined with a mental and physical capability, is requisite for a position of the highest rank. This is manifest in the human species through the aggrandizement of royalty.

Thus, “Eldrig” is the Noble Fire. The elemental force of light and life burning within the Human Soul which drives toward material realization, and the acquisition of rank and power as inspired by the external and internal energy source (the Golden Sun and the Black Sun). It is also the crowning of the Promethean Spirit, whose bold daring demands Lordship and Responsibility, whereby it remains in keeping with the Natural Order.