| Aeons of Dreams (Demo) | 2002 | No Label |
Fall of the Grey Winged One is one of the multiple projects of Belgian multi-musician Stijn, best known from his main project Until Death Overtakes Me. With Fall of the Grey Winged One he pushes the boundaries just a little further than ever before, fusing Funeral Doom, Drone and Dark Ambient together into one of the slowest and saddest Doom opuses ever recorded.
'Aeons of Dreams' is like an uncomfortable dream you can't wake up from. Unbearably slow and hypnotising, it makes you float further and further downward. Because no vocals or harsh guitars are used, it leaves you surrounded by empty, hollow soundscapes, with only bleak sounding guitars, that perfectly capture the emptiness of a soul who has given up on life itself, to keep you company. The slow rumbling and often distorted sounds have a tendency to suck you into an endless void, devoid of hope and leaving you feeling truly alone on the world. This Grey Winged One's fall is one of pure depression and a failure to enjoy the basic human joys in life.
There are no upbeat parts in this dream, there are no wailing vocals, and often there isn't even a beat. Only the endless rumbling sounds of the void, ultra slow bass lines, muddled FX and the distant cries of a sad guitar. This isn't the type of music you'd play at your local college party to get things going (other than people out the door). Nor can you wallow in romantic misery here or expect a good groove. This is suicide music pure and simple. Music for when you've given up on humanity, when there is no hope left anymore. If you're looking for a solid slab of metal mayhem, you're on the wrong address here. But if you've given up on life and are open minded towards dark ambient music then I highly recommend you get this album, lock the door, turn off al the lights and take the hand of the Grey Winged One.
1. Hate me
2. Aeons of Dreams
3. Locked
Approx. 64 minutes
| death-time-emptiness (CDr) | 2003 | Nulll Records |
Nature, philosophy and science teach us that time is not only relative, but also circular. Time is subjected to the circularity of the Universe. Time bends space, distorts reality. Time itself is dependent on reality. Time dissolves in emptiness. Time is emptiness. And emptiness is death. So time is death.
The Grey-Winged One, this fallen, sad and lonely creature that we first got to know from the three tales of `Aeons of dreams`, has grown up considerably. It has abandoned all notions of linearity and, ignoring any physical law, it chose to create its own reality: a parallel universe for some, the ultimate truth for those who really know: no-thingness. In this timeless and circular universe, there are no certainties. Contrary to what the title of this album suggests, death time and emptiness are not important here, as they all dissolve into another all-embracing concept: infinity.
It is infinity and its calculated unpredictability that lead this album. Time is bent arbitrarily, moving objects out of its way, forcing them to fly towards all directions. Death itself loses its cold grip on things, as the endless regeneration of themes suggests an approach which strives to eternity. And emptiness…becomes no-thingness, losing its threatening, terrifying impact on the human mind.
Where is all this leading to? Nobody, and I'm quite sure neither the creator of this work, really knows. The drones drift on and on, completely unpredictably, absolutely indifferent for what we call `reality` with our deceived minds. The human mind, always desperately trying to rationalize, to create laws governed by the goddess logic, is left helpless and powerless here, as logic doesn't apply on infinity and eternity. Only he who accepts what is offered without prejudice and categorizations can survive this un-human experience.
Death-time-emptiness. They deceive us into believing that they rule our lives, but in reality they are quite unimportant in the eyes of Infinity. Althus spoke the wise and timeless Grey-winged one.
1. Death
2. Time
3. Emptiness
Approx. 72 minutes