cEvin Key (Skinny Puppy), Ken 'hiwatt' Marshall and Traz Damji have collaborated under the moniker Scaremeister to release a 31 track album entitled 31 Spirits. *gasp* 31 tracks? Yes. 31 Spirits is clearly not a typical release. All the tracks clock in under three minutes, the majority of which are under two minutes. The purpose of the release was 'to compose a 'volume' of film trailer cues for horror movies'. What you get is close to 50 minutes of dark, spooky ambient music, often with industrial undertones that oozes with sinister tonal intentions and foreboding undercurrents of sound.
Many of the tracks sound like they could have evolved into full length Skinny Puppy tracks with the deep twisted percussion and unsettling instrumentation. As I listened I often wondered when OhGr's phantom vocals would appear. The massive catalogue of 31 tracks allows for a lot of different sounds and experimentation with both loud and soft tonal palettes. Among the collection, a few tracks did stand out. 'She's Possessed' features a twisted sounded harpsichord-like instrument which makes its way through a maze of percussive bombs and noisy ambiance. Many of these short tracks are very evocative and I can see how well they could be used in dramatic sections of horror movies and thrillers. "Look out! Behind you! Behind you!" *screaming* 'Take Shelter' builds slowly, plodding along unravelling a cleverly crafted musical tension. 'Hellion' has a Sci-Fi monster meets crushing industrial beat vibe in another impressive track.
After a few listens to 31 Spirits I was a little disappointed that all the tracks are so short! Many of the tracks develop these lush, meaty atmospheres that could easily have been explored and expanded. It is a little bit of a let down when they hit a magical musical time wall then end abruptly. I appreciate these are 'scores' and not 'songs' but I want more of a good thing! 'State of Neurosis' is a good example of this. The track sets its tone early with eerie piano, ominous low wailing and a slow static-laden beat. The beat develops into a catchy pulse which is joined by a deep melody... awesome, loving it - then the track just... ends.
When the biggest complaint of a release is wanting more then the musicians have certainly done their part well. The intention of this release was to showcase Scaremeister's collection of 31 'mini-scores'. I felt Scaremeister did this quite admirably. You can imagine the scenes where this music would fit: dark moon lit nights, crooked dank forests, haunted houses, menacing asylums or people screaming as they run from an axe wielding music editor. Beyond the obvious use in movies, 31 Spirits worked well as vibrant dark ambient music. The tracks consistently blend ethereal synth, clanking percussion and shadowy atmospheres in a gripping, theatrical experience. 31 Spirits is an impressive collection of material sure to invigorate the dark side of your soul.
