The word 'hypnotic' is casually thrown around to describe any number of Burzum clones writing long, plodding compositions that go nowhere and ultimately leave no impression on the listener due to their extreme blandness. Similarly, just about any idiot with a cheap microphone and even cheaper ideas can record a 'lo-fi' black metal cassette, obscuring his lack of creativity with layer upon layer of fuzz.
Cendres fall into no such traps. On the surface, the songs do not seem like much. They are repetitive and noisy, ugly and off-putting. But make the effort to listen beneath the funereal fog of tape hiss and Ungeziefer will reward you. Appreciating this album takes time, patience, and repeated listens. Every so often, you will notice a flash of brilliance, a stretch of a few seconds evoking a sense of profound otherworldliness, buried deep beneath the murk. It then disappears just as quickly as it arose. You can't be sure if what you heard and felt was merely imagined, but its impression remains shackled in your mind. It becomes increasingly clear that this tape is more than what it seems. You will feel compelled to go back, to listen again, to try to find out what the hell is going on with this music. That is Cendres' true hypnotic power.
I will refrain from revealing too many of Ungeziefer's secrets. Its hidden meanings are that much more satisfying when they are stumbled upon on one's own. But I will leave you with a place to start: endure the monotonous blasting of the second track, "Libération de l'âme," until its final third comes around. Your initiation into Cendres' entrancing atmosphere begins there.
Listen closely (VBR).
P.S. If anyone has a copy of this tape that you would like to part with, please contact me.
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