Bow of the Beast: Kakaphonix’s Infernal Symphony “Lower Order Manifestations”
In the hushed sanctuary of my office, dusk rolled in through the window with a blue haze to settle over my walls; walls adorned with my own art crafted from bones, roots and wooden drums. This was the perfect time to listen to the newest and final album from Hvile I Kaos, “Lower Order Manifestations”.
Hvile I Kaos is the Black Ritual Chamber Music project of artist Kakophonix, who’s responsible for all the compositions and instruments on the album aside from a few additional ethereal vocals and the death whistle on “Panic Sun”, played by Nero Atrum. The bones continued to silently speak to me as I was drawn in and surrendered to the siren call of his cello’s lament. It was as though this artist was helping conjure my demons and the divine for me; every note dancing along the shadows of the wall and those little hardened statues I’d made years ago.
The music of Lower Order Manifestations is absolute in its dark invocation; incredibly cinematic and weeping. Be aware of listening to it alone as the sun sets in any surreal, meditative space you might find yourself in; Kakophonix is a sorcerer of sound. He brings formidable classical training to his work, holding both a bachelor’s degree in cello performance and composition, as well as a master’s in cello performance. I was excited to get to talk to him:
I’m informed that Lower Order Manifestations is your final LP release from Hvile I Kaos – Please tell me about the concept of your Black Chamber Music project. What drove you to create this?
As it stands, yes. “Lower Order Manifestations” is the final Hvile I Kaos release.
I started Hvile I Kaos in the summer of 2011 with the simple concept of black metal played by an acoustic cello ensemble. As the project evolved, so did my vision; particularly with the exploration of the occult and the Left-Hand Path. Eventually the music became a conduit for my spiritual exploration and a voice for the entities and energies I encountered to make themselves known. From about 2017 forward, that has been the primary motivating force behind Hvile I Kaos.
Your experimentation with percussive playing in Locusts is really intense. And then there was Panic Sun, which put me in mind of a Lovecraft-style movie. Did you get any inspiration from horror cinema for the sound of any of these songs?
Strangely enough, no. I draw no direct influence from film music. The pieces on “Lower Order Manifestations” were all purely inspired by spiritual archetypes and nothing more.
Lower Order Manifestations is a beautiful ending to the Black Chamber Music Project. How do you think you might move forward from all this?
I’m going to continue to compose my own music with no immediate commercial ambitions in mind. Whether that manifests in a new project or something else entirely remains to be seen.
Kakophonix (Chris Brown) is a straightforward and intellectual artist, and I thank him for spending some time with Elevar. After the interview and another listen, I could almost swear that his artistry is inspired by connections to some divine darkness; a genuity not often experienced in the modern era of music, as watching his recorded performances seemed to parallel with the vaticinal skill of ancient oracles.
If you feel curious about becoming enraptured in this chorus of the damned, Hvile I Kaos is available not only through streaming platforms, but in CD format as well. Scroll down for links.
It’s hard to turn away, for the darkness has a beauty all its own, a beauty that whispers secrets to the shadows within every one of us.
You can get a physical CD here:
https://hvileikaos.bandcamp.com/album/lower-order-manifestations
Social Media:
And if you liked this, I urge you to check out this incredibly cool Live Ritual Stream performance from 2020 (and more captivating musical moments from the official YouTube channel):
