Scarab
Procession Towards the Unknown [11-inch; Mental Groove]

To explain such an artifact such as this seems a task for an archaeology or sociologist, and though we often don our fedoras and brandish a collegiate diploma, it does little to surmise the true patterns and disruptions to an unfamiliar nation or culture. The translucent amber on which a darkly mysterious echo is carried is the brainchild of artist Sandrine Pelletier and Oliver Ducret, the ominous beauty of its music from Egyptian black metal outfit Scarab, Only 9 exist in its true form but here I am, starring at the loving intricacies of the amber shellac as it spins on my turntable. Already at 11 inches, the album is playing its first track — to set up my turntable for 10 or 12 to slightly speed up or slow down the message. The forbidden nature of the recording bear Gizah’s pyramids adds a particular weightiness to the unintelligible yet international message of hope and loss encased within its amber rings. Change has been brutal to Egypt in the past few years, but it also brings with it a light of freedom. We know only what we are told; most of us separated from the norms of everyday Egypt, and the brand of freedom many wish for and many are dying for on a daily basis. It’s all captured in the heart-wrenching compositions of Scarab, who forego any typical telling of black metal tropes in favor of lyrical eulogies. It’s touching and eerie, so Scarab still maintain a bit of mysticism and terror in the face of an otherwise ecumenical hymnal of what so many of us take for granted. But this is all from a semi-privileged, semi-adult male whose suffering amounts to growing up slightly poor in a well-to-do town. It’s not up for me to decipher, just to protect. This is beyond an artistic piece, it is an artifact and one I will cherish until such a time I can hand it to the right person for its proper presentation.

Cerberus

Cerberus seeks to document the spate of home recorders and backyard labels pressing limited-run LPs, 7-inches, cassettes, and objet d’art with unique packaging and unknown sound. We love everything about the overlooked or unappreciated. If you feel you fit such a category, email us here.

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