"From the Vault" is a series of articles originally published between 2011 and 2014 that I'm re-publishing for archival purposes, usually due to the scarcity of available material or the artist(s) not being active anymore.
Artist: Triangular Ascension
Album: Leviathan Device
Label: Cyclic Law
Release date: February 2011
Originally published in September 2011
Dark ambient is a genre enjoyed by all sorts of people listening to all sorts of music. However, the circle of people creating quality dark ambient seems to stem from much the same background, usually coming from colder parts of the planet (particularly Scandinavia), and with roots in either metal, gothic or industrial music. Therefore, it’s hard not to be baffled and utterly intrigued when you hear of a new project created by a drum & bass DJ (!) from Venezuela (!!) whose debut album got him signed to Cyclic Law instantly (!!!).
The label describes this album as powerful cinematic dark ambient, a description that fits well and is hinted at with the (absolutely beautiful) album cover as well, but isn’t too revealing. The fact that the concept behind the titles stems from Thomas Hobbes’ book Leviathan is another hint. Composition-wise, the sound is somewhere between Lustmord and Kammarheit, however bizarre this combination might seem, as the two lie on opposing poles of the dark ambient spectrum. The base is definitely lustmordesque, with an ominous, unpredictable current running beneath all tracks, but the toppings are what creates the atmosphere on this album, and they range from dreamy, over reflective, to downright unnerving. The latter is where the cinematic aspect comes to the forefront – Federico Ágreda (the artist behind the project) isn’t afraid of using lush and developed melodies to portray his visions, almost at the risk of making the sound cheesy at times, which is a trap he luckily evades. This boldness is what gives the album such a rich, dense sound. The elements are numerous and often used simultaneously, to great success, as all of them are individually well-balanced and never redundant. What’s really stunning about this album, though, is just how good the flow is. Few dark ambient albums have managed to capture my attention and imagination as easily as this one, even at first listen. Not only are the ambiences descriptive, but the tracks themselves feel perfectly structured; I don’t know whether Mr Ágreda’s experience as a DJ is to blame, but the music sounds very rhythmic without using any sort of beat once throughout the album. Furthermore, unlike so many releases these days, Leviathan Device has plenty of dynamics, with crescendos being put to very good use (the title track being a particularly striking example thereof).
In all honesty, I’m still bewildered by just how good this album is. Were it a creation of an experienced and well-established artist from the scene, I’d simply give my congratulations. But for a debut album, from an artist with such a non-suspect background, this is just incredibly good. Cyclic Law knew perfectly what they were doing when they signed Triangular Ascension, and I can but wholeheartedly recommend every fan of the genre to get and explore this album to the fullest.
Rating: 9/10
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