Artist: Desiderii Marginis
Album: Bathe in Black Light
Label: Cyclic Law
Release date: May 2024 (originally November 2021)
If you're reading this website, Desiderii Marginis probably requires no particular introduction. Johan Levin, the mastermind behind this cult Swedish dark ambient act, has been releasing music for more than three decades, inspiring countless other artists, but also reinventing himself in the process a few times. While the project's industrial-influenced early releases will forever stand in the pantheon of Cold Meat Industry (RIP), I admit that I am most partial to Desiderii Marginis' mid-era albums, namely The Ever Green Tree, Seven Sorrows and particularly Procession. The project took a somewhat darker turn afterwards, although curiously this wasn't followed by any noticeable drop in quality, which is an exceedingly rare occurrence in such long and distinguished musical careers. Bathe in Black Light is Desiderii Marginis' 11th bona-fide album, and while it was originally self-released in digital form back in November 2021, during the height of the COVID pandemic, it was finally given the proper treatment (including physical formats) by Cyclic Law in May 2024, which gave me the excuse to write up a review.
What I love about this album is that it wastes absolutely no time in drenching the listener in the unique Desiderii Marginis atmosphere. The opening track, Night Grasping at Day, perhaps the album's best, instantly introduces the trademark elements of the project's sound, such as chiming/scraping metal and the ever-recognisable "clang" that Mr Levin is known to use to such mesmerising effect. This is quickly reinforced by deep rumbles, trumpet-like synth melodies and ethereal vocals that intertwine in a massive crescendo before dissolving into a misty finale. The tracks that follow are somewhat less "dramatic", but showcase much of the same qualities, sometimes focusing more on the melody, sometimes more on rhythmic, even ritual-like repetition of metallic sounds that pierce the dreamlike background. One feature of this album that really showcases the artist's mastery of the genre is how effectively he uses dynamics in painting the aural picture of each track; while dark ambient is often droning and repetitive in nature, you could not find any 10-second stretch throughout the entire duration of this album that is an exact match of any other 10-second stretch. Ingredients change ever so slightly from one moment to the next, fading in and out, serving to increase or decrease intensity, simultaneously creating a sense of both progression and storytelling that completely captures the attention of the listener. As the album progresses, the atmosphere slides further into darkness, with fewer glints of light, but never oppressively so; as Johan himself says in his description of the album, it is a "darkness without blindness", a description that I find very fitting. As the album draws to a close with its longest track, The Shadow is One, the intensity increases once again and becomes almost cinematic in nature, bringing a satisfying conclusion to this sonic journey.
Ultimately, Bathe in Black Light is definitely a worthy addition to the Desiderii Marginis catalogue. It doesn't break any new ground for the project as such, nor is it particularly innovative when compared to previous releases, but when the quality of the output is this high, "more of the same" seems like a very good deal indeed. Long may it continue.
Rating: 9/10
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