Delusions, complex hallucinations seated in the lowest depths of the mind become sophisticated vore of psyche and spirit on this sophomore full-length album from Alicante, Spain-based avant-garde/dissonant black metal project DÉLIRANT. Seven meditations on the resonance of the vessel and merger with the void take us down within, counting each increasingly perilous step taken toward the self as ‘Thoughteater‘ emits a faint, ominous bellow to begin. The quest for lunacy becomes all to clear as each singing strike of the sacrificial bowl’s lip reminds us there is no walking backwards and away from the abyss conjured, the path is cacophonic yet linear in its conjuration of mania-inducing atmospheric avant-black dread and terror. A continuation of noxious sound tainted by decidedly strong development of ouevre beyond veiled sound design and harrowing dissonance, here we find the artist achieving more than a brutal mind-fucking scathe, now developing a voice which finds its exciting peak well in line with its suggested theme(s).

Hungering for egoistic destruction, void-worship and likely inspired by compatriots in the Rhinocervs collective as well as the loose band of psychic criminals in Fallen Empire adjunct realms Délirant is the product of anonymous hooded one D.B. who is best known for prolific dissonant black vortex Negativa, raw black metalpunk scourer Hässlig, his own well-curated cassette imprint Bile Noire, and design/art moniker Visions Noires. That is to suggest that the artist is largely independent in craft and in most cases we can assume any release under their name is entirely self-created save for a vocal spot or unnamed collaboration(s) elsewhere. The intent of their work was stated simply enough upon the release of their self-titled debut LP (‘Délirant‘, 2018) where the work embraced the nightmare, evoking terror and taking it in for its inherent beauty and this translated to harsh atmospheric, dissonant, and almost DSBM inspired volatility upon introduction. Shrieking and shrill as the peaking disarray of Leviathan but chaotic in its ringing ambiance as ‘Skáphe²‘ it was an obnoxiously set work that’d read as despairing, miserable work which goaded the listener with its extremes.

Drenched in smoke and penned by shaking ink-stained fingers ‘Thoughteater‘ reflects an appreciation for directness compared to its predecessor, crawling in with a hissing growl and dreary arpeggiated, crooked-fingered chords as “Thoughteater I” kicks off this seven piece set of meditations on a theme. You’ll know we are in the primacy of the full listen’s impact when you hear the singing bowls struck between songs, there the ritual has intensified and we take a step beyond rawest induction. Early on it is “Thoughteater II” which introduces harried disso-grooves but take note of the almost post-punk inspired melody struck about ~2:33 minutes into the piece, a compacted moment interrupted numerous times on the way to noisome irreverence but a crucial detail among many. We’re already suffocating in nuance as the album begins suggesting the whole of the listen will be similarly (or even moreso) sophisticated in the development of its guitar-driven rhythms.

Faceted in the subconscious and warped by the liquification of reality Délirant‘s depiction of lucid dreaming mind-states is an experience of horror once again but at a slower pace and with less of a randomly generated sense of movement, especially as we step beyond the harangue of the first few pieces and their slower trot between ideas. From my point of view “Thoughteater III” might as well be an echoing orcish birth beneath Isengard ’til its steady beat kicks in and once again feeds off the dreariness of gothic rock for its basal rhythmic language without side-stepping the ringing gloom of Deathspell Omega type veering guitar vernacular; The effect of the first half of the album is not lost upon me though I found myself increasingly impatient for all that Side B has to offer otherwise in terms of both pace and density of guitar driven ideas.

Délirant‘s actions and voice each exist within staggered time in the sense that this album was largely recorded in 2018/2019 and the vocals/lyrics followed beyond that point until finalized in 2023. That is to suggest that the quick and dirty experimental breakthrough of the first album allowed for this thought to erupt and ultimately simmer into meaning beyond that point of inspiration. This finds ‘Thoughteater‘ directly related to the debut but also surprisingly removed from the original work as well as devoid of any the reactive currency of today. I’d received it much in the same fashion as the most recent Odz Manouk releases in that there is a brilliance to these contributions to the void, works presented without any pressure to the consumer, which one’d only appreciate away from the noise of populist “underground” music.

And then we became one with the void and we could no longer see ourselves, where we came from. Side B is intentionally different from the first, moving beyond the terror of our search towards insanity and death ’til… light and hope become our purpose and pilgrimage? The suggestion is that these lengthier, more technical and brazen pieces on the tail end of the beast process the ailments of the self, the anxious and afflicted headspace processed in parity with the value of relief. The apex of the album and the most effective burst of their dark energies comes with “Thoughteater VI” a rally through speedier dissonant rants and cyclonic movement which is unflinching in its brush against the skull for the first third of its 9+ minute extent ’til a break into shambling guitar noise gives us to a second stage of tension built. When the weave of the riff at ~4:47 minutes into the song hits and the song begins to develop its almost tragedian wilt through the moment all features align into an exceptional peak for this second part of the experience. The struggle through the final two pieces isn’t necessarily out of line but does well to present elements of tumult and some manner of resolve, showing more than the usual care of composition that dissonant/atmospheric black metal typically receives.

There is no certain resolve in our final stare into the void beyond an eagerness to merge with it as ‘Thoughteater‘ ends, ringing just as coldly as it begins. As a listening experience there is no alternative to a complete listen, all set in a row and without chopping its realization in half. Though it is a stretch to suggest that the first and second halves are demonstrably different in any obvious way folks who do well to read the tone and tension of this type of black metal abstraction should appreciate that these are not cold or plainly hapless events, that there is some sort of meaning assigned their movements. We are still very much in the realm of abstraction and experimental toned muse and this both limits this album’s reach while intensifying its meaning to those inclined as there is no clear statement made beyond shifting sands of dark, irregularly struck mood and fleetingly caustic emissions. The effect is beyond entertaining in my experience but, much like the debut, I don’t know how often I’ll end up returning for that effect beyond learning and appreciating its deeper nuance. A moderately high recommendation.

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