The Naos Ecstasies
Naos is a record of an apokalyptic mystical
journey told through parables of sound.
These frequencies are
known as the Naos Ecstasies.
[Since it’s conception in 2010 not much has been expounded
about it by word, so by now I felt it timely to write a short summary
of the project and the vision behind it; to go back to listen and
give a short review of the works so far as well. From thereon, new
releases and updates will be added to this article, which will serve
as an 'official' account.]
Naos on Bandcamp
(along with my other project, Solar Night:
https://solarnight.bandcamp.com/)
Naos is an electronic music project begotten in 2010.
Over the years there have been several releases, both digital and
physical. The project has evolved slightly over time and though I
have never really had interest in any particular music ‘scene’, I
found the sound of the early gabber/hardcore techno projects to be
powerful, liberating and life-affirming; ideal to carry out the
vision which the project stands for. Naos is thoroughly
influenced by those 90s techno and hardcore projects; before most of
them became reduced to commercial rubbish; and so I strive to
maintain a certain ‘oldschool’ style of production; using simple
techniques and older synths and programs to pay homage to and keep
alive that unique old fashioned dark techno sound. Naos has
been - and is- an underground operation; a corporate vessel for the
inferno-divine.
In terms of the essence of the project I
see Naos as a tool for and, an expression of, inner
exploration, both for myself as the receptacle of creative energies
and for the listener. The principle is more or less the same
exploration as with my visual projects, only in sound form. I chose
to stick with the styles of hardcore electronic dance music because
it has a certain quality both of 'abandon' and 'invocation' to it;
the thumping rhythms and aggressive sounds can easily open one up to
a rapture of ecstasy. I aim to express the intensity which is felt
during a transformative experience - or from vision - as well as the
sort of ongoing, creeping intensity which occurs continuously in
experience when one is awakening. I visualize the music of Naos
as both a record of a mystic journey and as a tool for dancing /
frenzy; as the modern version of the rhythmic music used by human
beings to remember the creative power of the cosmos within.
Naos as a word, besides being the name of a star,
designates the inner part of a temple, or a sacred temple itself.
The translation can be nave, which also means ship
in certain languages (as does the similar word ναύς), so
I imagine Naos to be both the ship or vessel
which carries the seeker and listener on a mystic expedition
through the cosmos as well as the Temple or Shrine or
Inner sanctum where the sacred dancing takes place. The physical
body itself being a Temple of the divine, dancing through life's
geometric tapestry. For what is this whole creation but a grand
dance? Naos is an intergalactic spaceship-temple on an
endless rave through multiple dimensions. The tracks being
the record of the journey. I mark each album in ‘waves/chapters’
as to indicate a story, or chronological order;
signifying a plan or prophecy in process of unfolding, beginning with
the first album and then continuing therefrom in a series, thus
compiling into a process of change, as the music changes, as the
style is refined; as we all change, the journey continues. This is
all enveloped in a playful garment, in which the aim is to make the
music sound strong, life-affirming and empowering; capable of
containing the vision which gave birth to it.
In the
beginning Naos was largely experimental, delving into a
variety of styles and sounds until finally settling into the ruthless
rhythms and ecstatic melodies it represents today. Each album has its
own aim and feel but more likely represent my own transformations and
ever-changing perspectives on life; the continual shedding of old
states an animating new ones toward the ultimate.
[As I write a short summary of each album I listen through them myself critically and add some personal notes and comments. It’s tough to give a review of your own stuff, but I’ll do my best; imagining the work to be stand-alone life-forms divorced from my personal involvement.]
Arc I: The Prophecy
It is Whispered
(2016)
~The Fierce one~
Prior to the release of this album, which was originally
exclusively on cassette from Vanguard Productions, US, there had only
been digital releases of Naos by various labels and online
platforms as singles or EPs from Traumatic, Doomcore records and on
Soundcloud. One compiled album titled Necrocore,
which I do not consider ‘official’ was briefly released on
Bandcamp by me personally.
This album got slight notice and a
little review in an Icelandic paper; but I do not view it as canon.
It is Whispered comprised of tracks produced in the earlier stages of 2012-2014. The tracks Enliven and Chyldren ov Shaitan were produced exclusively for this release. An original mix of the track Seeker, previously released by Traumatic on digital was also included.
The theme of the album is a kind of dark, youthful adrenaline
rush; a de-conditioning catharsis, mixing elements of
doomcore/darkcore and hard techno with necessary added
experimentation. Still quite inexperienced compared to today, the
production was somewhat rough and unpolished; this album being the
young rebellious kid of the Naos family. In 2022 I went back
and polished the album and remastered it to my best ability (which is
only moderate). This included going into the original files and
refining many tracks, making an entirely new edition of the track
Chyldren ov Shaitan as well as including the previously
unreleased Disruptive Forces.
This is where
the journey begins: where a vagabond seeker begins to awaken in the
crestfallen streets of a city filled with fear and melancholy; lost
amid sleepers in a dream within a dream... Dark forces arise; taunt
and call forth the eye-opening, life-shattering disillusionment which
foreshadows the intensive initiations to come...
Review:
To this day, Seeker still remains
one of my favorite tracks. Some of the roughness (in a bad way) of
the album overall annoyed me a bit at this point, but the opening of
the album and of the story overall with Bite the Bullet
feels spot on. I have a little soft spot for this work though, being
the first physical release and kind of got the project a little more
out into the world, but it does not command as much respect as some
of the later works to me personally. But somewhere it had to start,
so this episode is an essential opening to the unfolding
series.
Listen to It is
Whispered:
https://solarnight.bandcamp.com/album/naos-it-is-whispered-remastered
Chapter 2:
Abyss (2018)
~The Gloomy one~
With the next album, Abyss, released roughly two years later, I went back to basics and set out to make a more raw, minimal and oldschool kind of sound, sticking mostly with slower tempos to create a brooding and heavy atmosphere in contrast to the intensive feel of the first one. The initial version of the album contained tracks produced mostly in 2016-2018, although The Time has Come is a heavily modified version of an unreleased track produced earlier and Blackness from the Rift is the oldest Naos track ever released, produced originally in 2010 when the project was still in its infancy and named The Sorcerer.
I find this album very dear to me honestly; I like its simplicity
and solemn directness. The time of its production as with every
album, represented a turning point for me personally - as a human
being on earth - in terms of inner experience and that may be why I
care so much for it. It also has a space theme, which I find
refreshing; giving it literally more 'space' to breathe.
In
2022 Desolation Galaxies Records, Germany, which has housed four
physical releases when this is written, - much to my delight -
planned to release the album on tape and for that release I went back
and updated the music substantially and added some unreleased
material. [Nevertheless, I still consider the original release year
the definite one, as those original tracks still comprise the core
essence of the album overall.]
Here we travel from the
darkness of earthly night, lift off and traverse through the
infinite darkness of space. Having been called by the Dark, the
seeker embarks on a journey away from civilization and enters into
the realms of higher intelligence to be bathed in and baptized by the
blackness of the mysterious, shadowy source... Here the
seeker is tested and brought to his limits, facing harsh ordeals
which create cracks in the shell which he must then shatter to emerge
as a new initiate...
As was once said: To become whole,
first you must be broken.
Review:
It
is tough to pick favorites among your 'kids', but honestly this is
one of my personal favorites. I feel I managed to capture something
special of that period when it was being generated and sealed it into
the music. In what way this translates to the hearer is different,
but hearing it now it feels like it was done with full involvement in
the learnings of that time. Secondly it feels overall a cohesive
gloomy trip through dark corners of existence. Easier on the ears
than the first album. Don’t know what I was thinking when I made
Develgeist though… It’s… acceptable? The headphones
are looking at me with anguish... I might be arrogant about this but,
I just really like this album, I am very happy with it. It’s a nice
chapter of the saga. Kudos to me! I hope you like it.
Listen
to Abyss:
https://solarnight.bandcamp.com/album/naos-abyss-wave-ii
Chapter 3:
Mahadevi (2019)
~The
Sophisticated one~
Now here is where Naos -and I myself along with it-
began to arise from the mud of gloom and attempted to up the
game slightly in production and theme. With this third part, released
the following year I wanted to present a more mystical perspective,
reflecting my own personal experiences and visions of the time. I
wanted to provoke a deeper sense of elation within those who would
listen or dance to the music. There had to be some golden coating and
coloring on the established crestfallen style; the track Mahadevi
itself including readings from sacred texts. My desire was, at the
time, to try to include, in sound form, the strange experiences which
were beginning to awaken within me, in hope that it would translate
to, and possibly awaken within the listener as result. Today
speaking, this was an inexperienced yet honest move, as complete
clarity had not been fully embodied, but still, somewhat, there
definitely is truth bled into the final, electrical vibrational
product.
I focused on the subtler details of the tracks,
using softer percussion, more melodies and ecstatic forms; all the
while retaining the heavy bassdrums, distortion and doomcore
undertones, which soil nourishes Naos’ roots for all time.
It’s a marriage of the ethereal and the mechanical; the creator and
the created; the potter and the clay: I wanted a kind of ancient yet
futuristic sound. A first awakening of ancient rhythms and primordial
geometry breathing life into an otherwise deathly mechanical sound.
The album was released on a beautiful limited edition tape by
Desolation Galaxies Rec. in early 2021.
After
recovering from the shedding of the first layers, the seeker appears
in a dimensionally larger world. An awareness of the mysterious
source begins to become apparent and with a new realization the
seeker rushes forth as a new being; soaring over the previous world
in a dreamlike state, viewing it from above with a sense of wonder as
the terrific forces of creation guide and shake the being further;
tearing down illusion and beginning to reveal the dream's ecstatic
purpose. A grand intelligence seems to play all the parts... We pass
from state to state toward the unknown... Who are we truly?
Review:
Now from the little that I know - given that
I live on Neptune - , this one is the most ‘popular’ album, (in
terms of mostly unknown underground music that is) or at least that
which I personally get most requests about. Here Naos began
to become more solid but it’s still a bit rough. What I find stands
out for this album to me is the length; it’s not too long, not too
short. It feels a solid whole. The cover artwork on this one hits the
spot. Devoted to the Dark One and Mahadevi are the
highlights for me personally while Astral Halls Beyond the Stars
I find a little bit dull and uninspired at this point. I am of
course happy with this album, as I am with all of them, otherwise I
would not release them, but even if Mahadevi sounds good,
has lovely melodies and is overall a nice, solid piece of work, and a
sincere vision backing it, it does not quite string the same chord
with me as Abyss does - now that I am listening in
chronological retrospect - . And yet...I can understand why hearers
would appreciate it, at the same time... (in due time the works
on this album will see the fruition which were planted here in seed
form...)
Listen to
Mahadevi:
https://solarnight.bandcamp.com/album/naos-mahadevi-wave-iii
Chapter 4:
Nightshade (2019)
~The
Weird one~
For this album, the fourth chapter in the ongoing saga, released
at the end of the same year along with Mahadevi
I moved a bit away from doomcore and the darker previous
releases in favor of experimentation and fun, wanting to have an
overall more variety, for a ‘cool’ and joyful listen, though
without betraying the essence of Naos’ dark energy.
Here
I began incorporating elements of synthwave (which experimentation
later branched off into the genesis of my latter day co-project Five
AM [www.kanzlarinn.bandcamp.com],
along with bleeding into another, abominable child of mine, the
Icelandic themed hard-techno comedy project: Kanzlarinn)
and played around with different VSTs and synths than I had used
before to freshen up the project and gain new inspiration to open up
new possibilities for Naos. By the time of the third album I
had basically used up my digi-mental resources and got a little
stagnated in creation. Despite all that Nightshade
still has arguably more tracks in line with doomcore and gabber,
however Dare to Ascend and Deadman are
substantially different from anything I previously produced for Naos.
The tracks The Arrival and Haunted from Within date
back to 2012 and 2013 respectively, albeit revamped for the album
release of Nightshade.
While the
previous albums were more or less ‘silent’ - if that word can be
used - in terms of samples and vocals, Nightshade boasts the
heaviest inclusion of vocal samples and samples from vintage
animations I grew up watching. This makes the album feel more, what
shall I say… 'Approachable' or ‘available’ if that makes sense;
while the hellbent vocal ‘silence’ of Abyss for
example creates a more exclusive 'closed' feeling.
This more
colorful of Naos albums was released alongside Mahadevi
on tape in 2021 by Desolation Galaxies Rec.
We return
to the city where it all began for one last time, but now with a
different perspective. Revisiting old memories and redeeming them
with the newfound power; letting the light of renewal shine in the
tombs of past bedeviled states, the seeker gathers forces to prepare
for the next overcoming. What was once a source of pain, fear and
despondency now becomes a well of energy and growth as the negative
states once animated are salvaged by the vision obtained on the
inter-spatial voyage.
Chains are broken, records are purified,
beauty is given for ashes; joy for mourning and the seeker
continues refreshed, and energized to face another challenge to
come.
Review:
This one is certainly
different, given it includes a lot of different synths and techniques
than the previous albums. A more playful and fun piece. What I like
about it is that it feels like it doesn’t take itself too
seriously; the experimentation and fresh outlook this album
represented with its variety are the strong points. It’s a bit of a
Frankenstein's monster, being as it does include old mixed with new,
things stitched together; refurbished unreleased stuff mixed with new
production, rather than an ordered singular vision as some of the
other works. But at the same time, that works, that is the vision of
this one: a redemption of the past. It’s a much lighter / happier
album though, most likely as usual reflecting my own experiences at
the time, now on reflection I can hear and feel how it influenced the
creative process. I really like the track Deadman if I can
say so myself. The brass came out neatly. Overthrow has a
nice, crispy touch too.
Listen to
Nightshade:
https://solarnight.bandcamp.com/album/naos-nightshade-wave-iv
Chapter 5:
Terrorextasis (2020)
~The Long
one~
This fifth loathsome album had to be dark. Had to be heavy. Had to bring something new and have an authentic potential to invoke transformations within as well as faithfully delivering in sound the transformations and discoveries experienced during and prior to its making.
Terrorextasis brought back the ritual drums; the doom and gloom, but with a new energy. By the grace of the divine, potent inspiration suddenly received as an unexpected bolt out of the blue served as catalyst for the fruition of this violent piece. Here I wanted to present a kind of music, as with Mahadevi, which would invoke images of ancient cultic feasts, where wild dance and frenzy was undertaken to bring about awakening and life-enhancing experiences. Here I went all in to make a sound which was unmerciful in exalting the primal forces of consciousness, bringing back ancient memories to shake up the human organism from frenzy to extasis through solid flesh by sound and dance. Or in other words: Something which delivers you truly out of the illusory goo and into the irrational intensity which is true reality. Which is trembling; which is terror beyond good and evil; right and wrong and any man-made abstraction.
Cavernous, bloody, orgiastic; the hideous music contains readings
from ancient texts and occult manuscripts further pushing the
boundaries of the sensible manifested world; Muliebris and
Élan providing the only refuge from the ruthlessness.
Firstly a building up of a state of ecstasy/extasis within frenzy and
elevated levels of energy, secondly a state of elation and
fulfillment following a work completed, while Underworld Inferno
closes the curtains with an unspeakable blackness of lethal
proportions, shaping consciousness into a new, deadly form at the end
of a long and arduous journey through the most heinous regions so
far.
For one who is willing, can through dance and conscious
attention truly let go using this album as imaginal guide. I
dare you to try it...
Terrorextasis was released
alongside Abyss on yet another beautifully produced
audio cassette, sensationally mastered by Desolation Galaxies Rec. In
2022
Following the expedition of redemption, the
seeker is now prepared to enter the darkest realms of creation so
far, where the innermost core will be shaken beyond measure, in order
to fortify faith for the coming of the new being. The seeker plunges
into the cavernous pits of the universe, where the most sinister
forms of intelligence dwell; whose sole purpose of existence is
awakening through terror and trembling; wailing and gnashing of the
teeth.
Coming face-to-face with these hideous and dangerous
lifeforms, the seeker grapples with seldom discovered aspects of the
underworld within; the overcoming of which is not what it seems. Only
the truly sincere survive these terrific trials. In these ruthless
depths the rapture of extasis finally crystallizes and blooms forth,
allowing the seeker to shed all former limitations. Henceforth
strengthened by the fusion with those ghostly Dark Ones, the journey
continues toward the end, along the highway of
eternity.
Review:
Now with the
fabulous synopsis out of the way, does the album stand by its deadly
promise?
Clocking in at 80+ minutes this album is to my best
knowledge the longest one, almost one that must be endured rather
than enjoyed. It certainly feels long... While the creative process
was arduous and downright frustrating at certain points; this album
having gone through the most revision of any album, the memory of it
has been somewhat bittersweet. I even remember after the initial
version of the album feeling so uninspired that I considered laying
Naos to rest. Thankfully new inspiration burst forth toward
me and I was unable to stop the lethal outpouring of energy which
followed. Now that some time has passed and I listen to it once
again, we can lend it a critical ear unblemished by any strain of
previous labor. I think I can safely say that it delivers what I
wished for it. Since Nightshade was… well…
Whatever it was; Terrorextasis had to bring back the
big guns and new, factory made ammo. Here I dove head-first into new
production techniques and methods, used different software and synths
once again and found an outlet for the necessary changes of energy
which followed the divine urge which dawned upon me during the
strange period of this creation. In retrospect it is of course a long
album… Tough to listen through in one bite, unless dancing or
working or simply dreaming or who knows what. However this piece can
be viewed as one divided into two 40 minute albums. Terror
and Extasis. That idea translates
excellently on the physical tape release, split in sides A and B.
On this one I feel quite satisfied and respectful of the final
beast. Pherenesia, Gamma-Shocks and Muliebris
stand out for me personally - as I act as listener - and now that I
think of it, this album contains the highest concentration of
‘favorites’ so far.
Listen to
Terrorextasis:
https://solarnight.bandcamp.com/album/naos-terrorextasis-wave-
Chapter 6:
Khthonaion (2022)
~The
Grand Finale one~
Preceded ‘chronologically’ by the EP The Horror Called
Humanity, from the same production period, the sixth album
represents a beginning of a new chapter in the saga. Moving closer
into the present moment, I wanted this to be a kind of ‘final act’
for the first Arc of the Naos saga. As well as stated, a
glimpse of a new one. For at this point my entire world is totally
different from when I began spewing out music from the pits. All my
previous beliefs and perspectives I held have crumbled into putrid
dust and a new, potent realization risen from it which I aim to seal
into sound form as long as I draw breath.
(this old self
symbolically presented as the severed head on the cover artwork)
So,
Khthonaion is an end of an era and a new one germinating.
With it I wanted to have a kind of ultimate Naos album, a
final chapter summing up what happened in the story so far. Both
personally and as a service to listeners: an alchemical sum of all
the previous explorations, synthesized into a new, deadly compound.
It had to have the thumping, youthful aggression of It is
Whispered, the raw and dark order of Abyss,
the stylish mystical aura of Mahadevi combined with
the playful openness of Nightshade, all focused
through the cultic and merciless lens of Terrorextasis;
then crowned with a subtle erotic substance; condensed
into a piece which bears witness to the seed of what is to come.
The
name itself is a made-up word of the Greek khthon- and aion, supposed
to indicate the energy or life-force of the earth or rather, the
soil. This album also contains a more insidious experiment which is
an inclusion of a play with certain frequencies and secret
languages which are recorded and hidden inside the tracks. The
languages spoken can be heard occasionally. What does it mean?
Khthonaion is the creative act which will give birth to
the new Naos.
After the perilous voyages
hitherto, the seeker arrives at last at the infernal arena where the
final confrontation takes place. Dominated by phantom dancers and
shadowy angelic beings; this boundary being the realm of violent
forces beyond measure. Only those prepared to die descend here. Now
embodying each discovery which was obtained along the way, the seeker
must face the deathly ultimate emanation, reflecting the prophecy
which was hidden in the ordeals. through this interdimensional
bloodbath, the seeker sheds the last garment and on the throne of
this enormous chthonic hall the seeker unites with the goddess
herself in her youthful, most lethal form and after depositing the
seed in her which contains the plan and power of deliverance, she
destroys what was left of his former self setting the entire plane
before aflame. In time she shall give birth to the child on this new
fiery planet; whose genesis was written in the seed which came from
the travels through consciousness. This eternal offspring; the being
which lives before the world began, awakens in her celestial womb;
making known it's name forever and ever:
I
AM...
Review:
It’s a bit hard to
review something which is so recent, but enough time has passed to
look back. Of the albums thus far this one is my favorite. It is the
most successful to me as a creation. I feel personally that it does
sum up the whole journey, having a little piece of every part and it
binds together the first Arc, culminating in the last three tracks:
The Fiery Planet, Xian and Dance till Death.
Those are the very pieces where the old dies and the seed of the new
is dropped into fertile soil, rendering the whole beginning merely a
memory; a prophecy; a foreshadowing. Dance till Death is by
far the most complex track, containing the most amount of different
mixer channels, effects and patterns. Fitting for an end theme.
To
me this album is the fulfillment of the promise which was buried
within the first album, hidden even from me. It is the absolute death
of the old and the deliverance of the seed of the new. Inspired by a
life-changing vision, I am most proud to release this creation. It is
my blessing that it may communicate and presence what it is meant to,
as a form. I hope it delivers the joy and ends all sorrow. I
certainly had a blast creating it!
Listen to
Khthonaion:
https://solarnight.bandcamp.com/album/naos-khthonaion-wave-vi
Subplots / EPs:
The Horror Called Humanity [EP-1]
(2022)
Chronologically placed between Terrorextasis and
Khthonaion, this short story is inspired by a
terrifying experience I had many years ago when I witnessed all of
humanity around me to be sleeping; their eyes empty, simply shells
controlled by a shadowy, hypnotic mechanism; as mere automatons. Back
then I did not understand the meaning of the experience, hence the
terror; the awe of suddenly becoming conscious within the dream... I
did not understand until in retrospect, but this was simply the
beginning of my own awakening. What is humanity after all?
Here
we dip back into the doom and gloom, but this time with purpose,
consciously, not because we were trapped in it like in the
beginning. Here is a deliberate inclusion of the experiences of the
darker realms with knowledge and understanding of what came before.
Despite the seeming horrors of the manifested world, there is only
love and all shall awaken in due time.
These I wanted to
be pure doomcore by definition, with the tempo very slow and the
atmosphere ominous. We then depart this memory when it has unfolded
with Alyaunte; a farewell to the past and a gratitude for
what was learned and how life grew through it.
Listen to
The Horror Called
Humanity:
https://solarnight.bandcamp.com/album/naos-the-horror-called-humanity-ep-1
Orb Weaver [EP-2]
(2022)
Following the climax of Khthonaion, here came the
very last tracks of this first Arc spanning 11 years. All previously
unreleased, produced during the same time as the albums, but never
finding their way to the final work. Orb Weaver itself the
oldest track on this release, not seeing the light of day until a
decade after production. To fully wrap up this first era, these
tracks needed to be set free. So they were dug up and included on
this special EP released at the very end of 2022. Orb Weaver
serves as the epilogue to Khthonaion.
Listen
to Orb
Weaver:
https://solarnight.bandcamp.com/album/orb-weaver-ep-2
[ That sums up the first Arc in the prophecy of Naos. As this
is written, there are already three further releases planned and
prepped and nearly ready to be unleashed, setting aflame a dreadful
Second Arc, beginning with a forthcoming seventh album. Here
will unfold a vision most ancient; primordial and true: in the shape
of electronic frequencies. ]
This shall be the
harbinger of the next generation of Naos ecstasies…
Jóel
Kristinn Hrafnsson,
03.2023
Naos
Bandcamp: www.solarnight.bandcamp.com
Follow
on FB: https://www.facebook.com/Naos999
Gallery
(Tape releases
Special
thanks to Desolation Galaxies Records)
Arc II: The Deliverance
[Coming soon]
