Band:	Insect Ark
Album:	Raw Blood Singing
Style:	Experimental doom metal, Drone metal
Release date:	June 2024
A review by:	X-Ray Rod

01. Birth Of A Black Diamond
02. The Frozen Lake
03. Youth Body Swayed
04. Cleaven Hearted
05. The Hands
06. Psychological Jackal
07. Inverted Whirlpool
08. Ascension

Insect Ark keeps evolving and changing drummers; let us hope this third iteration of the project lives for longer. Dana Schechter seems to have traded off some of the groove, while dark ambience has taken over, thus releasing a form of drone doom that is very compelling.

I must admit I’m pretty ignorant about most of Dana’s endeavours outside of her contributions to Swans, although I remember enjoying the previous album, The Vanishing, when it came out. I really appreciated the post-apocalyptic atmosphere along with the southern grooves, as they painted quite the cinematographic picture. A lot of that vibe has changed, and this new style can be attributed to two major alterations. First and most noticeable, Dana has started singing. Her smooth yet smoky voice reminds me at times of a darker and moodier Sara Bianchin (from Messa). Dana’s vocals often alternate between solemn chants, dark narrations and delicate whispers, adding an intriguing layer of mystery to her music.

The second new element that Insect Ark presents is the introduction of drummer Tim Wyskida. I was immediately excited to listen to this album once I saw that Tim was going to perform, as I’m a huge fan of his work with drone doom legends Khanate. For me, it was easy to notice how his style of drumming has altered Insect Ark’s sound in ways that hopefully will resonate well with you. His excessive, complex use of cymbals along with the agonising pauses he creates before smashing the drums creates a nightmarish tension that combines well with the dark drones of Dana. Just listen how he nicely introduces Dana's ominous voice in "The Frozen Lake": dark, yet so captivating and intriguing.

There are still some groovy moments that add some catchiness to Raw Blood Singing. The bass on tracks like “Youth Body Swayed”, “The Hands” and “Psychological Jackal” is highly hypnotic. “The Hands” is a highlight in style-shifting, as it is the fastest track and it felt like an intoxicating goth rock song that fell into a pool of drone tar. As seductive as some of these moments are, there is a significant sense of uneasiness that lurks at every corner. The post-rock crescendos in tracks like “Cleaven Hearted” and “Inverted Whirlpool” are maddening, as they display an apocalyptic tone that reminds me of Swans’ The Seer.

The fact that Raw Blood Singing is the work of only two people is simply astonishing. There are just so many elements meticulously put together for one hell of a soundtrack to the end times. Dana is truly a gifted songwriter, and her music continues to defy conventional genre classification. I find myself struggling to properly describe it. So if you like your music dark and soaked in atmosphere, then you should dive head first into the inverted whirlpool.