‘Broken Gargoyles’ sounds as though it came from the underbelly of a Lingua Ignota record. The subterranean, off-the grid experience de-places the entire album, so that it is not certain enough to attach to any specific plane, even hell. Though the poetry (much from German expressionist Georg Heym) is often about human suffering, Diamanda Galás operates below any recognisable surface, appearing through a theatrical atmosphere where sickly sprites wreak havoc on miserable souls. The human elements—the piano, the screeches, the poetry—-express spiritually unhinged torture, as well as the subsequent trauma. This is everyone’s idea of a nightmare, but some will adore it.
23/30
A favourite: ‘Mutilatus’
‘Broken Gargoyles’ is out now via Intravenal Sound Operations.
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