This is a less of a music album, rather a magick ritual in seven parts. Nibiru are three mystical artists from Turin who perform “Ritual Psychedelic Sludge”. Their muse is Enochian a language recorded by 16th Century English occultist John Dee who, along with his colleague Edward Kelley, claimed that angels revealed the language to them.  The word Nibiru comes from a different branch of spirituality – a Babylonian tern for the equinox.

This is the collective’s fifth full length release and their first on the appropriately named Ritual Productions and like those that went before it Salbrox (Enochian for Sulfur), is a heady mix of drone, psychedelic doom and tribal percussion. The blurb that accompanied in floated way over my head in a cloud of patchouli, sage and new age rhetoric so I advise full immersion and let the music do the wafting!

The Enochian language that is used throughout – though based on English reminds me a lot of the backwards parlance of the Lynch’s Red Room.

Opener “EHNB” is a mystical blend of drone and circus like sounds presided over by a sinister incantation. The track is so hypnotic it is hard to describe, causing meditation as it does.

“EXARP” is a rough dirty sludge riff that builds into a swirling distortion filled shamanic cacophony before segueing into “HCOMA”. Remember the night time ritual scene in Kill List at the politicians house. It’s this – without the sewer chase. Creepy shit man and when it flows into the maniacal laughter filled NANTA things get very far out. I remember buying Under the Sign of the Black Mark when I was 14. This is what I expected it to sound like from the front cover. (To be fair it was still pretty crazy for my young self).

Nibiru are true sound collagists. The whole is so much bigger than its parts. I can’t do my usual schtick of “sounds a bit like” “reminiscent of….” . Sure there are elements of all sorts of bands and musicians and film soundtracks  (especially in the heartbeat of ABALPT). However this truly is an album to put on in a darkened room and immerse yourself in. DO NOT LISTEN AND DRIVE.

I don’t believe in magic – with or without a K , but there is something definitely mystical about Salbrox and the feelings it evoked in my while I was under its spell.

Very, very interesting

(8/10 Matt Mason)

https://www.facebook.com/nibiruritual

https://ritualproductions.bandcamp.com/album/salbrox