NINDINUGGA NIMSHIMSHARGAL ENLILLARA

EQUIMANTHORN was formed in 1991 in Plano, TX and was the alter ego project of Proscriptor and Equitant of the black / death / thrash metal band Absu. While the logo may appear to insinuate another blackened metal band of sort, this project was designed to evoke the Pagan ritualistic feel in the form of experimental dark ambient laced with electronica and folk effects which is somewhat similar to Neurosis and their ambient project Tribes Of Neurot although this isn't designed to be played in conjunction with any particular Absu album as far as i'm aware. The band also has members from Zemial, Melechesh and The Soil Bleeds Black!

NINDINUGGA NIMSHIMSHARGAL ENLILLARA is the debut release by this strange sideshow of the Absu members that is designed to be the soundtrack to some occult Pagan ritual but in reality is dedicated to Sumerian fables. The strange album cover in conjunct with the lengthy song track titles and meandering sonic journey through the ultimate world of freakiness presents a very bizarre and unique sonic experience. It's hard to even call this music as it seems like nothing more than a parade of voices including clean male chants, female chants as well as demonic guttural and black metal shrieks wrapped around unrelated organ riffs and ambient noise effects that all merge in the middle of the night with seemingly nothing in common.

The whole thing comes off as the ultimate bizarre collage effect of ideas. While there are really no melodies that unite in tandem, there are melodies that play apart from each other for short segments before the ritual directs its aim towards other means of expression. When percussion is included it does keep a rhythmic timing as clean Gregorian type chants compete with demonic moans and groans from the underworld. There is nothing even remotely close to resembling metal (save the few vocal shrieks) here as there are no guitars, no bass and no aggressive passages. This is rather a freak folk session that was improvised on the spot with no real motive other than intuitive divination from the underworld and throughout the unknown.

This is one of those albums i picked up entirely by chance solely for the beautiful album cover and have only heard a very few times with each listen separated by many years which always leaves me totally forgetting what this album sounds like. It's filled with all kinds of murky messy mixtures of sounds but really has nothing tangible to grasp onto therefore this rarely sees the light of day and emerges from my speakers but i have to admit that when i do listen to this one, i'm totally tripped out as it is truly one of the strangest albums that i possess and every time i hear it it's feels like the first time. While i would hardly call this essential by any means, i would recommend this for anyone seeking out some of the strangest collection of sound effects all wrapped up under the guise of ritual ambient for the purpose of supplicated Sumerian spirits of the past.