By Alex P80 Parks
Caliginous means misty, dim, dark or obscure. All of those words could easily describe Evilldewer’s beats. Over 19 tracks, the Boston-area producer takes us on a gloomy jaunt of spiritualism, while transcending HipHop sub-genres with moody and emotive soundscapes.
This collection of beats captures larger ideas and themes such as mysticism, spirituality, afterlife, the occult, amongst others. This album brings listeners through an adventure, highlighting all of those concepts through the tone of Evilldewer’s music.
“The Awakening” slowly activates the senses. The listeners acclimate their ears to the thump of the deep bass and punch of the drums. Guitar riffs trail into the air with high-pitched synth effects bringing about full consciousness.
Beats like “Energy/Shift” begin fairly simple but take on an entirely new identity when ED flips the beat at approx 1:30. What was a initially feelings of slight skepticism and doubt turns into full-blown dread and fear from imminent danger from the orchestral sample.
On “Occultism” chopped wind instruments and horns blare, with the track creating a rising, unsettling feeling. The pulsating bass, and stumbling drums pulls the listeners in. Undoubtedly another dope and unique track on the album.
“Countdown til chaos” is symbolic with distant church bells echoing far beyond the present moment. Similarly, in its ability to convey an entire setting through the music, “Catastrophic Event” comes in with the somber melancholy of a lone violin over the beat.”
Macabre and eerie tracks like “Purgatory,” “The Seance,” as well as the title track all contribute to the tense moments with a sense of spiritual awareness of the afterlife.
“Muerte No Preparada” is a unique blend of bell-sounds and tinkling xylophones. The mood is mystical here, using tumbling piano keys, short, chopped guitar chord samples, dusty drums and deep bass that thumps. One of the standout beats which breathes and has an arc all its own.
Phantasmagoria” is most definitely a standout banger. Using a unique series of samples from one record, ED hits the splashy cymbals for a live drum sounding set. The apparitions are coming to life here, haunting the listeners, yet too intriguing to pull away. The sample even includes a dope sax interpolation towards the end.
Tracks like “Transcendental” and “Cloaks and Masks” provide a futuristic excursion with synth organs and resonating, pulsating frequencies of filth, taking the journey into a different time and dimension.
An outlier on this trajectory is the funky groove of “Exploration.” Listeners slip into a sort of smoked-out funkadelic spaceship, cruising through the astral planes.
On “Sacrificial grounds” Evilldewer leads a path through a primitive third world village where the local shaman frees minds, giving way to a euphoric state with punchy drums and climbing harp strings. The psychedelic effect is apparent on this track.
“Manifestation” is a woozy and drunken end of the excursion as the listener stumbles from the surreal state back into reality.
Perhaps this album is even darker and ominous than his previous works overall. It certainly possesses a binding concept of things that are considered dark, mystical, peculiar, and spiritual. Providing conceptually-varied atmospheres rich in texture, Evilldewer delivers a sonic experience to truly captivate listeners. Another singular offering from the Wave Scientician, Caliginous Sky is an enjoyable adventure that appeals to your senses and grabs hold of your soul.
The album is available here:
Deeply Rooted HipHop 