Exploding from the cosmic mayhem as a beacon of hope comes ‘Kybalion Part I’ by Seán Grant and the Wolfgang to project a picture of universal truth and unity in troubled times.
Out now on Vandalism Begins at Home Records, the first salvo from a double EP unleashes gothic grandeur, synth and squall, with an intense energy that radiates a dizzying atmosphere of complex and calculated menace and unhurried aggression.
Photo: Mark Rider
But in an eternal battle between darkness and light, these architects of twisted darkgaze, take a flaming torch to the turmoil. And into this industrial maelstrom is the search for balance and togetherness as swooning vocals swaddle lyrics of infinite hope, mysticism and knowledge, as paeans to the power of positive thinking.
“The choruses are more like mantras that repeat and seep into your consciousness,” affirms master of the dark arts, Sean Grant.
“We are all born from the same place as part of the universe like we are part of nature.
“We all possess power in our words, thoughts and actions, so whatever we put out into the world we get back.”
This catharsis from chaos is a unifying principle which pulsates through the preceding single, ‘We Are All Of One’, as a Big Bang that rips storm from the calm to conclude that ‘we are reflections’ of our celestial beginnings.
Twitching electronica ties together with symphonic swagger with the dramatic contrasts of ‘As Above So Below’ act as a calling card for the record’s opposites attract outlook.
From tense foundations ‘Cause & Effect’ morphs into a distorted chorus of cascading metallic brute force as Grant implores “dance higher, the fool is the liar”.
The brooding sledgehammer of thunderous percussion that is taken to EP closer ‘Principles of Gender’ which bursts with a haze of tribal splendour and a reckoning that “This death is not the end, just a return, transcend.”
Grant says: “I enjoy records that tell a story. All the tracks are different, but they’re linked and I started with the titles and wrote the tracks in a flow state of creativity that taps into something primal.”
From this elemental state, a theme emerges to marry force with beauty and bury it in the bottom of your heart — but this is not the end, it is merely the beginning.
Kybalion Pt. I is available to stream now on Spotify, Apple Music, Tidal, Amazon Music, YouTube Music and all the normal streaming services.
