ALBUM REVIEW: Éons – Neptunian Maximalism
NEPTUNIAN MAXIMALISM (NNMM) describe themselves as ‘cultural engineers’. This phrase, coined by the late Genesis P-Orridge of THROBBING GRISTLE and PSYCHIC T.V. fame, denotes a particular attitude towards the role of art: to transgress boundaries, redefine convention, and discover new and more visceral means of representation. This is an experimental approach, but one which is decidedly hostile to normality, rather than playfully whimsical; after all, the ‘cultural engineer’ aims to construct or renovate culture.
The NNMM collective was established on the basis of a residency in Brussels during 2018, which brought guitarist Guillaume Cazalet and saxophonist Jean Jacques Duerinckx together, alongside the percussionists Sebastien Schmit and Pierre Arese. From this series of performances emerged The Conference Of The Stars, which captured the nascent collective as they blended drone metal with free jazz. While their loose compositional approach was nothing new, they had managed to create a powerful, surreal, and foreboding atmosphere – combining elements of Sun Ra, John Coltrane, EARTH and SUNN O))) in equal measure. A year later, and several more members were brought into the fold – bassist Reshma Goolamy, Guitarist Romain Martini, digital soundscaper Didié Nietzsch, Saz and Setar player Joaquin Bermudez, as well as guitarist and synthesiser player Alice Thiel – while the twin percussionists would be supplanted by Stephane FDL and Lukas Bouchenot in 2020. This incarnation of the collective recorded Éons: a triple album dedicated to the Earth, the Moon and the Sun.
It is reasonable to ask of any triple album to what extent it warrants such a lengthy running time – sheer volume is, in any case, no guarantee of profundity – but it’s hard to imagine that what NEPTUNIAN MAXIMALISM hope to achieve could be accomplished in anything less. Their manifesto is to explore the evolution of the human species: beckoning the end of the ‘anthropocene’ era, and thereby preparing us for the ‘probocene’ era, in which the planet will be ruled by “superior, intelligent elephants” once humanity has collapsed. It seems that the scale of this album is proportionate to the task at hand.
Éons is divided into three chapters, dedicated to the Earth, the Moon and the Sun respectively. Together, these planetary pieces form an extended “ritual” or “cosmic mass”. Opening chapter To The Earth is grounded in tribal rhythms and terrestrial motifs: whistling air, oceanic murmur and beating stones can be heard in amongst the frenzy of unrestrained musicianship. Thematically this chapter covers three eons of Earth’s geological history, ending with the Proterozoic eon and the gradual emergence of life. The last eon, the Phanerozoic, is covered in the next chapter ‘To The Moon’. Supposedly inspired by the research of proto-languages by Pierre Lanchantin at the University of Cambridge, animalistic grunting and chants can be discerned beneath the more rigid rhythmic structures of this chapter.
The centrepiece of the chapter is the three-part VAJRABHAIRAVA, which uses icy tremolo-picking to exquisite effect. The eon is completed with The Sixth Mass Extinction: The Anthropocene Genocide and the end of humanity’s reign on earth. The closing chapter, To The Sun, is presented as a “solar drone opera”. By far the most bewildering and disorientating movement in the album, the distinctive Saz makes an appearance atop the low droning of the bass guitar and chanting. The drop in intensity towards the end allows the subtler interplay of tones and frequencies to come to the fore, finishing the album with a sense of loss and emptiness.
NEPTUNIAN MAXIMALISM are either unhinged, profound, or both. It will be hard to say once you’ve reached the end of Éons that you haven’t experienced something, but it will take a ‘journey is the destination’ mindset to get there. Éons is vast and obscure by design. Once you buy into the grand themes and exploratory nature of the music, NEPTUNIAN MAXIMALISM rewards your curiosity, and – for the most part – lives up to its pretence. Fans of EARTH, SUNN O))) and SWANS will take easily to this long-form style of music, while those of KING CRIMSON and MAHAVISHNU ORCHESTRA will appreciate the range of textures and techniques on display. This is heavy music reimagined on a grand scale; so, if you’re persuaded, set aside an afternoon and enjoy one of the year’s most interesting and dense albums so far.
Rating: 9/10
Éons is out now via I, Voidhanger Records.
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