By Ryan J. Nims
Oriflamme (2008 Aurora Borealis, ABX020)
In Scottish folklore, a Wraith is a revenant, or undead being, who thrives on the suffering of its victims. They are said to be the malignant spirits of spellcasters who have dabbled in the art of necromancy or attempted to gain immortality for themselves. More popular in modern culture are Tolkien’s Ringwraiths, the terrifying servants of Lord Sauron. Named for the latter, Wraiths were a Scottish duo who played ritualized drone music that invoked torment and dread. Made up of the anonymous Gaendaal and Nakir—dressed in tattered robes and faceless burlap hoods—they had an image of unearthly terror befitting their otherworldly music. From around 2006 to 2016, Wraiths crafted a catalog of truly unnerving soundscapes. All music was improvised “under ritual conditions,” meaning that performances were never repeated. Gaendaal’s shrieks and Nakir’s array of busted equipment and effects pedals sound like nothing heard before or since; it’s not black metal, but that influence is there; it’s inspired by early industrial, but no synths or computers were used; it’s ambient, but of the sort that conjures nightmares more than daydreams.
Wraiths L-R: Gaendaal & Nakir
Oriflamme, The Grey Emperor, and Dust In Our Mouths are all long-form pieces—each close to an hour in length—which are slow-burning, dark, ambient epics. Cold winds howl, bells chime, and distorted percussive elements fade in and out, lulling the listener into a vague sense of calm before the inhuman vocal shrieks and harsh noise overtake the music. I am not sure if music can truly be scary, but Wraiths comes pretty close. For instance “Ghoulsong,” which closes the five-song Plaguebearer, is an onslaught of feedback that ends with a wash of noise not unlike an air-raid siren. Black Tape claims to have been dubbed in very limited numbers onto cassettes which originally contained electronic voice phenomenon, or more plainly: the voices of ghosts. Perhaps the duo’s most accessible yet still obscure piece is Magpie & Raven, their collaboration with Denton, Texas’s equally experimental and anonymous Pyramids. For their part, Wraiths create a musical background from tape going through a broken tape player, while piano performed by Burial Hex and Pyramids haunting vocals take the foreground. The 25-minute piece slowly descends into a cacophony of noise before fading to near-nothingness. Their final release was a split with Edinburgh atmospheric black metal act Vostok.
Magpie & Raven (2012 Aurora Borealis, ABX055)
As a special treat for this Halloween, with the help of a dusty eldritch grimoire, I was able to summon Gaendaal and Nakir from their undead slumber to try to make sense of their dark cosmic music.
First off, thank you for allowing me to awaken you for this blessed Samhain. Can you discuss the dark forces that brought Wraiths onto this plane of existence?
Gaendaal: T’was not Darknysse but Lyghte which spake unto us in sweete voyces and bade “Remainest ye both, e’en beyond thine allotted Tyme, and be’est as ane Example against Synne.” How, then, could’st we refuse? We have not been brought but, rather, do we choose to persyst.
Are the sounds produced during the rituals meant for general human consumption? If not, who is the music speaking to?
Gaendaal: Aye, our Voyce is for the ears of all Folke. Tis but a small Echo of those Voyces most sweete who didst bid us tarry herein. Yet, be’est it for all, not all are willing to hear. Many turn their faces, hold hands to their ears when we do sing. It is a Sadnysee most great for us to see but spur’st it onwards all the greater. We embrace those who even would’st spurn us with great violence of Word and Deed. Forgive them, those children. They will learn, as all children must. And should they not learn then the Worlde will teach them.
Gaendaal, you have manifested music under the names LVTHN and Sigillum Dei. Did these projects require different rites from those of Wraiths?
Gaendaal: Tis all of one Kynde. Wraiths be both Nakir and mineself entwined but where there be’est the Choire raised up then also must there be’est the lonely Voyce. Both we do employ. LVTHN is the Sounde of elden spaces and the dwellers within, whom have I conversed with upon a Tyme. On the cold Moor or by the deep, black Seas linger’st those that died and those who didst never live. Theirs is a cold existence and hunger they to prattle their tongues. Much of it be sore lacking in sense but can Gems oft be found, as the shyning Pearle can be found betwixt the Oysters jaws. Listen ye to the Wynde and Wayve. Sigillum Dei is those whispers of the Lyvinge that linger between their spoken Wordes. Be it the smirk that flitter on the lips of the unjust. Take ye their Wordes and from it distil the true Meaning, as those sullen-eyed Alchymists distil the very Bloode from base soils.
Nakir, your namesake is one of the judges of souls in Islamic tradition. Do you see the music of Wraiths as a test of the purity of the listener’s spirit?
Nakir: (Nods imperceptibly)
Before I return you to your infernal rest, is there anything else you wish to say?
Gaendaal: Who has woe? Who has sorrow? Who has strife? Who has complaints? Who has needless bruises? Who has bloodshot eyes? Those who linger over wine, who go to sample bowls of mixed wine. Do not gaze at wine when it is red, when it sparkles in the cup, when it goes down smoothly! In the end it bites like a snake and poisons like a viper. Your eyes will see strange sights, and your mind will imagine confusing things. You will be like one sleeping on the high seas, lying on top of the rigging. “They hit me,” you will say, “but I’m not hurt! They beat me, but I don’t feel it! When will I wake up so I can find another drink?” – Proverbs 23:29-35
To my knowledge, Wraiths are not available on any streaming platforms, but all of it can be found on the Ordo Pestilentia Bandcamp page, in some cases with additional content. Be warned, the music contained therein is not for the faint of spirit. Fans of KOOP’s Commercial Suicide (Sundays 8:30-10:00 pm) will probably find something to appreciate in Wraiths’ spectral noise.
Happy Hallowe’en!