It might not be time for Halloween just yet, but we’ve got something seriously spooky for you today in the form of a new Ambient track, MINERVA RISING – The Witch Awakens.
At the moment there is very little information about MINERVA RISING available online, although we do know that they are a duo from Australia who specialise in ethereal and immersive soundscapes. We also know that the release of The Witch Awakens must be a pretty big moment in their career, because it’s being released by the Australian arm of industry giant Sony Music in partnership with their distribution company The Orchard and independent label Sub Rosa.
Furthermore, on listening to MINERVA RISING – The Witch Awakens, it quickly becomes clear why this is a track that has received such major support from big figures in the music industry. Blending subtle touches of atmospheric sound effects with freaky, menacing synths, the track instantly throws you into an eerie soundscape that brings to mind highly tense moments in horror films or grisly thrillers. Indeed, so shrewdly produced is this track that it could well be used in a television programme or film, perhaps in a scene where a character is about to make a horrible, unearthly discovery, or where a particularly ruthless villain is finally revealed to viewers. The track is so immersive, however, that is doesn’t actually need any accompanying visuals to be appreciated fully, despite its relatively minimal feel. This is exemplified particularly towards the end of track, by which point mysterious snatches of vocal samples have begun to creep in, the bass has become louder and more menacing, and intense scratching and scraping sounds help to move the tension towards breaking point.
Whilst MINERVA RISING – The Witch Awakens clearly stands up well on its own as a sinister ambient soundscape, it would be really interesting to see this duo create further pieces in this vein, perhaps which work together as an album that soundtracks an imaginary horror film or thriller. In the meantime we’ll have to enjoy The Witch Awakens as a standalone piece, which will likely present no issue for fans of music that falls into this genre.
