With the complexity of the music, it may surprise you to find that Empusae is actually a project created by a single man, Nicolas Van Meirhaeghe aka Sal-Ocin.
Empusae exercises a surreal science of structure that throbs and pulsates in an almost obsessive manner. The music is almost suggestive of a mechanical assembly line in its clock work clunks and clangs. It builds into a tense, yet haunting soundscape and rivets itself into the memory and refuses to be forgotten. It is serious music whose architecture has formed for itself a solid foundation, rather than sounding as if its trying to tear itself apart!
When listening to Empusae's music, you're lost in dark melancholy, tribal electronic athmospheres and scary ambient rituals. Empusae continuously is music for the darkened souls, the lost ones. The style of music is like a journey from the postapocalyptic industrial and urban wastelands to the organic sounds of the wilderness in nature. The forests and woods of our fantasies. The drums evolved from rhythmic instruments to shamanic elements. Sal-Ocin describes his music as a sountrack for the listeners personal fantasies.
This aspect has been amplified by the visuals of Christel Morvan (Nesisart), who creates the album artwork as well as live visuals for concerts.
Sal-Ocin is also known for his other projects, such as Ordo Rosarius Equilibrio, Tzolk´in and Onus.
Latest album
After the therapeutic album Lueur (featuring vocals by Colin H. Van Eeckhout), Sal-Ocin continues the exorcism by composing a new album.
Through the medium of old 78 rpm phonograph records from the early 1900, each song captures a different demon. Resulting in a dark and ghostly ambient post-industrial soundtrack from oblivion.
For this album, the artist Christel Morvan created a visual concept where she brings each demon to life via augmented reality. This technology brings the user to a whole new level of immersion each song having its own living panel to experiment the music together with an animation, in a new and unic way.
Available in LP, CD, and a limited LP (only available at the venues).
