The Salt Pale Collective – A Body That Could Pass Through Stones And Trees
A Body That Could Pass Through Stones And Trees is the debut album of The Salt Pale Collective from England, UK. It was released August 25, 2023 and follows their self-titled EP (2022).
The opening track “Tria Pima” introduces the album with a tribal drumming, accompanied by rhythmic chanting and mantra-like naming of alchemical processes that describe deconstruction and rearranging of human mind, spirit and body. This is permeated by synth and digital sounds and effects, creating an atmosphere and scene that
feels occultish and ancient, but combined with a modern industrial potency. A combination that entails an uncanny bleakness and a sense of rogue insanity of its own. And from here The Salt Pale Collective unfurl their very own brew of Post Apocalyptic and Electronic Doom.
They mix so many different stylistic elements and combine them in a myriad of constellations. There’s juxtaposition and contradiction in everything. The abrasive, guttural growls and punishing thunderous riffs are raw, bold, unfiltered emotion that may strike anytime unexpectedly, while the beauty of the soaring clean vocals and melodies contrast them perfectly. All vocal performances are sheer bliss on their own. Opposed, juxtaposed or harmonized they create a magical atmospheric depth. Imbued with disturbing synth, samples and electronic effects the whole thing turns into a post apocalyptic cyber nightmare.
The ambient parts add a melancholic serenity of sorts to the atmosphere, and at times there’s even the illusion of a peaceful natural or pastoral scenery that gets masterfully disrupted by the digital sound effects. The glitches are almost visual.
Finally the occasional jazzy injections of Saxophone provide even more texture and extra portions of unhinged eeriness.
Tension and momentum derive from the very songwriting brimming with original ideas, as well as from the brilliant use of the different stylistic elements and instrumentation. Everything is constantly morphing and merging, induces images and fuels imagination.
There’s a richness in texture and atmosphere, an all-embracing coherence with an orchestral and cinematic intensity that’s absolutely compelling and absorbing, especially when you listen to the album in one go and preferably with the one-track version with seamless transitions that’s added on the Bandcamp release.
I don’t often throw around the word “masterpiece”…., but when I do, I mean it.
A Body That Could Pass Through Stones And Trees is a masterpiece!