If you’re of a certain age and you were into music in the mid-90s you probably remember a very odd “fad” – specifically the moment had by, of all things, monastic chants. It was kicked off by the 1994 album Chant by The Benedictine Monks of Santo Domingo de Silos, which was followed by Chant Noël, Chant II, and Chant III over the next few years to capitalize on the wave of interest. I mean, 1994 was probably the biggest year for monastic chants since, well, at least since Monty Python and the Holy Grail in 1975, but probably way further back than that. I’m not going to lie – I had all four of these on CD, and I still think Chant is an incredibly beautiful album. And I was and am not alone in this – it made it to #3 on the Billboard 200 albums chart and went double platinum.
Benedictine Shadows is the nom-de-monk-music of dungeon synther Travelleres Rest who hails a few hours down the highway from me in Portland, Oregon. The debut cassette Lamented Hymns is described as “An Homage to the Gregorian Chant craze of the mid-1990’s….. But Darker”, so they too have a sense for that time and the power of chants.
I was curious to see how the chanting would be incorporated into Lamented Hymns. It doesn’t sound like there is any sampling here, but instead using a synth to play individual chanted notes – which of course makes sense as that gives the artist control over the compositions. Sonically Benedictine Shadows selects the right instrumentation from the midi library – the chants are accompanied by church organs, bells, and mallets, exactly what you’d expect to hear in an actual cathedral. I’ve always been attracted to this kind of music – deep and dark, more lament than praise. Benedictine’s six compositions all bring their own unique characteristics while still staying true to the overall aesthetic, one of musty stone, flimsy wooden chairs, high ceilings, and soot-stained walls. It’s a moody listen, but one I know I’ll be coming back to again and again.
You can give Lamented Hymns a listen on the Benedictine Shadows Bandcamp page HERE. Fiadh Productions also released it on a very limited edition (of 25) cassette, and if you’re quick enough you might still be able to grab one HERE before they’re all gone.