Black Tempel Pyrämid Tapes 2xCS presented by Weird Beard Tapes (UK).

Digital album includes the three albums below plus two bonus videos:

Tape 1 - Mountain Meditations (Cameron Peak Wildfire) - 43:18

Tape 2 - Hermetic Visions (Winter Solstice Procession) - 43:52

Bonus Album - High Plains Of The Drifting Sun (Snow Moon Procession) - 43:25

Mountain Meditations was written and recorded August - December 2020 during the Cameron Peak wildfire.

Hermetic Visions was written and recorded December 2020 - February 2021 during Winter Procession months.

High Plains Of The Drifting Sun was mostly written and recorded during the Snow Moon of February 2021 with supplemental material recorded May 2021.

All were captured at the FoCo Zodiak Sound Lab in the Horsetooth Mountains.

Review:
' "Unremittingly dark and intrinsically disturbing". Prism of the Present, Patrick R. Pärk's first lockdown offering under the guise of Black Tempel Pyrämid, was truly unsettling and it will undoubtedly remain as one of the bleakest collections of the pandemic genre. Little did we know then, but this was only one of three albums Pärk recorded over the lockdown and Weird Beard now follow up that initial release with volumes two and three, packaged together on a double cassette, simply named Tapes. Housed in a slipcase which matches the obi strips used on the label's previous nine extremely limited edition cassettes, this looks great and nicely rounds off the first volume of this fascinating series.

The first tape here is titled Mountain Meditations and contains ten tracks running to just over forty-three minutes. It was recorded from August to December 2020 at the time of the Cameron Peak wildfire which caused the evacuation of over 20,000 people in Colorado, torching some 208,663 acres and just surpassing the recent Pine Gulch Fire to become the largest in the history of the State. So, with COVID reaching out its icy fingers, it seemed as though the fires of hell were hot on its heels. Understandably, then, this is not a jolly collection of tunes, but perhaps surprisingly it is not so unremittingly hostile as Prism Of The Present. Perhaps a fire is more understandable, something with which nature deals on a regular basis, something primal that can cleanse and purify in advance of a new dawn. The tape opens edgily, 'Red Feather Wildfire' full of nagging repetition and unsettling jangling, while 'Forest Coronation' is a deep throated growl that drips menace. 'Tempered Night Black' treads a broken path that calls to mind Bowie's 'Warszawa', hinting at sadness and loss though its choral vocals are more Wagnerian than Bowie's sombre ghosts. Occasionally hints of positivity are allowed through. 'Black Smoke Ceremony' has a purposeful, tribal rhythm while the second side is altogether less harrowing. Here the repetition doesn't seek to inveigle but rather demonstrates renewed growth and vigour. When all the confusion has been burned away we are left only with original truths, and from there there is no retreat.

The second tape here is titled Hermetic Visions (Winter Soltice Procession) and this again comprises ten tracks stretching to just under forty-four minutes recorded between December 2020 and February this year. There is a completely different edge to these recordings. With the new year hot on the heels of the solstice, these songs are filled with positivity, yearning and warmth. 'Tree Of Secrets' stretches out an embrace as the beat rushes along briskly and it borders on uplifting. Things almost become hurried; three tracks in a row fail to break the three-minute mark: 'Forester Deviation', 'Crystal Rituals' and 'Haunted Leaves' are all echoes of themselves as if the same view has been captured from three different viewpoints. Hermeticism embraces the idea of a primeval, divine wisdom, revealed in the ancient days, traces of which can still be found in various arenas today. These snapshots capture the essence of this wisdom, revealing the same patterns wherever you look, and showing that they reflect more light than shade. The title track, running in at over seven minutes, celebrates this truth as flutes serenade lightly over a prolonged, sparkling dance. It is a statement of certainty and celebration. The tape winds down with the gentle 'Winged Corridors' which is almost calming as distant flutes play over a gentle beat and wavering notes that hint at restfulness and peace.

There's a mysticism at the very heart of Black Tempel Pyrämid's music yet its success is down to the fact it is capable of reflecting the days in which we live. These aren't lost tales of myth and legend, but an inspiration to seek for deeper truths in a seemingly ungiving, concrete world. A total lottery again as to whether you will be able to grasp a copy of this. They will be going online on the Weird Beard website on Friday. Best of luck.' - Adam, Isolation Records (UK)