Description
Attrition – In The Realm Of The Hungry Ghosts – Compact Disc
Attrition’s In the Realm of the Hungry Ghosts, released in 1986, is a landmark album in the realm of darkwave and industrial music, blending haunting electronic soundscapes with experimental textures and a deeply atmospheric tone. This album is considered one of the defining works by the British group led by Martin Bowes, a key figure in the post-punk and electronic underground. With its evocative title referencing Buddhist concepts of insatiable craving, the album creates an otherworldly experience through its combination of moody synths, driving rhythms, and eerie vocal performances.
Formed in Coventry, England, in 1980, Attrition emerged as part of the post-punk and early industrial scenes, heavily influenced by bands like Throbbing Gristle, Cabaret Voltaire, and Joy Division. Martin Bowes, the group’s primary creative force, used Attrition as a vehicle to explore the darker aspects of human emotion and existence, often incorporating philosophical and literary themes.
In the Realm of the Hungry Ghosts marked a maturation of the band’s sound, moving beyond the raw experimentation of their early work into more structured yet still deeply atmospheric territory. The album was released on Third Mind Records, a label known for championing innovative darkwave and industrial acts during the 1980s.
The album features a mix of darkwave, industrial, and ambient elements, with cold, mechanical beats juxtaposed against haunting melodies and layered synth textures. Bowes’ production employs loops, sampled voices, and atmospheric effects to create a sense of unease and introspection. The vocals, often shared between Bowes and guest singers, oscillate between whispers, chants, and dramatic spoken-word passages, adding to the album’s unsettling and surreal quality.
Tracks on the album often shift between rhythmic, almost danceable beats and disorienting soundscapes, reflecting the tension between control and chaos that defines much of Attrition’s music.
Track Highlights
Which Hand?
Opening the album with hypnotic rhythms and layered vocal effects, this track sets the tone with its dark and meditative energy.
Dreamsleep
One of the album’s most melodic tracks, it features a ghostly refrain and lush synth arrangements that create a dreamlike, almost ethereal quality.
Marianne’s Dream
A chilling track with whispered vocals and eerie synth drones, evoking a sense of fragmented memory and surrealism.
The title In the Realm of the Hungry Ghosts references a concept from Buddhist cosmology, symbolizing beings trapped by insatiable desires and unfulfilled needs. This theme of existential craving permeates the album, with tracks evoking feelings of longing, alienation, and introspection. The music’s unsettling soundscapes and surreal lyrics mirror the psychological and spiritual struggles associated with this realm.
Attrition uses sound as a means of exploring the darker aspects of the human psyche, creating an immersive experience that is both challenging and cathartic. The album’s balance of beauty and dissonance reflects the duality of light and darkness within the human condition.
Upon its release, In the Realm of the Hungry Ghosts was hailed as a significant contribution to the darkwave and industrial scenes, earning the band a loyal following. Critics praised the album for its innovative production, atmospheric depth, and emotional intensity. It solidified Attrition’s reputation as pioneers in the genre and remains one of their most celebrated works.
The album’s influence can be seen in subsequent generations of dark electronic and experimental artists, with its blend of mood-driven soundscapes and rhythmic structures paving the way for later developments in industrial and gothic music.
In the Realm of the Hungry Ghosts is a testament to the creative possibilities of electronic music in the 1980s, when artists like Attrition were pushing the boundaries of what could be achieved with synthesizers, samplers, and experimental production techniques. The album also exemplifies how underground music can tackle profound philosophical and psychological themes, bridging art and introspection.
Attrition’s work, and this album in particular, has been influential in shaping the aesthetic and sonic palette of the darkwave and industrial scenes, inspiring both contemporaries and future acts.
In the Realm of the Hungry Ghosts is a haunting and evocative journey into the depths of the human psyche, showcasing Attrition’s mastery of darkwave and industrial music. Its innovative use of electronic textures, layered compositions, and thematic depth make it a landmark album in the genre and an essential listen for fans of experimental and atmospheric music. Whether experienced as a meditation on existential longing or as an immersive sonic landscape, the album continues to captivate listeners and affirm its place in the pantheon of dark electronic music.
Archive material 1982-1986
Brand new, never played and still in the factory plastic sealed
Track Listing
Vigil
Into The Waves
In Your Hand
Surge And Run
Marianne’s Dream
Dreamsleep
The Last Refuge
The Beginning Of The End
Questions
Which Hand?
A Forgotten Dream
Adam And Eva
