Recently the review of “Mythopia - the 7 inch remix album” appeared here, in which the songs were given a certain accessibility and Hybryds gave the ‘heavenly voices' genre a second breath. But Hybryds is much more than that, shortly after these remixes it is now time for the brand new album “I Am The Eye Of Horus”, a concept album whereon which the Egyptian book of the dead, a book in which the journey of the dead through the underworld (not to be confused with the Catholic hell) is the main source of inspiration. All the lyrics are taken from this book and the music is of the darker kind, esoteric and rather dark ambient with the occasional ritual outburst in while the voice of Madeline Arndt stand out.
Sometimes whispering (“Heil Rha”), then again ritualistically raving (“I Walk The Darkness With You”) as if she were the personification of our travel guide. The music here serves the atmosphere, of course the glue is electronics but also the piano (on “Barke” for example) and various percussion instruments as well as the bass bow are in the foreground. The orchestration is rather minimal but that is exactly why this album gains strength, even though a rather quiet yet also ominous and mysterious atmosphere blows through this album, where the rhythm, for example on “Isis”, forms the threat.
Magthea (alias inspirer Sandy Nys), Madeline Arndt and Traumasutra (alias Peter De Koning) are responsible for this journey on 13 songs, a journey that sometimes flows quietly, atmospherically dreamy to threatening (“The Setting Of The Sun”, “An-Heri-Ertista” or “Not Letting The Heart”’) but at the end on “The Attacks Of Violence” still manages to provide the necessary distortion and thus also confusion.
This album ends with a ‘big beatmix’ version of the title track “The Eye Of Horus” that protected us on this trip through ancient, mythological and magical Egypt. Due to the electronic rhythm and rather melodic musical accompaniment, this is the track you best listen to first, and then listen to each track in reverse order of the tracklist, ending cradled in the arms of the dark “Heliopolios”, the city of the sun, although here it is behind a thick cloud cover. In other words, with this new “I Am The Eye Of Horus” from established Hybryds, active since 1985, you can add colour to your journey through the magic of ancient Egypt, wonder is your portion, a wealth of magic, sound and atmosphere. Unique and successful in its magical ambient design.