COPH NIA
THAT WHICH REMAINS
ALBUM COLD MEAT INDUSTRY RELEASE: SEPTEMBER 4, 2000 REVIEW: NOVEMBER 30, 2000

Like all the classical Cold Meat Industry releases, "That Which Remains" evokes a primal, dark place of horrors, something similar to the torture realms accidentally opened by the unfortunate characters in the "Hellraiser" films. Coph Nia is not doing the medieval angst trip, choosing instead to focus on occultism in general and quoting long stretches of Aleister Crowley. The name Coph Nia in itself is a reference to a Crowleyan symbol of power, and obviously the Swede behind the imaginative name Aldenon Satorial is a disciple.
Chanting in Latin and slow drones further establish Coph Nia as a kind of "best of"-band in the softer, less industrial Cold Meat-tradition. Like the works of Arcana and Ordo Rosarius Equilibrio, "That Which Remains" is a slow, lingering thing, demanding patience and attention unless you're just using it as a background piece for some role-playing session. Now and then, the sounds fade into practically nothingness and stay that way for quite some time. The dark worlds of these so-called nordambient bands get tedious with overconsumption, but in moderate doses, it can be evocative and just a little scary.
On "Our Lady of the Stars", the mood suddenly turns triumphant with powerful female vocals chasing the night away. The diversity of "That Which Remains" is Coph Nia's strong point. In an often-predictable musical area, it contains some refreshingly unfamiliar elements thrown together. I could do without the "do what thou wilt" stuff, though. I suspect everyone who listens to this kind of music keeps Crowley's "The Book of the Law" under her pillow anyway.

MATTIAS HUSS