Mockingwyrd. Not much is known about him/her/them (?) thus far, except vague credits on a number of Finnish experimental releases (often by other Some Place Else artists, such as Ovro and Niko Skorpio). It is rumoured that Mockingwyrd is also a bass player in several doom & thrash metal, jazz and experimental groups. Shadowy names like Kaaos in Eccentris, Typhon Sleeps Heavily and Rytannia are repeatedly whispered among the gossip. Reportedly a mysterious bass wizard participating in a recent show by dark-ambient-experimental artist Cosine Nomine was also identified as Mockingwyrd.

Sceptics maintain Mockingwyrd is just another pen-name of a Some Place Else-related artist. Some others claim he's an extra-terrestrial entity from Aldebaran and worship him as god of the new aeon. Some Place Else representatives dismiss both of these claims as nonsense, but what do you know? Who do you believe?

Nevertheless, Cracks in the Void is an EP, to our knowledge the debut, by Mockingwyrd. It contains two tracks recorded ”in the void”, employing a bass guitar with a carefully selected pile of effects. These two tracks create a narrow yet spacious interzone, a one-off meeting point of low-frequency drones and sparse yet delicate melodies. Press play, slip in and enjoy your brief escape from daily routines.

Cracks in the Void comes as 3"CDR in mini-dvd-box with artwork designed by Niko Skorpio. Limited edition of 150 copies.

Reviews

“This damn thing broke in half while I was trying to take it out of its case today, but I’ve got some notes on it, so they’ll have to do. Mockingwyrd is a Finnish unit, probably comprised of a solo bassist who produces a great kind of Earth-devolved form-massiveness. Cracks in the Void is a bit more pro-active and far less static than some of the other great drone monsters, but it’s still a beautiful rumble of lower end sonic disruption, and you can take that to the bank.” (The Wire)

“Both tracks are made entirely from bass guitar, so obviously a lot of effects and processing was used in the creation of this music. The first track, titled Primordial Soup starts with a droning bass riff that is subtly processed as it stretches across the spectrum. Soft, almost silent static drifts in and out at various points in the track. The ominous droning of the bass in certain parts makes me think of Sunn O))) although the resembles ends there. Once it gets into the three minute range, although the droning continues, there is some actual strumming of several notes (or maybe just a few with a lot of delay, I’m not completely sure here) which prevents the track from seeming like its doing the same thing over and over.
The album’s second track, Stirrings of Life starts out more intense than the first with a distorted bass rumbling away at you. Once the minute mark comes, heavy droning sets in and I was beginning to fear that the track was going to slip into a repetitive state. However at almost 3 minutes in a blast of noise assaulted my ears then as suddenly as it came, it leaves but not without trailing back every so often for another attack on our ears.
Overall, I think that both these pieces are well done and would hit home with fans of darker ambient music and the so-called “drone doom” scene. I enjoyed both pieces but in certain parts they seemed to drag on for me.” (Connexion Bizarre)

“Two long tracks of deep bass howl that go straight in the darker chambers of your brain. Highly atmospheric, despite the fact that it’s all improvised. The effects seem to be there to make some spacious sounds, which succeed rather well.” (Vital Weekly)

“Hearing the first notes of this little CD I enthusiastically jump out of my chair. This is how a bass should sound like and I had to think about better days when I was young and innocent listening bands like Big Black and Melvins. The sound is massive and a punch in the face. It has the “kleng” from Big Black and the heaviness from Melvins. Here all comparisons end. (Although Melvins does make this kind of things as well. Thinking about "Lysol".)
The structure of the two tracks are Abstract but have a great feel and a sparse melody and turns more toward the ambient genre. Low frequency drones are creating a spacious atmosphere like the resonating thunder of a giant meteor missing you at close range. In “stirrings of life” it even get noisy for a while. (…) This is not only for those who like ambient or experimental music but also for those who like a good rocking sound.” (Gothronic)

“The bass roars through the effects beings picked, rubbed and used as a magical wand just to create isolationist landscapes that are capable of catch the attention in no time. Primordial soup and Stirrings of life will fight to find their place into your CD players by winning other boring ones which have tons of cool sounds but without passion... Try it.” (Chain D.L.K.)

“The music is kind of heavy low drone doom stuff played with one distorted bass. It’s rather calm, there’s much echo. The first track plays much three ascending notes. The atmosphere is spacey, pleasant. After that, it turns darker, more anguishing notes arrive and the structure is maybe more difficult to decipher. Biting metallic notes attack leaving a heavy oscillating drone. Notes often let time for echoed vibration to spread and occupy the musical space… We can feel the grain of the sound with slow smooth oscillations. Some tiny noises appear discretely: small cracks. Note that the listener is often surprised by louder notes.
The second track begins with more agitation and sounds more saturated. Then suddenly, an irritating higher pitched metallic noise appears… that appears to be kind of slide on the bass. The atmosphere is less heavy on this track, punctuated only by a few heavy notes. It’s more agitated At around the middle of the track, the same notes are played repeatedly, creating a smooth vibrating side noise. Some slides again before the music repeats this same riff insistently. A kind of ‘thicker grain’ is present on the sound.
I’ve to confess it’s not really the kind of music I appreciate listening to. But, I must admit it has the richness of some other noise project which is not played with the same equipment at all. Many different noises can be perceived, and it’s amazing what a bass, an experienced bassist, some distortion and a good amplifier are able to do. No need something else. Bass is often left aside in many bands, although this instrument has a real potential of creating metallic noises, heavy atmospheres. I let the information on the Some Place Else label explain the rest… But I guess such a release appeals to specialists of drone stuff.” (Heathen Harvest)