Bleep

‘Dies’ means ‘day', and ‘occidendum’, a word derived from ‘occidendus’, means ‘to be slaughtered'. We’re no Latin scholars, but the archaic title of producer and Cypress Hill turntable wizard DJ Muggs the Black Goat’s third proper solo LP has something of a deathly stench. That’s nothing new for Muggs; his work has always adorned the dark shroud of the reaper, like any hip-hop production for the end times should. As signalled by his new moniker appendage, Dies Occidendum comes off as a crowning achievement of his infernal craft, an illuminated text that seemingly materialises when a forbidden ritual is performed correctly.

True to Muggs’ outsider sensibilities, he employs a wealth of strange sources in concocting Dies Occidendum. ‘Incantation’ is befitting of its title, a trundling beat layered over an eerie sing-song straight out of a horror film, as the skittering rhythms of ‘Subconscious’ and ‘The Chosen One’ unleash chaos with some newfound trap sensibilities. The chiller string samples of ‘Anicca’ and the near-ambient frost of ‘Alaphabet of Desire’ provide the perfect wispy counterweight to ‘Nigrum Mortem’, a heavy slice of psych rock à la Black Sabbath, transformed into a bellowing beast by cavernous jazz drum hits.

Dies Occidendum is a thrilling odyssey of unholiness, and perhaps a shade too creepy to play at a Halloween party.