Recorded live at Melbourne’s Northcote Social Club, Black Aleph’s performance of “Occultation” strips the composition to its essential elements, offering a sharper, more exposed take on one of their most atmospheric tracks. The Sydney-based trio—Lachlan Dale (guitar and effects), Peter Hollo (processed cello), and Timothy Johannessen (drums)—are known for merging post-metal, drone, and Middle Eastern modal traditions into a sound that balances weight and restraint, often sitting at the intersection of doom, ritual music, and minimalism.

Where the original on Apsides builds atmosphere through dense textures and layering, the live version sharpens the focus: guitar drones, bowed and distorted cello, and restrained percussion unfold at a deliberate pace. Each sound is given space to resonate, shift, and decay—emphasising dynamic tension and the physical presence of the performance.

Black Aleph adapt the piece for the stage—stripping it to its essentials and sharpening its contrasts. It’s a precise, immersive snapshot of the band’s live language: restrained, deliberate, and sonically exacting.

You can stream and get your copy of Apsides—released in October 2024 via Art As Catharsis and featuring the original version of “Occultation”—HERE