LAST COPY!

One likely wouldn't assume that HEXETH, with its science-fiction narrative and complex mythology, is actually the most personal of the unbelievably prolific Comte Bergaby's many projects. However, the practice of using storytelling as a way to process one's own experiences has existed for almost as long as people have been telling stories. HEXETH falls squarely within that tradition - the ongoing saga of the monster known as the Hexeth is actually a subtly layered allegory for some of his own struggles, born out of a particularly dark time of his life.

The single-song, nearly 25-minute long The Hexeth is the fifth chapter of this continuing tale. In it, Bergaby takes a step back from chronicling the Hexeth's journey across the galaxy and instead presents something more akin to an in-depth character study, wherein he fleshes out both the physical and psychological makeup of the project's titular beast. In a basic sense, the Hexeth represents the negative forces that gain sustenance by feeding on people's spiritual and creative energy: things like anxiety, depression, OCD, ADHD. The Hexeth is the monster's sustained, anguished wail – like Shakespeare's Caliban, freed from the island of The Tempest and let loose to vent his sorrow and rage across the frozen expanses of the cosmos.

Musically, The Hexeth unfolds in dissonant waves. Each turbid riff represents another part of the creature’s tormented psyche, each voice another fracture in its loathsome mind. At times, it's almost suffocating – a musical simulacrum of trying to breathe in the vacuum of space. However, contrary to the assertion made in the tag line to a certain film, it will be possible to hear both yourself and the Hexeth scream.