Spite Cathedral – The Rag Doll Transition (Aural Films)

Label Description:

IN HIS NEW RELEASE, ‘’THE RAG DOLL TRANSITION’’, SPITE CATHEDRAL TAKES LISTENERS ON AN IMAGINATIVE JOURNEY THAT IS BOTH EMOTIONALLY EVOCATIVE AND SONICALLY ADVENTUROUS. SPANNING AN IMPRESSIVE 70 MINUTES, THE ALBUM SERVES AS AN AURAL SOUNDTRACK FOR A BLUE- HAIRED DOLL, WHO UNDERGOES THE TRANSFORMATIVE EXPERIENCE OF BECOMING HUMAN, GRAPPLING WITH THE WHIRLWIND OF NEW EMOTIONS THAT COME WITH IT. THE CONCEPT ALONE IS ENOUGH TO PIQUE CURIOSITY, BUT SPITE CATHEDRAL’S EXECUTION SOLIDIFIES HIS PLACE AS A MASTER OF GENRE-BENDING ARTISTRY.

THE ALBUM KICKS OFF WITH THE MELODIC MINIMALISTIC ‘’THE RAG DOLL TRANSITION THEME (INTRO)’’, SETTING A THEATRICAL TONE THAT PREPARES THE LISTENER FOR THE EMOTIONAL DEPTHS TO COME. FROM HERE, ‘’THE RAG DOLL TRANSITION’’ SEAMLESSLY BLENDS A VARIETY OF STYLES—INDUSTRIAL TEXTURES CLASH WITH ABSTRACT AMBIENT SOUNDSCAPES, EACH TRACK PUSHING THE EMOTIONAL ENVELOPE. IN “CHANCE MEETING,” HIS PAST IN ROCK BANDS AND SHOEGAZE INFLUENCES UNVEILS WITH LAYERED GUITARS THAT EVOKE NOSTALGIA, SKILLFULLY EXPRESSING THE WONDER AND TREPIDATION OF FIRST ENCOUNTERS IN THIS NEW HUMAN EXPERIENCE.

THE TRACK “I’M NOT YOUR DOLL” SHOWCASES SPITE CATHEDRAL’S INNOVATIVE USE OF THEMATIC 80’S SYNTHWAVE, PERFECTLY ENCAPSULATING THE STRUGGLE FOR IDENTITY AND AUTONOMY. IT’S A STANDOUT MOMENT, EMBODYING THE DOLL’S QUEST FOR EQUALITY AND SELF-DEFINITION AGAINST A BACKDROP OF PULSATING SYNTHS. CONVERSELY, “AT THE JAZZ CLUB” DELIVERS ANOTHER EERIE TWIST WITH IT’S MUSIQUE CONCRETE AND FREE JAZZ INFLUENCES, CREATING AN ATMOSPHERE OF SPONTANEITY THAT MIRRORS THE UNPREDICTABILITY OF EMOTION.

EACH TRACK FEELS LIKE A SNAPSHOT OF THE DOLL’S TRANSFORMATIVE JOURNEY— ‘’SOMBRE’’ BRINGS A SENSE OF WONDER WITH IT’S STRANGE EMOTIONAL SINGING THAT SOUNDS LIKE IT’S COMING FROM THE DOLL!!? , WHILE “PEEL IT JIM” LEANS INTO SADDER, MORE INTROSPECTIVE TERRITORIES. THE MORE ABSTRACT PIECES, SUCH AS “OUTWARDS! OUTWARDS!” AND “I HAD THE STRANGEST OF FEELINGS,” INVITE LISTENERS TO EXPLORE COMPLEX EMOTIONAL LANDSCAPES, ACCENTUATED BY INTRICATE SOUND DESIGN THAT SPINS A WEB OF TENSION AND RELIEF.

AS THE ALBUM PROGRESSES, TRACKS LIKE “A VAGUE MEMORY”, ‘‘EXASPERATION’’ AND “HONEY” ARE EVOCATIVE OF THE HIGHS AND LOWS THAT COME WITH THE TERRITORY OF NEWFOUND AWARENESS, EACH NOTE CAREFULLY CRAFTED TO ELICIT A VISCERAL RESPONSE. THE PENULTIMATE TRACK, INWARDS…,” CONFRONTS THE LISTENER WITH AN OTHERWORDLY ATMOSPHERE AND A FRAGMENTED MELODY LINE THAT EMBODIES THE DOLL’S DETERMINED STRIDE TOWARD SELF- DISCOVERY.

THE FINALE, “THE RAG DOLL TRANSITION THEME (OUTRO),” BRINGS THE JOURNEY FULL CIRCLE, ENCAPSULATING THE STORY WITH A NEW TAKE OF THE OPENING THEME.

IN SUMMARY, ‘’THE RAG DOLL TRANSITION’’ IS MORE THAN JUST AN ALBUM; IT’S AN IMMERSIVE EXPERIENCE THAT SHOWCASES SPITE CATHEDRAL’S UNPARALLELED ABILITY TO WEAVE INTRICATE NARRATIVES WITHIN HIS SOUND. WITH HIS MIX OF STYLES HE HAS CRAFTED A COMPELLING SOUNDTRACK THAT RESONATES ON BOTH EMOTIONAL AND AUDITORY LEVELS. THIS IS AN ALBUM THAT DEMANDS YOUR ATTENTION AND WARRANTS REPEATED LISTENS—AN EXPLORATION OF IDENTITY THAT WILL LEAVE LISTENERS REFLECTING ON THEIR OWN TRANSITIONS LONG AFTER IT CONCLUDES.

credits

released February 14, 2025

COMPOSITIONS BY DAN STIELOW MORTAZAVI.
RECORDED AT MAN-MADE WALLS, SWEDEN JANUARY 2025.
MASTERED BY TYST FÖR FAN, JAG HÖR INTE.
ARTWORK BY ALIEN INK.
ARTIST BIO.

Spite Cathedral is Dan Stielow Mortazavi’s main project.
He has been producing music since his teenage years and his very first recordings that was released in the early eighties as a DIY cassette of 50 copies and was released on vinyl three decades later on the Dark Entries label.

DSM is a diverse artist working with visuals and wide range of music projects either alone or with other artists in projects such as Suspended In Gaffa, Our Mothers Meds, I Wish I Could Speak Your Language, Atish Pare, Ism and ATE23 to name a few. He also done remixes for labels like Ant-Zen and Insatiable Society. He has played numerous venues and clubs through the years and played at Denmarks Roskilde Festival both as a preforming artist and as a DJ.
spitecathedral.bandcamp.com

© 2025 DAN STIELOW MORTAZAVI. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

Aural Films is an online record label (netlabel) that releases high-quality soundtrack albums for movies that do not exist. We cover a wide range of music styles ranging from ambient to experimental to popular to soundtrack musics. Often on the same albums. You can find our complete catalog of releases online at AuralFilms.com

Aural Films Catalog No. AF0447

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