Bardo Thodol

In 2026, Japanese noise pioneer Merzbow and Barcelona-based producer Pedro Vian return with their third collaborative album, Bardo Thodol, released via the Modern Obscure Music label. Issued as a two-track LP on limited edition recycled vinyl, the record follows their previous joint explorations, Inside Richard Serra Sculptures and A Wheel on Mani. The title references the Tibetan Book of the Dead, framing the music not as a narrative but as a conceptual passage between states of being. Sonically, the release marks a shift toward more introspective and less confrontational terrain compared to the duo's earlier, more abrasive works. The characteristic friction between Vian’s environmental restraint and Masami Akita’s textural excess dissolves here into a homogeneous, permeable field of sound. Within this dense flow, incidental melodic structures surface as by-products of accumulated frequencies, internalizing the radical gestures of harsh noise into a contemplative mode. The result is a blurring of boundaries between ambient and experimental electronic music, situating the project within a sustained, spiritual atmosphere.