| CD REVIEW Human Temple |
|
|
Band : Ihsahn This isn't really my forte, musically speaking, but I cannot help but be blown away by this work of art from Vegard Sverre Tveitan (Emperor) alias Ihsahn. A magnum opus. I admit After is truly a journey that, I think, can be viewed in many lights and on many levels to be interpreted by the listener; each person hearing what is relevant to them individually. Commencing with the monumentally fantastic up-tempo Dream Theater/ Nevermore-like opener "The barren lands", this song flows, achieving a magnificent mixture of extremely high velocity aggression with slower, more sedate passages, though with the former dominating the latter. While I am not the biggest black metal fan out there, I do occasionally enjoy dying through this genre's music style and listening to blackened wails of anguish, crushed beneath sinister black metal riffs and detonating blast beats. “A grave inversed” is really top notch stuff, while still bringing some interesting ideas into the traditional black metal sound, which makes it all the more enjoyable to listen to. The songs, while always retaining an idea of accessibility, are still full of ideas that make you discover new elements every time you listen to them. The production is glass clear and full of necessary punch, giving equal amounts of space to the searing guitar, the atmospheric synths and the driving rhythm section. After actually is centered around a few truly spectacular songs, one which happens to be the title track. Fluid like absynthe, mesmerizing in its chorus and deadly in its verses. The four strings is a constant flavor with jazz chords to add a neat dimension There's effective use of saxophone, courtesy by Jurgen Munkeby, usually during the slower epic sections, whereas all the rest of the album is guitar-based. Words seem to fail when attempting to describe “The undercurrent”. Everything fits here; everything has a purpose, and the musicianship found in this very epic majestic song is truly remarkable. The wonderful and enchanting sax melody of the last song “On the shores” gives the song the final push into the land of Viking gods. Epic, dramatic, mad, ingenious, mysterious, jazzy and gloomy are all words that help describe this unique piece of thrilling art. 97/100 Cosmicmasseur.
|
