Roma Amor * s/t (cd 2008)
It is funny how the scene works and I am happy to hear that something new and different pops up every now and then. However, new and different? Roma Amor has a theatrical/cabaretesk sound and there are more bands who experiment with that. Actually there even more bands who have done so in the past. Over ten years ago, the French band Eros Necropsique used it in their gothic rock sound, but did not Nick Cave also do something like that? Anyway, in a scene with “neofolk” and (martial) industrial sounds this may seem a little lightfooted, but since some Hau Ruck! releases no longer, so there is plenty of room for a band such as Roma Amor. This band sounds like it comes from some 1950′ies theatre and even though this may not be exactly my cup of tea, this is nice music to play every now and then when I want something different.
Links: Roma Amor, OEC
I have neglected to properly follow this Dutch project. I do not have the previous album on CMI. Foundation Hope does not really sound like the average CMI act. There is dark ambient, but much more experiment, sometimes with slow orchestration like other CMI acts, but also with distorted/noisy sounds and strange soundscapes. I have heard this album a few times by now and I cannot say that I completely adore it, but it sounds interesting nonetheless. It is something different in the dark ambient and soundscapes field for sure.
I have not really followed Arditi. I remember that they sounded like Puissance when the name changed and however that might not be boring, it is not the kind of music that I listen to a lot. Actually expecting still a pompous orchestral industrial sound, I listened to “Omne Ensis Impera”, but the sound has gone much more in the neoclassical direction. Arditi still sounds quite bombastic at times, but nothing like the old days; the orchestral violence is replaced for well structured dark orchestral music. There may be drumming and marchdrums, but this does not sound like your average martial industrial project. “Omne Ensis Impera” might not be a masterpiece, but I am positively surprised by the new direction of Arditi and I will listen to this album a few times for before I make my final decision. For the moment I rate this album thus:
I was just wondering if Arcana would finally have found a way up or kept doing the same thing. They kept doing the same thing… “Raspail” is another soft orchestral release and Peter seems to keep trying to sound like Brendan Perry (and the music reminds of Dead Can Dance too too often). The first tracks are the most interesting, but after a while Arcana starts sounding like themselves again too much. “Raspail” is not a bad album, but it simply does not work for me anymore.
With each new release of ACOH I ask myself whether or not I have to buy it. Most of the older material did not survive the years and most newer material is not too good. I am afraid that for “No Way Out” the same goes. Steinklang says that this release presents a new side of the project “the album would be best described as a pure Neo(Pop)Folk album with many Neoclassical and some Martial elements”. Well, the sound has changed a bit indeed. There seem to be some wave influences and more poppy drumming, but “many neoclassical and some martial elements”? I am afraid that I have to describe the sound and softly poppy and slighly cheesy and however I admire Peter for again leaving the obvious path, his musical taste (or efforts) drift away from mine.
My reviews of the previous two Triarii albums are very critical and it would be easy to be the same about this new one. “Muse In Arms” sounds like it has been recorded during the same sessions as “Pièce Héroique” (2006), it sounds almost completely the same. I have never given Triarii points for originality, he tends to either sound like other projects or like himself, but you know what?, from the vast stream of bombastic industrial and martial music, it is only Triarii that I still put in the player every now and then. The previous albums are more consistent in sound and level of quality than for example Sophia or Karjalan Sissit and the style has better survived the years than Wappenbund or A Challenge of Honour. “Muse In Arms” is again built of sampled classical music and opera, layered with martial drumming, making a bombastic piece of orchestal and martial music. With vocals here and there, simple but effective melodies, Triarii manages to work on my mood. A magnificent track such as “Europa” (are the lyrics as dubious as I think to hear?) will most likely still “make me go whoo” in a couple of years. Even when the martial orchestral sound is almost dead and I rarely play it these days, “Muse In Arms” is a good album to ‘relive old times’ every now and then. A sound (and lyrics?) that will disturb some people, but who gives a damn? I don’t know if Triarii has a message and actually I don’t care, the music makes me feel glorious and victorious just like many years ago a few industrial projects managed to do. Again perhaps not the most original album, but a great one and highly suggested to people who want to get a great new piece of martial music.
The five last albums (or so) were all the last release of Der Blutharsch, but new releases kept coming. “Everything Is Alright” is just like “Rest On Your Arms Reversed”, the last cd of The Moon Lay Hidden Beneath A Cloud, a cd with collected rare tracks from limited vinyls and compilations, so who knows. “Rest On Your Arms Reversed” is the best cd of TMLHBAC. The same is not the case for “Everything Is Alright” for Der Blutharsch, but I must say that this collection is very, very enjoyable. I have quite a few of the limited vinyls, so I already had several of the tracks presented here, but I seldom play 7″s, so it is nice to be able to play them easily now. “Everything Is Alright” goes from about “Time Is Thee Enemy” to the present day, so do not expect the martial industrial old style Der Blutharsch, but the catchy poprock side of later days. Many people may think that Der Blutharsch has “lost its magic” when it stepped away from the popular martial style, I must say that I play the later ‘rocky’ albums much more often than the older material and “Everything Is Alright” may not be a “best of” compilation, it is an album that listens easily and can be played even when you have visitors. A nice collection of poprock songs.
Many years ago it was Orplid that introduced me to the musical style called “neofolk”. Their untitled debut remains the best album in this style with its not too typical sound. Orplid kept making masterpieces and when my interest in neofolk started to wane, Orplid started to change their style. However their albums never blew me away like the debut anymore and I had to get used to them as well, they definately made the better music from the scene. The style of today is hard to describe, but when you know have followed Orplid too, you will not be too surprised by “Greifenherz”. Its sound comes natural after “Sterbender Satyr” (2006), but there are some electric guitars, some darker electronics and a bit more “Barbarossa” atmosphere, but the result is a mostly tranquil album with very nice songs. Just as on the previous album there are some distinctive female vocals that I do not really like and some tracks are not really my taste (yet?), but musically Orplid is a lot better than most bands from the scene. By lack of a better tag, I used “neofolk” for the navigational cabin to put this album in, but “Greifenherz” goes from neofolk, to atmospheric ambient music, rocky tracks, wavy influences to spoken word.
I thought that I already had something of this Dutch project somewhere, but maybe not. The label describes this release as “dark industrial soundscapes”, but description is way off in my opinion. KK makes strange industrial noise music. Sometimes it is a bit technoish, sometimes a bit punky, sometimes more digicore, but always industrial noise. There are ‘vocals’ which gives this release something extra, especially because the ‘lyrics’ are in Dutch. KK uses a bit too many high frequencies for my poor ears. KK has a sound that I have not heard so far. Unfortunately KK not only seems to have the need to shock musically, but also thematically. I don’t like the projects name or several of the titles of releases and tracks. Not that I get shocked or something, but I don’t see the use of naming a project “Christus cunt”, or a release “offering whore”. Anyway, the lyrics on this album seem to have been taken from the Bible or so and the weird extreme kind of industrial music is at times very good, so I guess I have to forgive the young man (?) for the rest.
Bone Structure is a label from the French part of Belgium and very active in releasing tiny edition cdrs, apparently most in DVD cases. This compilation comes in only 50 copies and shows the more noisy side of the label. When you have a look at the ‘website’ of the label, you might get the idea that this is some kind of metal label. The band logos look like death metal logos, there is a fascination with gory horror, satanic artwork and titles. The description of the music is as varried as “rhythmic assault of unfriendly ambient soundscapes”, “industrial doom”, “death ambient and old school industrial sounds” to “cyberblasting and grim blackish noise mayhem” and “badass noise” (and indeed, also some metal). All very interesting, so I decided to try two compilations to get a taste of the label. “2008 Maniacs” opens very noisy, but lateron there are more soundscapish tracks, not devoid of noise. There is also complete noise overkill though (Toby Dammit). When track 8 sets in, things finally start to become really interesting and indeed, this is the Dutch project Dead.Circuit. This track sounds nothing like the Propergol-like