CANAAN - "Unsaid Words" reviews

[Emi]

from NOCTURNALHALL

http://www.nocturnalhall.com/reviews/C/canaan_unsaidwords_e.htm

Some people around you are always fast-paced and the job causes stress on you once again? No problem, Italian band CANAAN has got the right anti-stress-program for you!
Gently, nearly dreamy the convenient songs like This World Of Mine flow ahead, musically close to newer Tiamat sounds. Singer Mauro’s voice is similar to the one of Johan Edlund, has got intensive volume and transports a lot of comfortable emotions. Up to now, CANAAN’s musical development has passed me by nearly traceless, I hardly can remember the last album A Calling To Weakness. There are no big changes in style and that’s really good. Some interludes remind me of soundtracks, they make clear that CANAAN is extraordinary; the album’s title seems to have a deeper meaning. During the whole playing time, calm passages and pauses are given clearance – the motto seems to be: one word less is better than ten too much. The vocal performance can totally satisfy me, for instance the atmospheric refrain of The Possible Nowheres is really felicitous. The lyrics are also interesting, partly recited in Italian language – and the speech melody fits the dark coloured lyrical sentiments perfectly.
In the beginning, I had my problems with The Unsaid Words, on the surface the album seems to spread too calm and homogenous, nearly monotonous feelings; but when listening more concentrated (phones are a good idea!), this impression changes and multidimensional acoustic landscapes are opened. Sometimes the instrumentation is spartanic and reduced to the musical skeleton, but that’s the reason why songs like Fragments #1 develop a certain charm. The whole thing has nothing got to do with Metal - doom, dark and depressive rock is predominant and so the band’s slogan does not astonish: “Nothing, Never, Nowhere…” The Unsaid Words is definitely music for relaxation – and we all need this in between!

 

[Emi]

from LEGACY MAGAZINE

CANAAN „The Unsaid Words“
(Eibon/Aural/SPV)
Vier stille, lange Jahre… Manch einer wird gehöhnt haben, CANAAN hätten in der Zeit, die sie seit „A Calling To Weakness“ unbeachtet, aber nicht unbedarft verweilt sind, die letzte Konsequenz aus ihrer absoluten, zur künstlerischen Maxime, zum Image erhobenen Negativität gezogen, sich den Strick, die Klinge, das Gift genommen, um dem Elend ein Ende zu bereiten. Zwar dürfte es ihnen selbst wenig bewusst gewesen sein, ihr Schaffen stand indes an der Schwelle, sich zu überholen. Die Jahre in Klausur machen also Sinn, haben gar in einer für die Italiener neuen künstlerischen Methode gemündet: die Kunst der planvollen Dekonstruktion. CANAAN verstehen darunter eine Art Puzzlespiel, das erlaubt, bereits Aufgenommenes wieder und wieder zu zerlegen, in anderer Zusammenstellung auferstehen zu lassen, bis, ja bis ­ das Resultat im Grunde genauso klingt, wie die eher herkömmlich entstandenen, sich in einer Schönheit von absoluter Hoffnungslosigkeit verzehrenden, vorangegangenen Werke. Dass ihnen während dieses Prozesses allerdings das Wogende, das Fließende zugunsten mitunter punktgenau gesetzter und damit vorhersehbarer Gänsehaut-Refrains verlustig gegangen ist, wird man unter Kollateralschaden verbuchen müssen. Zumal mit ‚The Possible Nowheres’, ,Senza Una Risposta’, ,Never Again’ und vor allem ,Nothing Left (To Share)’ gleich mehrere besonders einnehmende Perlen ihren Weg auf „The Unsaid Words“ gefunden haben. Preisen muss man dort ihre Fähigkeit zum Stillleben, zur Monotonie, dazu, sich Zeit für Atmosphäre zu nehmen, sich auf die genau richtigen Bands zu beziehen. Während nämlich die erwähnten, strukturell traditionellen Stücke etwa an The Cure oder Seigmen denken lassen, hallt in den obligaten Ambient-Passagen eine tiefe Verwandtschaft zu Caul und Ordeal nach. Man darf aber nicht verwechseln: CANAAN haben ihren Stil längst gefunden, sich ihre Individualität in jeder Schaffensphase erhalten. Dass es denn (wieder) der sanfte, resignierte, phlegmatische Gesang ­ Mauro Berchi teilt ihn sich diesmal mit Colloquios Gianni ­, die breit, aber feinsinnig arrangierten Keyboards, der warme Gitarrensound sind, die eine Lanze für „The Unsaid Words“ brechen ­ man hätte es sich denken können! (MT)
12 Punkte

 

[Emi]

TOP ALBUM on METAL SHOCK MAGAZINE

10/10

Aspettavo questo momento da più di tre anni, ma fossero stati anche venti ne sarebbe valsa la pena comunque. Il precedente ‘A Calling To Weakness’, uscito in conclusione del 2002, per mesi monopolizzò il mio stereo impedendomi di ascoltare altro per settimane e settimane. Superfluo ribadire che a mio giudizio fu il più bel disco di quell’anno, nonché la consacrazione del nome Canaan che già aveva raggiunto vette altissime in episodi come ‘Walk Into My Open Womb’ e ‘Brand New Babylon’. Da allora nessun altro di quelli che hanno qualcosa a che fare anche alla lontanissima con il genere trattato su queste pagine (ricordo che i Canaan nascono dalle ceneri dei Ras Algethi, gruppo dark/doom che dopo un demo pubblicò il suo unico magnifico disco ‘Oneiricon – The White Hypnotic’ sotto Wounded Love Records) è riuscito a cantare il dolore, la rassegnazione e il senso di inadeguatezza con la stessa efficacia. Eppure, in apparenza, la ricetta era estremamente semplice: brani di dark-rock dilatatissimo separati da interludi dark ambient. In teoria, sarebbe alla portata di molti. Tuttavia a fare la differenza è, una volta di più, il fattore umano. L’anima dei Canaan è infatti un personaggio come ne sono rimasti pochi, in questa “scena” sempre più patetica dove le proposte sincere e autentiche si contano sulle dita di una mano. Purtroppo lo spazio è tiranno per esprimere tutta la mia ammirazione verso un uomo come Mauro Berchi, leader della band, artista a tutto tondo e capo della Eibon Records, etichetta indipendente che porta avanti un discorso coraggioso dando spazio a eccellenti realtà underground. Label piccola, ma in grado di produrre alcuni dei migliori dischi degli ultimi anni, come il citato ‘A Calling To Weakness’, ‘Metamorphogenesis’ degli Esoteric, ‘Va Tutto Bene’ dei Colloquio (che Cortesi definì ‘raggelante pop-wave’) e altri capolavori power-electronics ed ambient. Ma il principale merito di Berchi è quello di essere uno vero, uno che incarna la disillusione con una dignità fuori dal comune e che in tutte le interviste dice sempre e solo quello che pensa, senza nessun boss di casa discografica che ne tiri i fili. Ed è proprio per questo che mi pento di aver anche soltanto temuto che questo album potesse deludermi, visto che il compito di non far rimpiangere ‘A Calling To Weakness’ era in apparenza assolutamente impossibile. Molti avrebbero fallito, ma per i Canaan fallire è impossibile, perché si limitano ad essere sé stessi; se mai un giorno ci deluderanno probabilmente sarà a causa di un tentativo di apparire diversi da quello che sono. Ancora una volta hanno fatto quello che dovrebbero fare tutti i musicisti degni di questo nome: lavorare sul loro sound e migliorarlo lasciandolo riconoscibile. La base di ‘The Unsaid Words’ è infatti ancora un dark-rock malinconico, dilatato e struggente (con qualche reminescenza wave), ma i brani strumentali ambient e dark ambient (fino ad oggi considerabili alla stregua di collegamenti tra due pezzi cantati) assumono finalmente una fisionomia compiuta, grazie all’incredibile potenza evocativa e allo sviluppo di idee in passato soltanto accennate che li arricchiscono, come efficaci inserti di voci femminili, archi, squarci noise e altro ancora. Anche negli episodi dark-rock si notano sforzi (andati a buon fine) per migliorarsi, in particolare il cantato di Mauro sembra più vario che in passato, mentre per fortuna l’ispirazione del gruppo è rimasta quella di sempre, e tanto basta per parlare nuovamente di capolavoro. Memorabili ancora una volta le canzoni in italiano (con Gianni dei Colloquio alla voce), in particolare è impossibile trattenere le lacrime in ‘Senza Una Risposta’, che si candida a miglior pezzo dell’anno grazie anche ad un testo eccellente. Forse è vero che, come ci ricorda lo stesso Berchi, le parole, quelle vere, quelle importanti, restano sempre non dette. Ma c’è chi queste parole è riuscito a metterle in musica. Il 2006 è appena iniziato ma uno dei migliori 10 dischi dell’anno già è uscito. Resta solo da vedere se sarà il primo.(fs)

 

[Emi]

from MUSIK TERRORVERLAG

http://www.musik.terrorverlag.de/musik/index_single_frame.php?select_cd=3385&kategorie=metal

"The unsaid words" markiert bereits das fünfte Album der italienischen Düster-Formation CANAAN, und auch hierauf beschreitet das Quintett konsequent den von ihm auserkorenen Weg des Schwermutes und der Melancholie, getreu den drei selbst ausgegebenen Fixpunkten im CANAAN-Universum, die da lauten: "NOTHING. NEVER. NOWHERE."

Im einzelnen wechseln sich bei den 16 neuen Stücken wie gewohnt traditionell mit Gitarre, Bass, Schlagzeug und Keyboard instrumentierte Songs, die im weitesten Sinne als emotionaler Dark Rock zu beschreiben sind, sowie experimentelle Ambient-Kompositionen ab, bei denen neben den obligatorischen Dronen diesmal wahlweise auch etwa sakrale Chöre oder Streicher-Passagen zum Einsatz kommen, und die sowohl einen gelungenen Kontrast als auch ein Bindeglied für die bzw. zu den "regulären" Stücken bilden. Diese wiederum wirken auf den ersten Blick etwas unspektakulärer und weniger ergreifend als beispielsweise die heimlichen Hits der Vorgänger-Alben "Brand new Babylon" ("In un cielo di pece", "La simmetria del dolore") und "A calling to weakness" ("Grey", "Un ultimo patetico addio"). Doch der Teufel liegt im Detail und nachdem man sich mit dem vorliegenden Werk etwas ausgiebiger beschäftigt hat, wissen etwa das geschmeidige "This world of mine", das zerbrechliche "In a never fading illusion" oder auch das Titelstück ebenso zu überzeugen. Gerade letzteres bietet diese besonderen Momente auf, bei denen CANAAN aus der sonst überwiegend ruhigen Grundstimmung gelegentlich aus sich herausgehen und vor allem Sänger Mauro seine Stimme etwas erhebt. Eine weitere Besonderheit stellt zudem der Umstand dar, dass besagter Mauro das Mikrophon diesmal für die beiden italienischen Titel "Senza una risposta" und "Il rimpianto" einem gewissen Gianni von seinen Landsleuten COLLOQUIO überlassen hat, der diese beiden verträumten Stücke mit seiner sanften und warmen Stimme veredelt hat.

Auch beim Songwriting für "The unsaid words" hat man neue Wege eingeschlagen und zunächst reduzierte Basisstrukturen der Songs entwickelt, an denen sich dann jedes Bandmember einzeln verwirklichen und Veränderungen oder Ergänzungen vornehmen konnte, bevor die Fragmente dann endgültig zusammengefügt worden sind. Dennoch sind die Tracks aber keineswegs überladen, sondern die jeweiligen Elemente fügen sich zu einem harmonischen Klangkosmos. Durch diese Vorgehensweise erklärt sich auch die Zeitspanne von circa dreieinhalb Jahren zum Vorgänger-Album, die letztlich aber mit gut 71 Minuten Musik doch sehr produktiv und erfreulich genutzt worden ist.
gerrit [pk]

 

[Emi]

from Moving hands

http://www.movinghands.net/reviews/detail.asp?id=1029

“Canaan is an ancient term for a region roughly corresponding to present-day Israel/Palestine including the West Bank, western Jordan, southern and coastal Syria and Lebanon continuing up until the border of modern Turkey.” This is what I found at Wikipedia [dot] com, when I got interested in what the name meant. Canaan is from Italy and according to themselves they play Dark music and sure the music is dark but I would better describe it as Dark Goth Soft Rock Ambient Psychedelic… Ah, what the hell, maybe Dark is a good description anyway. You’ll find 16 tracks and over 71 minutes of this on this record.

All the songs on this album differ a whole lot from each other and it’s only when the band is playing the rock parts you can hear that it’s the same band. I personally like the other parts more as they’re more to the ambient side of music and very experimental. My favourite on this release must be song number eleven “Just Another Noise”, yes it’s guitars and bass on this one too but not in the rock sense but in the ambient noisy sense and it’s great. But lets talk a bit about the more Goth Rock side of Canaan like the song “The Unsaid Words”, it’s slow and beautiful with nice keyboards and all, and it kind of reminds me a bit of older Lacrimosa. The vocalist sings in both English and Italian and he’s a good singer. People into all kinds of music should check this out as long as you’re not afraid of guitars and basses.

 

[Emi]

from LORDS OF METAL

Mijn eerste kennismaking met Canaan was in 2000 met hun album 'Brand New Babylon': dromerige, maar mooie muziek om onderuit gezakt tot rust te komen. Inmiddels blijkt de atmosferische Italiaanse band al toe aan zijn vijfde album. 'The Unsaid Words' straalt wederom berusting, wanhoop en verlatenheid uit, maar geeft anderzijds ook een warm gevoel als je er naar luistert. Als 'A Calling To Weakness' (hun vorig album) een schreeuw van pijn en eenzaamheid was, dan is 'The Unsaid Words' een soundtrack van kennis. Aldus de biografie, die ons ook nog even de drie coördinaten van het Canaan universum mee geeft: niets, nooit, nergens.

Allemaal niet zo opbeurend, als je het mij vraagt. Maar je kan ook gewoon genieten van deze zachte, melancholische klanken die je éénenzeventig minuten meevoeren naar een andere wereld. Want hetgeen de muziek vooral uitdraagt is een onwerelds, bovenaards gevoel. Als je in de juiste stemming bent, hoor je vooral natuurkrachten in deze klanken, versterkt door dromerige zang waarin een aantal zinsneden je meteen zullen opvallen. Dat is dan de puur persoonlijke beleving, geworteld in je eigen perspectief van hoe je de dingen ervaart.

'The Unsaid Words' kwam op een ongewone manier tot stand. Het is belangrijk daar even op in te gaan, omdat het veel zegt over de algemene indruk van dit album. Mauro en Nico hebben een eigen studio gebouwd. Daar werd de basis van de nummers vastgelegd en maandenlang kon ieder van de vijf bandleden daarop gaan improviseren en componeren. Dit leidde tot een enorme hoeveelheid puzzelstukjes muziek. Twee maanden lang werkten Mauro en Nico om van al deze fragmenten echte songs te maken. Dan pas werd de zang opgenomen en de definitieve arrangementen gemaakt. De mix, mastering en uitwerking van het artwork completeerden het geheel. Het is een wonderlijk verhaal dat toch geleid heeft tot een coherent geheel en alleen dat is al het vermelden waard na zoveel gescheiden werk.

De muziek doet me nog het meest aan Pink Floyd denken, voor deze mammoet doorbrak naar wereldsucces. Canaan heeft immers nog de tijd en gelegenheid om experimenteel en psychedelisch bezig te zijn. Als summiere indruk enkele fragmenten uit de tekst die ik neerpende tijdens beluistering: De maan trekt traag voor de zon op weg naar een totale verduistering. Een snerpende viool weerklinkt in de kelder. Een man nipt aan zijn glas ter vertroosting. In de klinische omgeving van het conservatorium horen we lage tonen. Wolken pakken samen boven de Vesuvius. Drums en bas weerklinken, echoënde gitaarklanken en dromerige zang. Borrelende natuurelementen. In de abdij stijgen devote gezangen ten hemel. Weemoedige overpeinzingen in de Italiaanse taal. We bezoeken een duistere kathedraal die het wel en wee van de inwoners onder zijn heilige gewelven verborgen houdt. Boven de toren, die naar God reikt, pakken zich donkere wolken samen. Het schouwspel van de natuur is zonder weerga. De totale eenzaamheid maakt zich van ons meester. De Vesuvius stopt met het uitbraken van zwavelwolken. Eens te meer is de mensheid op het nippertje aan een catastrofe ontsnapt. De volle maan is getuige van het tot rust komen van deze oerkracht. Koel en berekend werpt zij haar vaalwit licht op onze nietigheid. Inspirerend? Ja. Mooi? Zeker. Rustig? Reken maar. Metal? Què?

Score 87/100 (toelichting)

 

[Emi]

from LORDS OF METAL

(same review in english)

My first encounter with Canaan happened in 2000 with their album 'Brand New Babylon': dreamy and beautiful music to sit back and relax. In the meantime the atmospheric Italian band has made its fifth album. 'The Unsaid Words' emits anew resignation, despair and desolation, but on the other side it gives a feeling of warmth when you listen to it. If 'A Calling To Weakness' (their previous album) was a chant of pain and solitude, 'The Unsaid Words' is a soundtrack of knowledge. Thus the biography, that reveals us also the three coordinates of the Canaan universe: nothing, never, nowhere.

All this may sound not that mirthful again. But you can also simply enjoy these soft, melancholic sounds that lead you to another world during seventy-one minutes. What this music summons above all is an unearthly, super-terrestrial feeling. If you are in the right mood, you will hear mostly forces of nature in these sounds, strengthened by dreamy vocals where a few words will catch your eye. That is a pure personal experience, rooted in your own perspectives of how you look at life and things.

'The Unsaid Words' came into being in an unusual way for the band. It is important to go a bit deeper into that, because it explains a lot of the general impression of this album. Mauro and Nico have built their own studio. The basic song structures were recorded and for months, all of the five band members could improvise and compose further on these base. This resulted in an enormous amount of puzzle-like music pieces. Mauro and Nico worked two months long at the material to make real songs of these fragments. After that, vocals were recorded and the final arrangements were made. Mix, mastering and making the artwork completed the entire album. It is a quite wondrous story which ended up as a coherent album. Which is worth mentioning after this fragmentary approach.

Their music mostly reminds me of Pink Floyd, before this mammoth band became immensely successful. Canaan still has the time and the opportunity to be experimental and psychedelic. As a brief impression, some fragments from the text I wrote during the listening sessions: The moon passes slowly before the sun on his way to a total eclipse. A shrill violin sound comes out of the cellar. A man sips at his glass, looking for comfort. In the clinical environment of the conservatoire some low tones are produced. Clouds gather above the top of the Vesuvius. Drums and bass resound, echoing guitar sounds and dreamy vocals. Bubbling elements of nature. In the abbey devoted chants lift up to the sky. Sad reveries in Italian language. We visit a tenebrous cathedral that hides the weal and woe of the common men under its vaults of shrine. Above the tower, reaching to God, dark clouds gather. The spectacle of nature is inimitable. A total solitude masters us. The Vesuvius stops spewing clouds of sulphur. Once more, mankind scarcely escaped at a catastrophe. Full moon is witnessing the coming at ease of this primordial powers. Chill and distant, he shines his pale white light at our paltriness. Inspirational? Yes. Beautiful? Sure. Quiet? Indeed. Metal? Què?

Rating 87/100 (details)

 

[Hopkins-WitchfinderGeneral]

http://www.ultimatemetal.com/forum/showthread.php?p=4600894#post4600894

Here's my take on this album.

 

[Langoustator]

From Chronicles Of Chaos

By Pedro Azevedo

Italy's Canaan are one of those bands I have been aware of for a number of years, yet never really discovered. It was therefore with some degree of curiosity that I delved into _The Unsaid Words_, a lengthy and apparently ambitious effort by this latest incarnation of the band. Unsurprisingly, the material on offer consistently takes its time to unwind and develop, requiring sufficient dedication on the part of the listener in order to have a chance to work. Canaan's sound is essentially built from synth and male singing (occasionally in Italian), bass lines and occasional electric guitar, with only the necessary percussion to carry the compositions. In between tracks, Canaan explore more ambient based paths, also utilising acoustic string instruments and choirs. The main compositions, so to speak, are very laid back, tranquil pieces that generally have a conspicuous absence of any real peaks; indeed my main criticism is that Canaan's apparent reluctance to lead their compositions towards some kind of climax tends to render them rather sterile for the most part. The music is still certainly pleasant on a more atmospheric level, as ensured by its melancholy and subtlety, and it is hard to criticise a band for something that is clearly a songwriting option rather than a shortcoming per se. Still, _The Unsaid Words_ turns out to be an album that I won't be spinning much in the future for sure, as for all its qualities it simply fails to really capture my attention for much of its considerable duration.

6/10

 

[Emi]

from OBLIVEON

www.obliveon.de

rate: 10/10

„The Unsaid Words“ begleitet mich nun bereits mehrer Wochen durch alle Lebenslagen und Stimmungen und dabei wird selbst nach der langen schöpferischen Pause der Band eins immer wieder deutlich: die Italiener spielen musikalisch in einer Liga, in der, was dieses Genre sakraler, monumentaler und düsterer, vom Metal beeinflusster Stimmungen angeht, nur noch die unerreichten Saviour Machine mitspielen. Canaan kreieren Stimmungen und eine Atmosphäre, die düster ist, die tiefe Einblicke in das Seelenleben ihrer Protagonisten erlaubt, dabei ihre ganze Verletzbarkeit zu Tage treten lässt, ihre Ängste und Sehnsüchte ans Tageslicht zerrt, teifgreifende Emotionen erweckt, und dabei doch nicht in Hoffnungslosigkeit versinken lässt. Wer nicht von „This World Of Mine“ und den geflüsterten Stimmen des Unterbewusstseins gefangen, wer nicht von der Faszination und der Intimität des italienischen Gesangs in „Senza Una Risposta“ befangen, und wer nicht von der emotionellen Dichte des Titelstückes mitgerissen ist, dem unterstelle ich Gefühlskälte und den Verlust jeglicher Gefühlsregungen, zu der ein Mensch fällig ist. „The Unsaid Words“ ist, das Interview bestätigt dies, erneut das Psychogramm Mauro Berchis, dem kreativen Kopf der Italiener, und wenn Kunst neben seiner schöpferischen Kraft auch eine heilende innewohnt, dann mit diesem Album. Mehr als die Höchstnote gibt es zu diesem erneuten Meisterwerk nicht zu sagen. 10/10 - MK

 

[Emi]

from LOSING TODAY

http://www.losingtoday.com/it/reviews.php?review_id=2786

Quinto lavoro in un decennio di carriera per gli italiani Canaan. "The Unsaid Words" è un lavoro 'gotico' nella accezione più classica del genere: sonorità da 'cattedrale' di ispirazione medievale alternate a tappeti elettronici dal sapore ambient.
Il tutto affidato ad un'inter pretazione spesso dolente, dai toni sempre dimessi, le chitarre a fare da complemento, aggiungendo in alcuni frangenti una nota più dura, ma senza mai sconfinare apertamente nelle contaminazioni metal di moda negli ultimi tempi.
Basato sull'alternanza tra i brani veri (cantati sia in inglese che in italiano) e propri e una serie di frammenti che evoca molto
da vicino scenari da monastero medievale, "The Unsaid Words" affida tutto il suo impatto alla fascinazione dei suoni, al loro afflato spesso mistico e al gusto decadente, sottilmente amaro, dei testi.
Il risultato, pur non brillando per originalità, riesce a colpire l'immaginario: ci si immerge e ci si lascia galleggiare in questo disco
dai ritmi liquidi rarefatti, il cui unico punto debole sta forse nella lunghezza un pò eccessiva (si sforano i settanta minuti) che alla lunga rischia di mettere un pò alla prova l'ascolto.

 

[Darkcrawl]

Apologies if this has already been posted:

Terrorizer Magazine (UK):

The brainchild of Eibon Records' Mauro, Canaan evolved from the doom band Ras Algethi and are up to their fifth album of introspective, melancholic music. 'The Unsaid Words' finds them continuing to mine an artistically minded, elegant kind of atmospheric experimental rock not a million miles from the latterday In the Woods..., cautiously underlined with faint but favourable echoes of Bowie's magnificently alienated, eccentric '1.Outside' and its firm cinematic aspirations. Expansive, vaguely goth-tinged and audibly cultured rock with a similar flavour to the late Void of Silence (possibly redolent of a uniquely Italian renaissance spirit) fades in and out of a tapestry of haunting dark-ambient, resonant with urban decay and isolation, and providing unsurprising insights into Mauro's signing policy. The ambitious 70-minute scope provides ample space for some inspiring, harrowing songs to unfold gracefully, though perhaps stretching the content a little too far. Uncompromisingly epic, '...Words' is undoubtedly a little overlong, yet it's painfully hard to mark out points where the editing knife could be constructively applied- one mark of a very good album.

[8] (out of 10) Michael Blenkarn.

Sounds good to me.
I'll buy one next month- having monetary problems at the mo, I promise!

 

[Langoustator]

From Guts of Darkness (France)

By Twilight

Canaan ou le spleen flamboyant...les méandres de la grisaille et du désenchantement n'ayant pas encore livré tous leurs secrets, nos Italiens sont de retour avec un nouvel opus, le cinquième déjà. Rien n'a changé, tout est toujours aussi triste, gris, brumeux, la musique découpée entre plages ambient mystiques et titres cold wave lents et dépressifs. Comme à chaque fois pourtant, on est vite charmé par le style si particulier du groupe qui sait encore et toujours, à l'intérieur de structures en apparence connues et balisées, nous faire découvrir de nouveaux sentiers, de nouvelles émotions. La magie opère dès 'The wrong side of things' tout en infrabasses rampantes desquelles s'élèvent des chants mystiques, puis arrive 'This world of mine': rythmique lente et pesante, guitares glauques, un jeu de clavier triste...on constate que les quelques inspirations éthniques de 'Calling to weakness' sont exploitées ici également. C'est particulièrement flagrant et efficace sur le très bon 'Sterile' duquel s'élève une mélodie déchirante d'un violon venu des lointaines terres entre l'Est et l'Orient sur lit de souffles organiques. Et ainsi progressera l'album entre morceaux chantés et ces interludes tristes, presque funèbres parfois (la chorale de 'Fragment #1'). Parmi mes instants favoris dans cette délicieuse et inéluctable plongée dans les abysses du 'non-espoir' total, l'excellent 'Senza una risposta' ('Où serai-je demain ? Dans le coeur de personne ou dans les bras de quelqu'un...'), le superbe 'Fragment #2' qui eût été à sa place sur la B.O du 'Temps des Gitans' ou 'Fragile avec ses belles volûtes de guitare aériennes. les membres de Canaan ne se pressent jamais pour livrer une galette et ils ont raison car le résultat est stupéfiant de beauté à chaque fois. Coincés entre les spectres des Cure, My Dying Bride et Joy Division, ils célèbrent leurs dix ans d'existence et concluent cet opus par 'Nothing left to share'...rien ? Vraiment ? (aujourd'hui)

5/6

 

[Emi]

from DIGITALMETAL

http://www.digitalmetal.com/reviews.asp?cid=7174


Italy is a cultivated, imaginative country that has produced some stunning music. Such great acts as Novembre and Ensoph have proven that the Italian metal scene is growing and you can expect nothing but artful compositions. Enter Canaan, a band that oozes artistic deluge and melancholy.
Although I’ve never experienced Canaan’s suffering before, it is quiet a treat to give in to this band. I say give in because the first time I put this record in I ejected it immediately. Canaan is not heavy, or really metal at all. So if ambience is not your thing, turn away now. Goth Doom is what we have here. The Unsaid Words is slow, depressive, tenebrous, and beautiful all at once. Starting with track one this masterpiece introduces itself with a three and a half minute ambient swelling of sounds which sounds like a church choir in total despair. There are many tracks on The Unsaid Words which are nothing but atmosphere. Under the appropriate influence, this record will take you to a world of dark emotions. Vocalist Mauro sings as if he has reached his rope’s end and there is no hope in sight. I do not recommend this album to anyone contemplating suicide, as it would make your death slower and more dismal than necessary.
The mixing of styles is interesting as well. There is a distinctive Pink Floyd aura which flows with Canaan, and an 80’s Goth vibe at times. Everything from Bowie to Fields of Nephilim, and even Middle Eastern sounds can be heard on The Unsaid Words. Keyboards are more distinguishing than any other instrument in the album. I only heard a distorted guitar once or twice. Most of the sound is brought up by layered vocals, keys, bass, and clean-echoed guitar. Drums don’t do anything phenomenal in this recording except the keep a beat. The vocal delivery is another key aspect of Canaan, as it is droning, yet hypnotic. This adds to the total emotional impact of the album.
With five albums to their discography, I can tell that this band has mastered its sound and will be here to tell us stories of loss in the future. Bands such as Anathema, Fields of Nephilim, Dead Can Dance and now Canaan, have shown us that you don’t need distortion and harsh vocals to be metal. By Shane Wolfensberger

 

[Emi]

from METAL OBSERVER

http://www.metal-observer.com/articles.php?lid=1&sid=1&id=9566

I popped this album in without ever having experienced anything by CANAAN before. I hadn't read the promo sheet, I hadn't done any research on the internet and the only thing I had to go on was some vague suspicion that I had seen the name on some Metalcore compilation sometime in the past. With this in mind, I was quite hesitant to find out exactly what was going to come out of my speakers when I pushed "play," but I must say, I was pleasantly surprised! Of course, the pleasant feelings didn't last long - in fact, they were quite quickly bled right out of me. But really, that just means that CANAAN has done their job.

One thing's for sure and that's that this is most definitely not Metalcore. This is hardly even Metal, though it does have elements of Gothic and Doom Metal sprinkled throughout. Quiet, sombre and surreal, with keyboard washes and layers of symphonic samples, orbiting around a stark beat and the bleak vocal intonations of frontman Mauro. Minimalist sprawls and instrumental dungeons adorn this album, giving you the feeling that you're flowing in and out of some dark nether realm. This is classy, tasteful, depressive and most of all transcendent music. Just listen to it and try not to be affected.

When the press sheet said to file this under "Dark," they weren't kidding. Imagine MY DYING BRIDE on downers. Recommended! (Online March 9, 2006)

 

[Emi]

from NERO OPACO

http://www.neroopaco.it/recensione.php?id=743

Un lungo intenso viaggio introspettivo che conduce un analisi sentita e straziante, che esplora tematiche realiste e toccanti, capace di far compenetrare perfettamente l’ascoltare in questo fantastico concept album attraverso melodie e sonorità gothic, dark, ambient, power electronics, doom. Elegante, sopraffine, delicato, cupo, oscuro, interessante. Questo ed altro è il nuovo album dei Canaan, uscito lo scorso mese per Eibon Records, “The unsaid words” contiene 16 tracks, circa un ora e un quarto di “musica”, gusto musicale, classe, idee esclusive, ricche di pathos e certamente proprie, personali, i Canaan si sono sempre distinti per identità, in questo nuovo lavoro è evidente la maturità del gruppo in tutti i sensi, un gruppo lontano dalle logiche di mercato dove basta metter su 8/9 brani per un fare un album.
L’identità e la maturità citata sono gli aspetti fondamentali dei Canaan, un gruppone che ha molto da dire e molto da dare. Questo straordinario dischetto della band è un concentrato eclatante di emozioni e sapori unici, una colonna sonora intensa, calda, semplicemente un masterpiece.
Difficile individuare un pezzo migliore di tutto il lotto, ne cito un paio su tutte, ovvero le tracks “Senza una risposta” e “Fragile”, brani profondi che arrivano dritti a spaccare l’anima, qualcosa di eccellente, arti drammatiche trattate in musica con mestiere ed eleganza.
Per neroopaco la nuova proposta dei Canaan è un indicazione precisa che ci induce a pensare che in Italia abbiamo oltrechè grandi potenzialità, anche dei nomi interessanti da seguire con attenzione e da gustare con la convinzione che il processo e il percorso storico della nostra musica in un modo o nell’altro ci distingue e ci definisce in una misura probabilmente diversa e con dei valori aggiunti al cospetto di un sistema sempre piu’ fiacco e povero di contenuti. Lunga vita ai Canaan e Viva il made in Italy. A tutti gli estimatori di queste sonorità l’acquisto di “The unsaid words” è, piu’ che consigliato, obbligatorio. Tutte le info e i dettagli sulla band e su questa nuova uscita sul sito ufficiale della band www.canaan.it

 

[Emi]

from DEADTIDE

http://www.deadtide.com/reviews/albums/page.php?review_id=3019

Italy's Canaan play "dark rock." I used quotations there because upon doing a little research via the internet, dark rock is what everyone else is calling this. However, dark rock seems to be a pretty lazy summation of what Canaan are doing musically.
The Unsaid Words is, indeed, a dark album. Samplers, keyboards, and various synthesized elements play an important role in Canaan's sound, but they also use the traditional elements of drums, bass, and guitar. The writing is completely atypical and each song has it's own feel making for a varied listen. The one constant throughout the album is a general feeling of bleak, hopelessness.
The Unsaid Words is not a metal album by an traditional definition of the genre. The vocals are clean throughout and there is nary a brutal moment on the entire album. Instead, there are elements of suicide rock, dark-wave, and ambiance. Which isn't "heavy" in the normal sense, but the album is certainly a weighty listen.
"Sterile" is a desolate, ethereal ambient composition with very minimal, dark sounds playing as the backdrop for occasional outbursts of violins. "The Unsaid Words" is one of the more traditional tracks as far as songwriting is concerned. It plays like a rock song, although it maintains the album's depressive elements, sounding something like The Cure covering a latter day Katatonia track.
Although I still think "dark rock" is a somewhat lazy term, it appears to be the only classification that encompasses the band's sound in a few words. If you are into stark, emotional music Canaan do a fairly decent job at creating bleak soundscapes. The album kind of drags in places and there is a decent amount of filler, but on the whole this is a decent listen. It's not everyday listening, for me at least, but I can definitely see myself playing this on a dark, rainy night trying to fall asleep.

 

[Emi]

from METALHEART

http://www.metalheart.se/asp/recension.asp?ID=2287

» Lisa för stressade själar «

Det är mörk och hypnotisk, experimentell, melodisk och atmosfärrik musik italienska Canaan inbjuder till. The Unsaid Words skulle lätt kunna vara filmmusik. Däremot är det inte mer hårdrock än vad du kan förvänta dig av Brian Eno, Pink Floyd eller Massive Attack. Snarare flyter låtarna fram i sakta mak här, lite som en stillsam flod i månskenet om natten. Mauros avstressande stämma guidar dig igenom hälften av skivans sexton spår, där vartannat antingen är instrumentalt eller hymnlikt som en kör av munkar. De övriga är mer av ”normala” låtar, ibland sjungna på engelska och ibland på italienska.
Det här är musik för själar som behöver vila, för stressade hjärtan som behöver ett break och för hjärnor som vill krypa undan i ett hörn av eftertänksamhet en stund. Skivan kan också vara en oas för den som överdoserat på metal och behöver sjuttio minuter av frid. Således tycker jag om The Unsaid Words. Canaans sjätte cd invaggar mig i en värmande trygghet, trots sin mörka framtoning, och den skapar ett rum av kontemplation i vardagen. Dock ska det klargöras att man måste vara på rätt humör för den här skivan, annars funkar den inte alls. Är man uppspelt och rastlös känns den säkert bara långtråkig. Så det är dagsformen som avgör. Den här frusna och blyblå vintereftermiddagen, när detta skrivs, sitter den perfekt.

 

[Emi]

from ALTERNATIVE ZINE

http://www.alternative-zine.com/reviews/en/438

Canaan hasn't really changed its style or musical aesthetics (ha, how I love that word, aesthetics…) since its inception, even when it was called Ras Algethi and had been considered as doom metal, more than a decade ago. Of course, doom metal is hadn't been, nor is it now – however doom is never a musical genre anyways, it is a feeling or an atmosphere – so if anyone wishes to stick to the doom thing here, I'd entitle Canaan's musical approach as 'doom', and leave it there. Doom Rock maybe, doom ambient, doom and gloom? They all adhere to Canaan's style although all seem too pompous and unnecessary when judging this – or any other Canaan – album, as this band works its way modestly, quietly, not asking to be judged, or stigmatized, or labeled, or branded or being categorized in any way whatsoever, for it will not change its vision, its concept, purveying sonic melancholia infused with atmosphere, talent, originality and loads and loads of emotion.

Canaan employ an ethereal - almost hovering above – musical approach of touching-not-touching, of almost caressing and enveloping the listener with warm emotions of sadness and reflection, or soul-searching and this kind of attitude makes 'The unsaid words” a profound musical experience, that although almost devoid of any real musical aggression, it is heavy as fat, dark storm clouds hovering above and encircling the listener's psych and consciousness…

He who hath a heart in his midst, I encourage him to dwell within this piece of beauty, for – although you really know what you're going to get from these Italians – the outcome is always rewarding, chilling, soothing and electrifying



Chaim Drishner

 

[Emi]

from POWER METAL.de

Nothing ­ Never ­ Nowhere. Das sind die drei Stichworte, die ganz groß auf CANAANs Homepage ins Auge springen, und schnell wird klar, dass das hier nicht nur leere Worte sind. Das nihilistische Motto der Italiener prägt die musikalische Welt von "The Unsaid Words" und selbst der Albumtitel scheint hier nicht umsonst zu sein. Überhaupt hat man das Gefühl, dass CANAAN ganz große Meister darin sind, unausgesprochene Dinge in Noten auszudrücken, und so finden sich neben den regulären traumhaft schönen Songs mit Text und Gesang auch immer wieder akustische Zwischenwelten. Wer genau hinhört, entdeckt hier mit der Zeit so was wie eine kleine Weltreise der Musik. Immer wieder verweisen die Melodien und verwendeten Instrumente auf einen anderen Kontinent, auf ein anderes Land, so scheint es. Seien es die orientalische Geigenmelodie von 'Sterile', die chinesisch angehauchten Noten von 'Fragment #2' oder die afrikanischen Chöre auf 'Fragment #4', CANAAN entwickeln in ihrem Sound eine düstere und zugleich packende Vision der Weltgeschehnisse.


Und so wie das Motto der Band drei Worte aufweist, so hat auch das Album scheinbar drei Teile, die sich untereinander abwechseln. Auf der einen Seite gibt es diese eben erwähnten leicht exotischen Songs. Daneben fliehen CANAAN immer wieder in apokalyptische Endzeitvisionen und schaffen es, zwei Minuten lang wabernde Soundcollagen aufzubauen, die am Ende ein beklemmendes Gefühl hinterlassen. Schon alleine der erste Song, 'The Wrong Side Of The Things' wird hier zur Nervenprobe und endet in dermaßen finsteren Chören, dass man sich in einen Horrorfilm hineinversetzt fühlt. Die Chöre tauchen dann in 'Fragment #1' wieder auf, und auch 'Fragment #3' setzt sich nur aus einem leisen Flüstern und seltsamen Klangexperimenten zusammen.


Alles, was zwischen diesen verschiedenen musikalischen Visionen liegt und mit Gesang belegt wurde, scheint in der ganzen Finsternis der CANAAN-Welt noch ein wenig Hoffnung zu geben. Auch wenn sich die Italiener musikalisch eindeutig der Dunkelheit verschrieben haben und fröhliche Töne grundsätzlich verschmähen, so haben Lieder wie 'Never Again' oder 'The Possible Nowheres' ein ganz eigenes Feeling finsterer Schönheit. Noch erhabener wird es, wenn CANAAN anfangen, in ihrer Muttersprache zu singen, und damit zeigen, dass sich Italienisch und Musik einfach gut vertragen. Mauros Stimme fügt sich immer schmeichelnd in die Songstrukturen ein und auch die Vocals des Gastsängers passen perfekt ins Gesamtkonzept. Manchmal erinnert das Ganze ein wenig an die Landeskollegen von KLIMT 1918, ein anderes Mal kratzt man wieder an der ANATHEMA-Melancholie und dann wiederum schließt man sich in doomigste Melodien ein, sodass CANAAN dem Vergleich zu anderen Bands oder einer eindeutigen Stilbezeichnung aus dem Weg gehen.


CANAAN bieten mit "The Unsaid Words" keine leicht verdauliche Kost und zeigen in ihrem Schaffen ein ganz eigenes, tiefgründiges und beängstigend finsteres Bild der Welt. Selten haben so verzweifelte Melodien so schön geklungen, selten hat man sich in einem Album derart verlieren können und selten hatte das Nichts eine so klingende Botschaft.