Peccatum Lost in Reverie
The End Records May 25th, 2004
By Jason Jordan
I think we can all agree that its good to hear from Ihsahn again. Peccatum, his main venture since Emperors demise, are back with their first full-length album in three, long years. Lamentably, Lost in Reverie is the epitome of the mixed bag. Some compositions are innovative works of art while others just fail miserably.
"Desolate Ever After opens the disc and sounds like it should be on the soundtrack of a horror movie, or in a game such as Silent Hill...if it weren't so bad. Its rapid changes from piano only to industrial synths and overbearing vocals makes this piece an exercise in tediousness. Dont let this song turn you off though; it does get better. In the Bodiless Heart starts with some magnificent, acoustic passages while jazzy drumfills follow in the background. Ihriel sings passionately over the troupe. It gets heavier around the two-minute mark with guitar leads and quasi-electronica keyboards coming in here and there. Ihsahns clean vocals enter the scene for the first time, and theyre fantastic. He reaches high pitches successfully and melds his melodies with the song perfectly. Parasite My Heart is most notable though because its almost as if were witnessing the return of Emperor, or an eccentric remix of a formerly unreleased song. The piece quickly silences into piano and accompanying voice.
Veils of Blue sounds like it was taken from a Final Fantasy game, or Chroma Key. Black Star dips into black metal about a quarter of the way through, and ends solemnly. Stillness is entirely filler, while The Banks of This River is Night is perhaps the most beautiful piece on the record. It is completely docile, unfortunately, but it also doesnt fail to mesmerize.
The most enticing things about Peccatum are the moments when Ihsahn returns to his former black metal self. Hearing faint recreations of Emperor are enough to draw even causal fans of the band in. This group, however, doesnt seem overly interesting and they dont present us with anything revolutionary or remotely brilliant. But, I guess I can give a half-hearted recommendation simply on the basis of listening to Ihsahns latest creation.
7/10
Official Peccatum website
Official The End Records website
The End Records May 25th, 2004
By Jason Jordan
I think we can all agree that its good to hear from Ihsahn again. Peccatum, his main venture since Emperors demise, are back with their first full-length album in three, long years. Lamentably, Lost in Reverie is the epitome of the mixed bag. Some compositions are innovative works of art while others just fail miserably.
"Desolate Ever After opens the disc and sounds like it should be on the soundtrack of a horror movie, or in a game such as Silent Hill...if it weren't so bad. Its rapid changes from piano only to industrial synths and overbearing vocals makes this piece an exercise in tediousness. Dont let this song turn you off though; it does get better. In the Bodiless Heart starts with some magnificent, acoustic passages while jazzy drumfills follow in the background. Ihriel sings passionately over the troupe. It gets heavier around the two-minute mark with guitar leads and quasi-electronica keyboards coming in here and there. Ihsahns clean vocals enter the scene for the first time, and theyre fantastic. He reaches high pitches successfully and melds his melodies with the song perfectly. Parasite My Heart is most notable though because its almost as if were witnessing the return of Emperor, or an eccentric remix of a formerly unreleased song. The piece quickly silences into piano and accompanying voice.
Veils of Blue sounds like it was taken from a Final Fantasy game, or Chroma Key. Black Star dips into black metal about a quarter of the way through, and ends solemnly. Stillness is entirely filler, while The Banks of This River is Night is perhaps the most beautiful piece on the record. It is completely docile, unfortunately, but it also doesnt fail to mesmerize.
The most enticing things about Peccatum are the moments when Ihsahn returns to his former black metal self. Hearing faint recreations of Emperor are enough to draw even causal fans of the band in. This group, however, doesnt seem overly interesting and they dont present us with anything revolutionary or remotely brilliant. But, I guess I can give a half-hearted recommendation simply on the basis of listening to Ihsahns latest creation.
7/10
Official Peccatum website
Official The End Records website
