STAR OF ASH - ITER.VIATOR.
The End Records - 2003
By Rodrigo Escandon
Star of Ash is the new project of Heidi S. Tveitan, otherwise known as Ihriel of Peccatum fame. Upon first listen it is quite clear that this has nothing to do with the fore mentioned band or anything resembling metal. In fact the starting point of reference would be somewhere along the lines of Bjork, Dead Can Dance, Portishead and Perdition City-era Ulver. It is an ambitious vision that Heidi took up on and she has succeeded tremendously in providing a dark, orchestral and electronic album that stays with you hours after it has finished spinning.
With the haunting, piano driven, and laid-back opener "Chasm Blue" starting things off and smoothly moving into the orchestral strings and melodic and soothing voice of Heidi found in "Sanies", the mood is all but established. This latter song picks up the pace and speed of the electronic beats to the culmination and it's a sign of things to come. At times the music will be slow, soft and ambient and there are times when the pace will quicken, as is the case in "Beautiful as Torment". Truly the title manages to capture the essence of the two distinct tempos. "Death Salute Atropos" is a song that allows Heidi the outlet to rock out a little more than what has been done prior to this point. "The Nudity of Light" has a definite jazzy feel to it and Kris G. Rygg provides his voice to duet with Heidi. It is a very up-tempo song despite the lyrical output of verses like "I yearn to vomit my heart all over you/ pierce it through your skin/ penetrate your spine." This only a small taste of the types of lyrical themes that will be found at it's the sort of lyrics one would expect to be sung entirely differently to how Heidi approaches it but it totally works in adding to the atmosphere of the music. "Odi et Amo" is a powerful song that rises and falls with the varying tempos that are exhibited and one finds a powerful guitar riff and heavy percussions that works in adding texture and depth to the song rather than to make it heavy. All this leads to the amazing epic "In the Throws of Guilt" which unites dark orchestral themes, operatic vocals and layers of keys. Undoubtedly, this song is my favorite of Iter.Viator. and it is the perfect ending to one simply amazing album.
The End Records Website
Star of Ash Official Website
The End Records - 2003
By Rodrigo Escandon
Star of Ash is the new project of Heidi S. Tveitan, otherwise known as Ihriel of Peccatum fame. Upon first listen it is quite clear that this has nothing to do with the fore mentioned band or anything resembling metal. In fact the starting point of reference would be somewhere along the lines of Bjork, Dead Can Dance, Portishead and Perdition City-era Ulver. It is an ambitious vision that Heidi took up on and she has succeeded tremendously in providing a dark, orchestral and electronic album that stays with you hours after it has finished spinning.
With the haunting, piano driven, and laid-back opener "Chasm Blue" starting things off and smoothly moving into the orchestral strings and melodic and soothing voice of Heidi found in "Sanies", the mood is all but established. This latter song picks up the pace and speed of the electronic beats to the culmination and it's a sign of things to come. At times the music will be slow, soft and ambient and there are times when the pace will quicken, as is the case in "Beautiful as Torment". Truly the title manages to capture the essence of the two distinct tempos. "Death Salute Atropos" is a song that allows Heidi the outlet to rock out a little more than what has been done prior to this point. "The Nudity of Light" has a definite jazzy feel to it and Kris G. Rygg provides his voice to duet with Heidi. It is a very up-tempo song despite the lyrical output of verses like "I yearn to vomit my heart all over you/ pierce it through your skin/ penetrate your spine." This only a small taste of the types of lyrical themes that will be found at it's the sort of lyrics one would expect to be sung entirely differently to how Heidi approaches it but it totally works in adding to the atmosphere of the music. "Odi et Amo" is a powerful song that rises and falls with the varying tempos that are exhibited and one finds a powerful guitar riff and heavy percussions that works in adding texture and depth to the song rather than to make it heavy. All this leads to the amazing epic "In the Throws of Guilt" which unites dark orchestral themes, operatic vocals and layers of keys. Undoubtedly, this song is my favorite of Iter.Viator. and it is the perfect ending to one simply amazing album.
The End Records Website
Star of Ash Official Website
