THE AXIS OF PERDITION - "Urfe" - Reviews
- Thread starter Emi
- Start date
http://www.metalreview.com/Reviews/4877/The-Axis-Of-Perdition-Urfe.aspx
That The Axis of Perdition have gone down this particular path isnt all that surprising. After the cyber-black metal blitzkrieg of The Ichneumon Method, this British act has become steadily more abstract, with their increasingly cinematic treatment of urban decay and horror reaching amazing heights on 2005s Deleted Scenes from the Transition Hospital. And now comes Urfe, essentially an audio book broken up into two forty-five minute volumes, Grief of the Unclean and The Great Unwashed. Narrated by British thespian Leslie Simpson (Dog Soldiers, The Descent), Urfe is the story of the titular character who, after being tempted by a mysterious letter, embarks on a hellish journey into the farthest outreaches of the desolate cesspit that is Locus Eyrie. Urfes guide in this nightmarish quest is the entity known as Pylon, a mystical being who leads our protagonist down a seemingly bottomless pit of mental, physical and emotional horrors. Will Urfe survive? Will his soul be saved? The only way of knowing is to take the journey with him.
In terms of subject matter, Urfe is very much The Axis of Perdition, and seems like the logical follow-up to Deleted Scenes Like that album, Urfe is all about one characters journey into terror, madness and depravity in a hell-like realm just beyond the cusp of our world. In that sense, Urfe is worth experiencing, as its certainly an interesting tale with plenty of bizarre and disturbing imagery thats bound to raise ones eyebrows at least a few times. But, it all comes down to execution. Youll need to ask yourself whether or not youre prepared to sit through ninety minutes of someone talking with plenty of spooky ambience and only the briefest amount of actual music as respite. Because unfortunately, despite all the enthusiasm and reverence one could easily bring to it, as a listening experience Urfe is only mildly successful.
No matter how sound the concept, Urfe simply doesnt have the substance to justify its ninety-minute runtime. Had it been boiled down to forty-five minutes, an hour at most or better yet as one disc of spoken word and the other with music it could have been far more effective, not to mention palatable. Leslie Simpson acquits himself well, and does his best with the material at hand, but without the aid of real songs to break things up more often the incessant narration becomes tiresome. Also, the storytelling is frequently buried under the too loud cacophony of sound effects, instrumentation and noise. But perhaps the biggest flaw with Urfe is that everything is spelt out too obviously. The sexually explicit passages in Grief of the Unclean V for example are more likely to induce chuckling than trembling. Nothing matches the malevolence of those ambient segues on Deleted Scenes which only had titles to go by leaving the rest to your imagination, and were far more effective and frightening as a result.
When the metal finally kicks in at the three-quarter mark (The Great Unwashed II, III and IV) its The Axis of Perdition in all their lurching, oppressive glory, and will have you pondering what might have been had it been utilized more. As it is, the metal component is so minimal that its inclusion is almost superfluous. Urfe could only have been born out of The Axis of Perditions unique aesthetic, and in that regard is worth hearing at least once (but realistically youll require two or three listens just to make heads or tails of it). Your enjoyment of this album will depend greatly on how much youre willing to go along with the bands very self-indulgent approach here. Reactions to this will differ wildly, but one thing is certain - you wont hear anything else like Urfe this year.
That The Axis of Perdition have gone down this particular path isnt all that surprising. After the cyber-black metal blitzkrieg of The Ichneumon Method, this British act has become steadily more abstract, with their increasingly cinematic treatment of urban decay and horror reaching amazing heights on 2005s Deleted Scenes from the Transition Hospital. And now comes Urfe, essentially an audio book broken up into two forty-five minute volumes, Grief of the Unclean and The Great Unwashed. Narrated by British thespian Leslie Simpson (Dog Soldiers, The Descent), Urfe is the story of the titular character who, after being tempted by a mysterious letter, embarks on a hellish journey into the farthest outreaches of the desolate cesspit that is Locus Eyrie. Urfes guide in this nightmarish quest is the entity known as Pylon, a mystical being who leads our protagonist down a seemingly bottomless pit of mental, physical and emotional horrors. Will Urfe survive? Will his soul be saved? The only way of knowing is to take the journey with him.
In terms of subject matter, Urfe is very much The Axis of Perdition, and seems like the logical follow-up to Deleted Scenes Like that album, Urfe is all about one characters journey into terror, madness and depravity in a hell-like realm just beyond the cusp of our world. In that sense, Urfe is worth experiencing, as its certainly an interesting tale with plenty of bizarre and disturbing imagery thats bound to raise ones eyebrows at least a few times. But, it all comes down to execution. Youll need to ask yourself whether or not youre prepared to sit through ninety minutes of someone talking with plenty of spooky ambience and only the briefest amount of actual music as respite. Because unfortunately, despite all the enthusiasm and reverence one could easily bring to it, as a listening experience Urfe is only mildly successful.
No matter how sound the concept, Urfe simply doesnt have the substance to justify its ninety-minute runtime. Had it been boiled down to forty-five minutes, an hour at most or better yet as one disc of spoken word and the other with music it could have been far more effective, not to mention palatable. Leslie Simpson acquits himself well, and does his best with the material at hand, but without the aid of real songs to break things up more often the incessant narration becomes tiresome. Also, the storytelling is frequently buried under the too loud cacophony of sound effects, instrumentation and noise. But perhaps the biggest flaw with Urfe is that everything is spelt out too obviously. The sexually explicit passages in Grief of the Unclean V for example are more likely to induce chuckling than trembling. Nothing matches the malevolence of those ambient segues on Deleted Scenes which only had titles to go by leaving the rest to your imagination, and were far more effective and frightening as a result.
When the metal finally kicks in at the three-quarter mark (The Great Unwashed II, III and IV) its The Axis of Perdition in all their lurching, oppressive glory, and will have you pondering what might have been had it been utilized more. As it is, the metal component is so minimal that its inclusion is almost superfluous. Urfe could only have been born out of The Axis of Perditions unique aesthetic, and in that regard is worth hearing at least once (but realistically youll require two or three listens just to make heads or tails of it). Your enjoyment of this album will depend greatly on how much youre willing to go along with the bands very self-indulgent approach here. Reactions to this will differ wildly, but one thing is certain - you wont hear anything else like Urfe this year.
from : http://www.audiodrome.it/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=4494
THE AXIS OF PERDITION | Urfe
Qualcuno ricorda Vermiculatus degli Scald?
Vermiculatus era un disco di una sola traccia divisa in due parti, una di grind riletto in chiave progressiva e post-rock, una di ambient/noise. Allepoca, la code666, etichetta che lo pubblicava, definì loperazione come commercial suicide. Solo la code666, dunque, poteva trovare la forza e la convinzione per pubblicare un concept album degli Axis Of Perdition, basato sulla terribile storia di Urfe, interpretato dallattore Leslie Simpson (Dog Soldiers, The Descent), che ci racconta tutte le sue vicende per la durata di ben due cd.
Gli Axis Of Perdition hanno sempre unito elementi di origine industrial con altri provenienti dal metal estremo, loro genere di partenza. Il precedente Deleted Scenes From The Transition Hospital suggeriva anche - sin dal titolo lintenzione della band di riutilizzare sempre più la parte elettronica del proprio sound in chiave narrativa, a mo di colonna sonora. Urfe è lestrema conseguenza di questa scelta, dato che il primo disco è costituito al 99% da spoken word e da un commento sonoro assimilabile in parte a Brian Williams/Lustmord, viste le atmosfere, e in parte ai lavori di Simon Heath/Atrium Carceri, vista la capacità di utilizzare field recordings e campionamenti in maniera funzionale a un ipotetico film. Le chitarre, pesanti e marcissime, entrano a partire dalla seconda traccia del secondo disco, il migliore dei due, perché linquietudine industrial trova finalmente uno sfogo nelle esplosioni metal, senza smorzarsi piano piano come accade nel primo cd. Gli Axis sanno unire alla grande e con personalità due mondi, ma quando pretendono di essere solo dark ambient non risultano originali. Tutto questo al di là del loro risultare indigesti ai metallari e al di là del fatto che potevano pubblicare il testo di Urfe in un booklet, facilitando la vita ai non anglofoni, senza, infine, fare un discorso sulla loro presunta prolissità, che in questambito lascia il tempo che trova (è come criticare un disco punk perché è breve). La forza degli Axis, almeno così pare, si trova nella contaminazione: se trattano un singolo genere, il confronto con determinati artisti li penalizza. Certo, nel momento in cui sentono lesigenza di raccontare una storia, è ovvio che si servano degli strumenti a loro disposizione nella maniera di cui se ne sono serviti per Urfe, ma il risultato è quello di dar vita a un lavoro non solo ostico, ma paradossalmente prevedibile per alcuni ascoltatori.
Nonostante tutto, il voto rimane positivo, per il coraggio e per una seconda parte indovinata.
A cura di: Fabrizio Garau [fabrizio.garau@audiodrome.it]
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Gruppo: The Axis Of Perdition
Titolo: Urfe
Label: code666 [www.code666.net]
Anno: 2009
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Voto: 3/5
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Tracklist
Disc I
01. Grief Of The Unclean I
02. Grief Of The Unclean II
03. Grief Of The Unclean III
04. Grief Of The Unclean IV
05. Grief Of The Unclean V
06. Grief Of The Unclean VI
Disc II
01. The Great Unwashed I
02. The Great Unwashed II
03. The Great Unwashed III
04. The Great Unwashed IV
05. The Great Unwashed V
06. The Great Unwashed VI
THE AXIS OF PERDITION | Urfe
Qualcuno ricorda Vermiculatus degli Scald?
Vermiculatus era un disco di una sola traccia divisa in due parti, una di grind riletto in chiave progressiva e post-rock, una di ambient/noise. Allepoca, la code666, etichetta che lo pubblicava, definì loperazione come commercial suicide. Solo la code666, dunque, poteva trovare la forza e la convinzione per pubblicare un concept album degli Axis Of Perdition, basato sulla terribile storia di Urfe, interpretato dallattore Leslie Simpson (Dog Soldiers, The Descent), che ci racconta tutte le sue vicende per la durata di ben due cd.
Gli Axis Of Perdition hanno sempre unito elementi di origine industrial con altri provenienti dal metal estremo, loro genere di partenza. Il precedente Deleted Scenes From The Transition Hospital suggeriva anche - sin dal titolo lintenzione della band di riutilizzare sempre più la parte elettronica del proprio sound in chiave narrativa, a mo di colonna sonora. Urfe è lestrema conseguenza di questa scelta, dato che il primo disco è costituito al 99% da spoken word e da un commento sonoro assimilabile in parte a Brian Williams/Lustmord, viste le atmosfere, e in parte ai lavori di Simon Heath/Atrium Carceri, vista la capacità di utilizzare field recordings e campionamenti in maniera funzionale a un ipotetico film. Le chitarre, pesanti e marcissime, entrano a partire dalla seconda traccia del secondo disco, il migliore dei due, perché linquietudine industrial trova finalmente uno sfogo nelle esplosioni metal, senza smorzarsi piano piano come accade nel primo cd. Gli Axis sanno unire alla grande e con personalità due mondi, ma quando pretendono di essere solo dark ambient non risultano originali. Tutto questo al di là del loro risultare indigesti ai metallari e al di là del fatto che potevano pubblicare il testo di Urfe in un booklet, facilitando la vita ai non anglofoni, senza, infine, fare un discorso sulla loro presunta prolissità, che in questambito lascia il tempo che trova (è come criticare un disco punk perché è breve). La forza degli Axis, almeno così pare, si trova nella contaminazione: se trattano un singolo genere, il confronto con determinati artisti li penalizza. Certo, nel momento in cui sentono lesigenza di raccontare una storia, è ovvio che si servano degli strumenti a loro disposizione nella maniera di cui se ne sono serviti per Urfe, ma il risultato è quello di dar vita a un lavoro non solo ostico, ma paradossalmente prevedibile per alcuni ascoltatori.
Nonostante tutto, il voto rimane positivo, per il coraggio e per una seconda parte indovinata.
A cura di: Fabrizio Garau [fabrizio.garau@audiodrome.it]
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Gruppo: The Axis Of Perdition
Titolo: Urfe
Label: code666 [www.code666.net]
Anno: 2009
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Voto: 3/5
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Tracklist
Disc I
01. Grief Of The Unclean I
02. Grief Of The Unclean II
03. Grief Of The Unclean III
04. Grief Of The Unclean IV
05. Grief Of The Unclean V
06. Grief Of The Unclean VI
Disc II
01. The Great Unwashed I
02. The Great Unwashed II
03. The Great Unwashed III
04. The Great Unwashed IV
05. The Great Unwashed V
06. The Great Unwashed VI
Langoustator
Member
From Avantgarde Metal
Historians will look back on the release of URFE as a true turning point in the development of an art form. Marrying a lengthy spoken-word narrative with thick layers of ambience from various sources, The Axis of Perdition have truly upped the ante with their approach to aural narrative, spinning something like a cohesive narrative across two discs, hundreds of disturbing sound textures and a couple moments of truly wretched industrial metal. The marriage is so in-depth that it is nearly impossible to separate the two elements of Urfe, and yet I wished I could be on the mixing board so that I could hear certain things better at different points, usually the narrative. Chances are, though, the average avant-garde metal listener, open-minded as they come, will just be pissed for having to wade through an hour of ambience before the first of a handful of moments featuring an actual metal band occur.
Once deciphered, which will surely take dozens of listens, listeners will probably have the complete blueprint for a still-born mythology, corrupted in varying points from a collective unconscious of words, images and sounds designed to induce disgust and revulsion in a listener. The band has named Silent Hill as an influence before, but here, the interactions of human sexuality and supernatural horror really draw upon the ideas of Clive Barker, in words and sentiment.
The chief problem is that there are either too many words, or too many sounds. In many places, the balance is handled to maximum effect. But at points of conflict in the narrative, it is clear that the band only raised the volume on the whole mix, leaving the elements difficult to distinguish. Actor Leslie Simpson handles the extended narrative as protagonist, omniscient observer and background noise, simultaneously acting and reading. As the narrative goes on, his protagonist seems more and more unnerved by the proceedings, cracking and going into shock from the sheer stress of a sustained, horrific experience, and this is conveyed expertly in his voice, his choice of phrasing. Other times, he has no choice but to shout, at which the album loses the subtlety that makes it effective. The band, meanwhile, works up some fierce ambient created equally by keyboards, highly processed guitars and vocals, the results of which are truly a film without images, organized, structured and placed in the mix to extreme horrific effect (headphones or surround sound highly recommended.) The fully musical segments, which one could count with one hand, and which still incorporate the story and Leslie Simpson's narration at points, range from ambient synth passages to jazzy guitar. There are only a few true moments of metal on this album, and they are standard Axis - twisted riffing and samples over ambient/industrial black metal with soundscape production qualities.
Urfe is a mature work, and would probably make an incredible live experience, with some theatrical aspect. But with the mixing levels as they are, the story, the momentum and focus of the album, is often lost, causing the audible bits of text to appear phantasmagorically, perplexing, but often quite beautiful.
Adam Matlock
Historians will look back on the release of URFE as a true turning point in the development of an art form. Marrying a lengthy spoken-word narrative with thick layers of ambience from various sources, The Axis of Perdition have truly upped the ante with their approach to aural narrative, spinning something like a cohesive narrative across two discs, hundreds of disturbing sound textures and a couple moments of truly wretched industrial metal. The marriage is so in-depth that it is nearly impossible to separate the two elements of Urfe, and yet I wished I could be on the mixing board so that I could hear certain things better at different points, usually the narrative. Chances are, though, the average avant-garde metal listener, open-minded as they come, will just be pissed for having to wade through an hour of ambience before the first of a handful of moments featuring an actual metal band occur.
Once deciphered, which will surely take dozens of listens, listeners will probably have the complete blueprint for a still-born mythology, corrupted in varying points from a collective unconscious of words, images and sounds designed to induce disgust and revulsion in a listener. The band has named Silent Hill as an influence before, but here, the interactions of human sexuality and supernatural horror really draw upon the ideas of Clive Barker, in words and sentiment.
The chief problem is that there are either too many words, or too many sounds. In many places, the balance is handled to maximum effect. But at points of conflict in the narrative, it is clear that the band only raised the volume on the whole mix, leaving the elements difficult to distinguish. Actor Leslie Simpson handles the extended narrative as protagonist, omniscient observer and background noise, simultaneously acting and reading. As the narrative goes on, his protagonist seems more and more unnerved by the proceedings, cracking and going into shock from the sheer stress of a sustained, horrific experience, and this is conveyed expertly in his voice, his choice of phrasing. Other times, he has no choice but to shout, at which the album loses the subtlety that makes it effective. The band, meanwhile, works up some fierce ambient created equally by keyboards, highly processed guitars and vocals, the results of which are truly a film without images, organized, structured and placed in the mix to extreme horrific effect (headphones or surround sound highly recommended.) The fully musical segments, which one could count with one hand, and which still incorporate the story and Leslie Simpson's narration at points, range from ambient synth passages to jazzy guitar. There are only a few true moments of metal on this album, and they are standard Axis - twisted riffing and samples over ambient/industrial black metal with soundscape production qualities.
Urfe is a mature work, and would probably make an incredible live experience, with some theatrical aspect. But with the mixing levels as they are, the story, the momentum and focus of the album, is often lost, causing the audible bits of text to appear phantasmagorically, perplexing, but often quite beautiful.
Adam Matlock
http://www.gothtronic.com/?page=23&reviews=5773
As most of you reading this review will probably know already, The Axis of Perdition make strange and fucked up music and while expecting the same thing to pop up on their new album, Urfe, I have to admit that I was still wholly unprepared for what ensued. This surely was something unexpected. First of all, if you are hoping to find sick and twisted black metal with all sorts of additional elements of creepiness, you might as well stop reading this review because there is hardly any real metal of any kind to be found on these two discs. In fact, the metal sections that do come up are mostly to be found on the second half of the second disc. However, when able to look past this, you will be treated to something intriguing, regardless of the lack of metal music.
What is offered on Urfe is the story of the eponymous main character's struggles with all sorts of psychological evils. Urfe himself tells us his rather intricate story in both direct and quoted speech while being backed by what can best be described as dark ambient sounds that try to recreate the scenes which Urfe is reliving through his narration. The atmosphere created is chilling and as intricate as Urfe's story itself and it really helps the listener envision the scenes. As such, not much can be said about the music itself, because it is merely the means to a greater end, but it works and does what the band presumably wanted it to do. As soon as the first disc starts off and we are welcomed by the narrator's voice, it is impossible not to be drawn in by both the narrator's soothing vocal qualities as by the atmosphere that is created by the music.
At different times, Urfe reminds of Silent Hill soundtracks, Diabolical Masquerade's Death's Design album and even Jeff Wayne's War of the World (without the sappy love songs). The music and story are clearly to be thought of in a horror and suspense related theme and as such remind of the former two, while the narration and the story telling reminds mostly of radio plays and the War of the Worlds album. One of the downsides of the album and one which is difficult to look past is that at certain points the ambient (background) sounds are too overbearing and drown out the narration, making it impossible to hear what the narrator is telling. This can get quite frustrating, especially when you are really intent on listening to the narrator's story and finding out what happened to him during his struggles. While, for the most part, the background noise helps in creating the scenes and is really a valuable part of the whole, it is disappointing to notice that sometimes it just gets a bit too much. This is only a small negative point, however, and it is largely made up for by the fact that the story itself is intricate and intriguing.
In short, the new The Axis of Perdition album is an intriguing piece of work and should definitely be listened to at least once by anyone who likes dark music in general. That being said, the listener is advised to remind him or herself of the fact that this is an album that should be enjoyed for its story-telling qualities and not so much for its musical brilliance.
Band: Axis of Perdition, the(int)
Label: Code666
Genre: ambient (ambient / soundscapes / ritual / drones)
Type: cd
Grade: 8
Review by: Padraigh
Website: http://www.myspace.com/theaxisofperdition/
As most of you reading this review will probably know already, The Axis of Perdition make strange and fucked up music and while expecting the same thing to pop up on their new album, Urfe, I have to admit that I was still wholly unprepared for what ensued. This surely was something unexpected. First of all, if you are hoping to find sick and twisted black metal with all sorts of additional elements of creepiness, you might as well stop reading this review because there is hardly any real metal of any kind to be found on these two discs. In fact, the metal sections that do come up are mostly to be found on the second half of the second disc. However, when able to look past this, you will be treated to something intriguing, regardless of the lack of metal music.
What is offered on Urfe is the story of the eponymous main character's struggles with all sorts of psychological evils. Urfe himself tells us his rather intricate story in both direct and quoted speech while being backed by what can best be described as dark ambient sounds that try to recreate the scenes which Urfe is reliving through his narration. The atmosphere created is chilling and as intricate as Urfe's story itself and it really helps the listener envision the scenes. As such, not much can be said about the music itself, because it is merely the means to a greater end, but it works and does what the band presumably wanted it to do. As soon as the first disc starts off and we are welcomed by the narrator's voice, it is impossible not to be drawn in by both the narrator's soothing vocal qualities as by the atmosphere that is created by the music.
At different times, Urfe reminds of Silent Hill soundtracks, Diabolical Masquerade's Death's Design album and even Jeff Wayne's War of the World (without the sappy love songs). The music and story are clearly to be thought of in a horror and suspense related theme and as such remind of the former two, while the narration and the story telling reminds mostly of radio plays and the War of the Worlds album. One of the downsides of the album and one which is difficult to look past is that at certain points the ambient (background) sounds are too overbearing and drown out the narration, making it impossible to hear what the narrator is telling. This can get quite frustrating, especially when you are really intent on listening to the narrator's story and finding out what happened to him during his struggles. While, for the most part, the background noise helps in creating the scenes and is really a valuable part of the whole, it is disappointing to notice that sometimes it just gets a bit too much. This is only a small negative point, however, and it is largely made up for by the fact that the story itself is intricate and intriguing.
In short, the new The Axis of Perdition album is an intriguing piece of work and should definitely be listened to at least once by anyone who likes dark music in general. That being said, the listener is advised to remind him or herself of the fact that this is an album that should be enjoyed for its story-telling qualities and not so much for its musical brilliance.
Band: Axis of Perdition, the(int)
Label: Code666
Genre: ambient (ambient / soundscapes / ritual / drones)
Type: cd
Grade: 8
Review by: Padraigh
Website: http://www.myspace.com/theaxisofperdition/
Darkcrawl
Member
- Mar 8, 2006
- 71
- 0
- 6
The Terrorizer (UK) review:
Unbound as ever by any restrictive notions of genre or convention, [The] Axis of Perdition continue to lurk in a netherworld almost entirely of their own creation. Indeed, never in their bracing life as a band thus far have they ventured deeper and darker within. 'Urfe' is by far their most nightmarish effort to date, a 90-odd minute descent into the dystopian maelstrom in which a hallucinatory, frothing narrative, courtesy of 'Dog Soldiers' actor Leslie Simpson, is daubed across a apnoramic canvass of murk and mire. Disorientation does battle herein with diabolical atmosphere, and whilst [The] Axis' metal roots only show on the second disc, the Lustmord/Lovecraft marriage that's replaced it brings forth horrific imaginative realms that gnaw and howl impressively at the darker recesses of the subconscious. 'Urfe' may test the mettle of many, yet it marks a still more enthralling chapter from a band whose singular vision and feverish originality renders them so far ahead of the pack as to genuinely beggar belief.
[9] - Jim Martin
Unbound as ever by any restrictive notions of genre or convention, [The] Axis of Perdition continue to lurk in a netherworld almost entirely of their own creation. Indeed, never in their bracing life as a band thus far have they ventured deeper and darker within. 'Urfe' is by far their most nightmarish effort to date, a 90-odd minute descent into the dystopian maelstrom in which a hallucinatory, frothing narrative, courtesy of 'Dog Soldiers' actor Leslie Simpson, is daubed across a apnoramic canvass of murk and mire. Disorientation does battle herein with diabolical atmosphere, and whilst [The] Axis' metal roots only show on the second disc, the Lustmord/Lovecraft marriage that's replaced it brings forth horrific imaginative realms that gnaw and howl impressively at the darker recesses of the subconscious. 'Urfe' may test the mettle of many, yet it marks a still more enthralling chapter from a band whose singular vision and feverish originality renders them so far ahead of the pack as to genuinely beggar belief.
[9] - Jim Martin
omnio.pl
THE AXIS OF PERDITION - Urfe
The divorce with black metal in a traditional sense of the word was witnessed on "Deleted Scenes from the Transition Hospital". The newest offering from British THE AXIS OF PERDITION is not even a traditional album, but rather a story divided into two chapters - "Grief of the Unclean" and "The Great Unwashed" - with a narrator leading a listener through the whole tale. The title Urfe embarks on a perilous journey through Locus Eyrie, a truly hellish place, having only a mysterious guide in the name of Pylon. Urfe goes deeper and deeper into bottomless hell and the only way to find out the ending of this story is to go there with him...
THE AXIS OF PERDITION - Urfe
The divorce with black metal in a traditional sense of the word was witnessed on "Deleted Scenes from the Transition Hospital". The newest offering from British THE AXIS OF PERDITION is not even a traditional album, but rather a story divided into two chapters - "Grief of the Unclean" and "The Great Unwashed" - with a narrator leading a listener through the whole tale. The title Urfe embarks on a perilous journey through Locus Eyrie, a truly hellish place, having only a mysterious guide in the name of Pylon. Urfe goes deeper and deeper into bottomless hell and the only way to find out the ending of this story is to go there with him...
http://www.eklektik-rock.com/chro.php?chro=2314
MAX rate
On a beau être habitué à écouter des disques expérimentaux ou progressifs, il y a toujours des groupes capables de transgresser et de bousculer les attentes de leurs fans les plus fervents. Car si The Axis of Perdition ne vient pas de nous faire un Ulver, Urfe tient de Perditon city de ces mêmes norvégiens une narration complexe qui n'est pas seulement illustrée par la musique mais aussi par un texte récité par un acteur. Le résultat donne un disque prenant, difficile, oppressant. L'inverse totale des fresques épiques contées par Bal-Sagoth.
En effet le premier volet de l'histoire d'Urfe est soutenu par un travail électronique où les samples mystérieux et oppressants que maitrisent à la perfection les musiciens depuis Deleted scenes in the transition hospital sont employés pour créer une atmosphère à la mesure de l'histoire. Je ne parlerai que très peu de celle-ci car je ne suis pas sûr de tout avoir saisi. Le narrateur semble y raconter son parcours dans un territoire inconnu, désolé et maléfique. Je n'en ai pas plus saisi sans que cela m'empêche d'être transporté dans l'univers ainsi crée.
Leslie Simpson, acteur anglais ayant joué dans Dog Soldier, un des meilleurs films réalisés sur les loups-garous de l'avis de tous les connaisseurs, y est narrateur et acteur. Un double rôle qu'il interprète à merveille. Sa voix pourrait être celle d'un chanteur puisque les émotions plus que le texte guident la musique et la progression de l'auditeur. Des répliques ressortent de la même manière que celle d'un film ("... the last thing I need is fucking choices ..." dans la cinquième plage de "Grief of the unclean"). Une preuve du talent d'acteur de Simpson dont les émotions sont transmises de manière crédible à travers les divers bruits, reconnaissables ou non, entre les phrases débitées par l'acteur possédé par son personnage.
L'expérience requiert toutefois un degré d'immersion que beaucoup ne seront sûrement pas prêts à entreprendre tant la différence entre leur disque précédent dont les riffs tenait encore du black metal de Mayhem découpé et violé par des influences indus, est jeté aux oubliettes pour les six premières plages. Bien que conquis assez vite, j'émets donc des réserves sur la durée de vie qu'aura ce disque pour moi. Oui, je l'aime beaucoup et je compte bien m'y plonger. Continuerai-je à l'apprécier autant que je fais tourner Deleted scenes ... et The Ichneumon method ... du fait de ce manque de guitare ? Cela reste à voir.
Les guitares ne se taisent cependant pas sur les deux disques puisqu'après une première plage ambiante, elles interviennent dès le début de la seconde de The Great unwashed (les personnes de basse classe). Le disque reprend souvent ensuite un tournant ambiant mais ce n'est pas une nouveauté pour The Axis of Perdition. En comparaison donc, cette deuxième partie est plus normale et ne présente pas une nouvelle facette du groupe. En ce sens, après un premier disque osé, cette deuxième partie est beaucoup moins risquée. Cependant l'atmosphère y est toujours aussi tendue et difficile. L'exploration de l'univers d'Urfe continue seulement sous la forme plus "traditionnelle" de riffs de guitares entre doom, indus et black metal.
La voix du chanteur gorgée d'effets est celle d'un homme perdu entre plusieurs dimensions de la réalité. Bien que plus mélodique, la place du texte est toujours celle d'un narrateur, complétant encore une fois l'expérience sonore complète et complexe que forment ces deux disques. Une voix plus black metal fait aussi son apparition mais elle est beaucoup moins efficace pour porter les émotions. Cependant à ce stade dans l'écoute du disque, l'expérience est déjà bien assez complète pour que ce détail ne vienne pas trop perturber le fil de l'histoire.
Pour ce que j'ai pu lire des avis des fans à la sortie du disque, l'accueil réservé à Urfe n'était pas très enthousiaste. Certainement car ces deux disques prennent beaucoup de temps pour se révéler complètement. Il faut donner de soi, de son attention, de son temps, pour franchir le portail d'Urfe et ne pas revenir à la réalité pendant près d'une heure et demie. Une durée raisonnable pour un film que l'on ne donne pas si facilement quand il s'agit de musique. Ne touchant qu'un seul des cinq sens, contrairement au cinéma qui affecte autant l'audition que la vue, il ne faut pourtant pas faire d'effort pour que le monde crée par The Axis of Perdition prenne vie derrière vos yeux et transperce ensuite votre peau. Encore plus immersif que Deleted scenes in the transition hospital mais beaucoup moins metal que The Ichneumon method (and less welcome techniques), Urfe est un double album qui divisera mais attirera aussi beaucoup d'autres. Le futur s'annonce toujours aussi intéressant pour ce quatuor britannique.
MAX rate
On a beau être habitué à écouter des disques expérimentaux ou progressifs, il y a toujours des groupes capables de transgresser et de bousculer les attentes de leurs fans les plus fervents. Car si The Axis of Perdition ne vient pas de nous faire un Ulver, Urfe tient de Perditon city de ces mêmes norvégiens une narration complexe qui n'est pas seulement illustrée par la musique mais aussi par un texte récité par un acteur. Le résultat donne un disque prenant, difficile, oppressant. L'inverse totale des fresques épiques contées par Bal-Sagoth.
En effet le premier volet de l'histoire d'Urfe est soutenu par un travail électronique où les samples mystérieux et oppressants que maitrisent à la perfection les musiciens depuis Deleted scenes in the transition hospital sont employés pour créer une atmosphère à la mesure de l'histoire. Je ne parlerai que très peu de celle-ci car je ne suis pas sûr de tout avoir saisi. Le narrateur semble y raconter son parcours dans un territoire inconnu, désolé et maléfique. Je n'en ai pas plus saisi sans que cela m'empêche d'être transporté dans l'univers ainsi crée.
Leslie Simpson, acteur anglais ayant joué dans Dog Soldier, un des meilleurs films réalisés sur les loups-garous de l'avis de tous les connaisseurs, y est narrateur et acteur. Un double rôle qu'il interprète à merveille. Sa voix pourrait être celle d'un chanteur puisque les émotions plus que le texte guident la musique et la progression de l'auditeur. Des répliques ressortent de la même manière que celle d'un film ("... the last thing I need is fucking choices ..." dans la cinquième plage de "Grief of the unclean"). Une preuve du talent d'acteur de Simpson dont les émotions sont transmises de manière crédible à travers les divers bruits, reconnaissables ou non, entre les phrases débitées par l'acteur possédé par son personnage.
L'expérience requiert toutefois un degré d'immersion que beaucoup ne seront sûrement pas prêts à entreprendre tant la différence entre leur disque précédent dont les riffs tenait encore du black metal de Mayhem découpé et violé par des influences indus, est jeté aux oubliettes pour les six premières plages. Bien que conquis assez vite, j'émets donc des réserves sur la durée de vie qu'aura ce disque pour moi. Oui, je l'aime beaucoup et je compte bien m'y plonger. Continuerai-je à l'apprécier autant que je fais tourner Deleted scenes ... et The Ichneumon method ... du fait de ce manque de guitare ? Cela reste à voir.
Les guitares ne se taisent cependant pas sur les deux disques puisqu'après une première plage ambiante, elles interviennent dès le début de la seconde de The Great unwashed (les personnes de basse classe). Le disque reprend souvent ensuite un tournant ambiant mais ce n'est pas une nouveauté pour The Axis of Perdition. En comparaison donc, cette deuxième partie est plus normale et ne présente pas une nouvelle facette du groupe. En ce sens, après un premier disque osé, cette deuxième partie est beaucoup moins risquée. Cependant l'atmosphère y est toujours aussi tendue et difficile. L'exploration de l'univers d'Urfe continue seulement sous la forme plus "traditionnelle" de riffs de guitares entre doom, indus et black metal.
La voix du chanteur gorgée d'effets est celle d'un homme perdu entre plusieurs dimensions de la réalité. Bien que plus mélodique, la place du texte est toujours celle d'un narrateur, complétant encore une fois l'expérience sonore complète et complexe que forment ces deux disques. Une voix plus black metal fait aussi son apparition mais elle est beaucoup moins efficace pour porter les émotions. Cependant à ce stade dans l'écoute du disque, l'expérience est déjà bien assez complète pour que ce détail ne vienne pas trop perturber le fil de l'histoire.
Pour ce que j'ai pu lire des avis des fans à la sortie du disque, l'accueil réservé à Urfe n'était pas très enthousiaste. Certainement car ces deux disques prennent beaucoup de temps pour se révéler complètement. Il faut donner de soi, de son attention, de son temps, pour franchir le portail d'Urfe et ne pas revenir à la réalité pendant près d'une heure et demie. Une durée raisonnable pour un film que l'on ne donne pas si facilement quand il s'agit de musique. Ne touchant qu'un seul des cinq sens, contrairement au cinéma qui affecte autant l'audition que la vue, il ne faut pourtant pas faire d'effort pour que le monde crée par The Axis of Perdition prenne vie derrière vos yeux et transperce ensuite votre peau. Encore plus immersif que Deleted scenes in the transition hospital mais beaucoup moins metal que The Ichneumon method (and less welcome techniques), Urfe est un double album qui divisera mais attirera aussi beaucoup d'autres. Le futur s'annonce toujours aussi intéressant pour ce quatuor britannique.
http://www.side-line.com/reviews_comments.php?id=40754_0_17_0_C
rate: 6/7
The new album of the British project The Axis Of Perdition is definitely their most accomplished work to date. The main particularity of Urfe is the narrative vocal style of guest vocalist (whos an actor) Leslie Simpson. His narrative-poetic style is a real impressive performance, which totally fits to the nihilistic and ambient sound of The Axis Of Perdition. Urfe brings the listener in the cold dungeons of the imaginary life. The sonic collages are slowly leading the visitor in stupor. The 1st disc (cf. Grief Of The Unclean) is a remarkable experience of tormented ambient music. The 6 tracks simply titled as Part 1, Part 2 etc are simply brilliant and leading to a real apotheosis on Part 5. Curiously enough, this climax was composed with a kind of noise style. The Axis Of Perdition here realized an overwhelming and original piece of ambient. The 2nd disc (cf. The Great Unwashed) leads the listener through a similar pallet of dark ambient influences, but never reached the same level as the 1st disc. The dark ambient moods are less convincing and even the kind of guitar intrusion in the track Part 2 cant really improve the level. Urfe is an album with two sides, moving from the best to the worst, but it remains however a fascinating album released in an outstanding digipak format.
(DP:6/7)DP.
rate: 6/7
The new album of the British project The Axis Of Perdition is definitely their most accomplished work to date. The main particularity of Urfe is the narrative vocal style of guest vocalist (whos an actor) Leslie Simpson. His narrative-poetic style is a real impressive performance, which totally fits to the nihilistic and ambient sound of The Axis Of Perdition. Urfe brings the listener in the cold dungeons of the imaginary life. The sonic collages are slowly leading the visitor in stupor. The 1st disc (cf. Grief Of The Unclean) is a remarkable experience of tormented ambient music. The 6 tracks simply titled as Part 1, Part 2 etc are simply brilliant and leading to a real apotheosis on Part 5. Curiously enough, this climax was composed with a kind of noise style. The Axis Of Perdition here realized an overwhelming and original piece of ambient. The 2nd disc (cf. The Great Unwashed) leads the listener through a similar pallet of dark ambient influences, but never reached the same level as the 1st disc. The dark ambient moods are less convincing and even the kind of guitar intrusion in the track Part 2 cant really improve the level. Urfe is an album with two sides, moving from the best to the worst, but it remains however a fascinating album released in an outstanding digipak format.
(DP:6/7)DP.
http://www.nocturnalhall.de/reviews/T/taop_urfe.htm
Label: Aural Music
Release: 16.01.2009
Von: Joking
Punkte: 7/10
Time: 90:13
Stil: Cinematic Ambient Metal
URL: The Axis Of Perdition
Bevor die ersten Gitarren einen Hauch Metallisches in das düstere Universum namens Urfe bringen, sind anderthalb CDs abgespielt. Vorher regieren Soundscapes, breite Synthesizerflächern wabern bedrohlich, Drones, die von Naturgeräuschen, industriellem Fauchen, und ganz selten Pianotupfern unterbrochen werden. Dazu erzählt der Schauspieler Leslie Simpson eine labyrinthische Geschichte voller Gewalt, Abstürzen, physischen und psychischen Torturen. Die dritte Veröffentlichung der Briten THE AXIS OF PERDITION, die vierte, wenn man die MCD Physical Illucinations In The Sewer Of Xuchilibra mitzählt, ist ein Hörspiel mit lautem Soundtrack. Richtig gesungen wird nur phasenweise auf CD 2. Simpson erzählt, mal sachte, mal gehetzt und dramatisch durchaus nachhaltig. Leider muss er mitunter heftig gegen den brodelnden Sound ankämpfen, was die Verständlichkeit, der eh schon kryptischen Alptraumstory nicht gerade erleichtert. Ein Textheft liegt zumindest den Promo CDs nicht bei. Wäre hilfreich gewesen.
Was die graphische Gestaltung des Booklets bereits verrät, machen Musik und Text noch offensichtlicher: Urfe ist ziemlich eindeutig vom Silent Hill Universum beeinflusst. Hätte man gut als Hörspiel zur Videospielreihe veröffentlichen können. Besonders zum Ende der ersten CD, wenn es nach verlorenen Seelen klingt, die mit verzweifelter Wucht einem Feuerofen entkommen möchten, wird die Verwandtschaft offensichtlich.
Urfe zu hören hat etwas hypnotisches, ist aber auf Dauer ein nervenzerrendes Unterfangen, dem auch die Gitarren-Ausbrüche im zweiten Teil keine Erlösung spendieren. Dennoch langweilt der atmosphärische dichte Höllentrip kaum und kann in der richtigen Stimmung für wohliges oder unbehagliches Gruseln sorgen. Mit den falschen Drogen zu sich genommen kann Urfe allerdings zu einem üblen Kater führen.
Label: Aural Music
Release: 16.01.2009
Von: Joking
Punkte: 7/10
Time: 90:13
Stil: Cinematic Ambient Metal
URL: The Axis Of Perdition
Bevor die ersten Gitarren einen Hauch Metallisches in das düstere Universum namens Urfe bringen, sind anderthalb CDs abgespielt. Vorher regieren Soundscapes, breite Synthesizerflächern wabern bedrohlich, Drones, die von Naturgeräuschen, industriellem Fauchen, und ganz selten Pianotupfern unterbrochen werden. Dazu erzählt der Schauspieler Leslie Simpson eine labyrinthische Geschichte voller Gewalt, Abstürzen, physischen und psychischen Torturen. Die dritte Veröffentlichung der Briten THE AXIS OF PERDITION, die vierte, wenn man die MCD Physical Illucinations In The Sewer Of Xuchilibra mitzählt, ist ein Hörspiel mit lautem Soundtrack. Richtig gesungen wird nur phasenweise auf CD 2. Simpson erzählt, mal sachte, mal gehetzt und dramatisch durchaus nachhaltig. Leider muss er mitunter heftig gegen den brodelnden Sound ankämpfen, was die Verständlichkeit, der eh schon kryptischen Alptraumstory nicht gerade erleichtert. Ein Textheft liegt zumindest den Promo CDs nicht bei. Wäre hilfreich gewesen.
Was die graphische Gestaltung des Booklets bereits verrät, machen Musik und Text noch offensichtlicher: Urfe ist ziemlich eindeutig vom Silent Hill Universum beeinflusst. Hätte man gut als Hörspiel zur Videospielreihe veröffentlichen können. Besonders zum Ende der ersten CD, wenn es nach verlorenen Seelen klingt, die mit verzweifelter Wucht einem Feuerofen entkommen möchten, wird die Verwandtschaft offensichtlich.
Urfe zu hören hat etwas hypnotisches, ist aber auf Dauer ein nervenzerrendes Unterfangen, dem auch die Gitarren-Ausbrüche im zweiten Teil keine Erlösung spendieren. Dennoch langweilt der atmosphärische dichte Höllentrip kaum und kann in der richtigen Stimmung für wohliges oder unbehagliches Gruseln sorgen. Mit den falschen Drogen zu sich genommen kann Urfe allerdings zu einem üblen Kater führen.
metal archives dot com
Sorry Mr. Urfe, this is only the beginning - 95% [SIZE=-1]Written by Transphilvanian on February 14th, 2009[/SIZE]
After releasing an industrial black metal maelstrom in the "Ichneumon Method" and a more eerie industrial black/ambient piece in Deleted Scenes from the Transition Hospital it was interesting to see where The Axis were going to take their music. Well, I can tell you right now, this one will divide opinion.
The Axis new album, Urfe, can be described as a spoken word piece derived over two disks, with musical contribution and a shed load of industrial ambience. The story, which I do not want to give away post-haste, is that of a man travelling thorough a broken city, full of all the horrors you would expect coming from this band, being led by a mysterious figure, or entity, named Pylon.
You are told the story by none other than horror and thriller actor Leslie Simpson whose work I find very effective as his British accent narrates the horrors experienced perfectly.
As far as the music goes, it is quite sparse and most of the narration is accompanied by industrial ambiance, moving along with what you would hear in the story. Admittedly this disappointed me, or should I say surprised me at first, because being a huge fan of the two previous outputs I was expecting more tortured riffs and more death or black metal vocals. After a few listens I realised that although there is still some of that present, this is an entirely different beast altogether and now I am very glad for that.
Most of the first disk is made up of spoken word and industrial ambience, bar some strangely Floyd-esque atmospherics and some keyboard work here and there. Now I am aware that this statement alone will put people off, but once you have been dragged in by the story there really is no turning back. This is not an album to rock out to, put a set of headphones in and take it in like a film, a horror film that is actually truly scary. These artists are trying to create, or recreate a genre and are doing it slowly, but very effectively in my opinion, although I have to say you need to invest time into Urfe to truly appreciate it. This disk seems like almost an introduction into the madness, but with the brilliance that is the narration combined with the eerie atmospherics and progressive meanderings I keep wanting to go back for more, leaving me perfectly prepared for the second part of the story.
The second disk has more work akin to their previous albums although still very in context with the story. The guitars make their entry here, contributing greatly to the atmosphere, even with the introduction of some clean singing in a similar style as other avant-garde black metal bands like Ved Buens Ende and Arcturus. There is also a return of the tortured shrieked vocals similar to on Deleted Scenes and these parts really up the intensity of the experience. It is as if the first disk is the first chapter of the story, and while it still has some fairly brain melting parts, the chaos really starts to ensue on the second disk with the story reaching new heights which really do require the blackened industrial metal accompaniment that The Axis supply. The story is still narrated throughout but it is more chopped up between the more metal instances in this disk, bringing the listener in and out of the creepy atmosphere and crushing metal, while still feeling Mr. Urfes pain on his un-fortuitous journey, only to be brought to a haunting conclusion towards the end.
Unfortunately there are a couple of things in this album that I do not believe completely work, although it never really ruins the experience for me. Such things as the very explicit sexual acts described remind me a bit too much of jokey goregrind bands. Also with the almost progressive meanderings Axis go into being a great surprise to me, I would have liked there to be maybe a smidgen more of this, but this is just me nit-picking really and to be honest I cannot really think of any other albums coming out this year or even in the more recent years past that have grabbed my attention as much as this (unless Snorre Ruch can produce another Grymyrk somehow).
Overall this is an album to be experienced rather than to be listened to and it will get its fair share of detractors from fans that just want brutality rather than atmosphere. I for one believe that with most metal releases coming out these days either being re-united bands releasing albums half as good as their old stuff, or bands trying to be retro, which may be fun but has no longevity , The Axis of Perdition have really pushed boundaries with this release. I would even go as far as saying that upon listening to it for the first couple of times I got the same overwhelming excitement and confusion as I had when first being exposed to other extremes like Morbid Angel and Darkthrone.
If you want to investigate the potential furthering of our beloved genre, you could do a lot worse that to investigate here but, I will warn you now, it may leave you asking .
Am I Dead?...... Is this, Death?.
Sorry Mr. Urfe, this is only the beginning - 95% [SIZE=-1]Written by Transphilvanian on February 14th, 2009[/SIZE]
After releasing an industrial black metal maelstrom in the "Ichneumon Method" and a more eerie industrial black/ambient piece in Deleted Scenes from the Transition Hospital it was interesting to see where The Axis were going to take their music. Well, I can tell you right now, this one will divide opinion.
The Axis new album, Urfe, can be described as a spoken word piece derived over two disks, with musical contribution and a shed load of industrial ambience. The story, which I do not want to give away post-haste, is that of a man travelling thorough a broken city, full of all the horrors you would expect coming from this band, being led by a mysterious figure, or entity, named Pylon.
You are told the story by none other than horror and thriller actor Leslie Simpson whose work I find very effective as his British accent narrates the horrors experienced perfectly.
As far as the music goes, it is quite sparse and most of the narration is accompanied by industrial ambiance, moving along with what you would hear in the story. Admittedly this disappointed me, or should I say surprised me at first, because being a huge fan of the two previous outputs I was expecting more tortured riffs and more death or black metal vocals. After a few listens I realised that although there is still some of that present, this is an entirely different beast altogether and now I am very glad for that.
Most of the first disk is made up of spoken word and industrial ambience, bar some strangely Floyd-esque atmospherics and some keyboard work here and there. Now I am aware that this statement alone will put people off, but once you have been dragged in by the story there really is no turning back. This is not an album to rock out to, put a set of headphones in and take it in like a film, a horror film that is actually truly scary. These artists are trying to create, or recreate a genre and are doing it slowly, but very effectively in my opinion, although I have to say you need to invest time into Urfe to truly appreciate it. This disk seems like almost an introduction into the madness, but with the brilliance that is the narration combined with the eerie atmospherics and progressive meanderings I keep wanting to go back for more, leaving me perfectly prepared for the second part of the story.
The second disk has more work akin to their previous albums although still very in context with the story. The guitars make their entry here, contributing greatly to the atmosphere, even with the introduction of some clean singing in a similar style as other avant-garde black metal bands like Ved Buens Ende and Arcturus. There is also a return of the tortured shrieked vocals similar to on Deleted Scenes and these parts really up the intensity of the experience. It is as if the first disk is the first chapter of the story, and while it still has some fairly brain melting parts, the chaos really starts to ensue on the second disk with the story reaching new heights which really do require the blackened industrial metal accompaniment that The Axis supply. The story is still narrated throughout but it is more chopped up between the more metal instances in this disk, bringing the listener in and out of the creepy atmosphere and crushing metal, while still feeling Mr. Urfes pain on his un-fortuitous journey, only to be brought to a haunting conclusion towards the end.
Unfortunately there are a couple of things in this album that I do not believe completely work, although it never really ruins the experience for me. Such things as the very explicit sexual acts described remind me a bit too much of jokey goregrind bands. Also with the almost progressive meanderings Axis go into being a great surprise to me, I would have liked there to be maybe a smidgen more of this, but this is just me nit-picking really and to be honest I cannot really think of any other albums coming out this year or even in the more recent years past that have grabbed my attention as much as this (unless Snorre Ruch can produce another Grymyrk somehow).
Overall this is an album to be experienced rather than to be listened to and it will get its fair share of detractors from fans that just want brutality rather than atmosphere. I for one believe that with most metal releases coming out these days either being re-united bands releasing albums half as good as their old stuff, or bands trying to be retro, which may be fun but has no longevity , The Axis of Perdition have really pushed boundaries with this release. I would even go as far as saying that upon listening to it for the first couple of times I got the same overwhelming excitement and confusion as I had when first being exposed to other extremes like Morbid Angel and Darkthrone.
If you want to investigate the potential furthering of our beloved genre, you could do a lot worse that to investigate here but, I will warn you now, it may leave you asking .
Am I Dead?...... Is this, Death?.
Your Imagination will be Tested - 95% [SIZE=-1]Written by Khull on March 31st, 2009[/SIZE]
While I'm not one to know if the while idea of putting a spoken story to music is a common occurrence in other genres of music, I can say for sure this is not something you'd find at all in metal. The Axis of Perdition return with another offering of urban decay, morbid obscenities, and a sound that can only be described as nightmarish in their latest album, Urfe. What's more, they add an original spin to it and put the whole thing as a story, narrating it in a way very reminiscent of 30's and 40's radio broadcasts, although it is safe to say Junior and family would rush to the living room to hear this story told by the warm fireplace.
Of equal importance to the narrated story (Which must end here due to possible spoilers. We wouldn't want that now, would we?) is the extremely dark ambient music always playing in the background. For those familiar with the Deleted Scenes album, the ambiance here will have the same feel; sounds that just can't help but get under your skin, eerie synths, and quite a number of other miscellaneous sound effects that add to the grand effect. For better or worse, at times this ambient music rises to a volume greater than the narrator at certain points, but not for very long. Enough to where one might strain to discern a few sentences; however, as one might also expect, this surge in volume often indicates the climactic parts of Urfe's story. Neither music nor narration really feel like they're competing for audible superiority; a fact of great importance as it makes for clear understanding of the narrator without losing focus on his voice while the background music registers in your head, and vise versa.
There are two complaints I have towards Urfe though, which was probably inevitable. The first being the choice of musical direction taken during the last half of the second disc. What appeal this album might have had for those less inclined towards metal is swept away as tracks II through IV of the second disc progress. The ambient music changes to a very violent and grating series of droning guitar riffs, placed at such a volume that, as the listener will inevitably have this album cranked to max, present a curious, and almost needless, state of unpleasantness, and successfully breaks the listener out of any state of enthrallment they might have been in . As one can imagine, the narration dies down in favor of shrieks reminiscent of the band's earlier albums. The story is lost for a time, at least for me; I couldn't make heads or tales of the vocals, and I don't imagine many other listeners could either. This isn't to say the music present is bad, on the contrary, it is very unnerving and fitting for the story's setting.
The second complaint, or rather warning, is there isn't much in the way of repeatability. Urfe is a story, hardly any different from a typical book. As such, I wouldn't expect this album to obtain multiple listens very often, especially since the whole effect is lost if interrupted, or started from anywhere but the beginning. Compare it to pulling a book of a shelf and flipping to a random page and reading; it doesn't make sense, does it? An hour and a half isn't a needlessly long time for an album, but given the circumstances in which it needs to be listened to, it could prove to be a daunting task.
When all is said and done, The Axis of Perdition still succeeds in delivering an amazing album. So long as one can get past the hyper-sensitivity of the subject matter, and any fan of these guys won't have a problem with that, the story is nothing but captivating and enthralling. I found myself bound to my area while the tracks of the first CD played, my mind racing to create this terrible world brought about by humankind that serves as the setting, and wondering how the story was going to end. Urfe presented a type of album completely new to me, and probably new to many listeners as well. I recommend this especially to fans of dark ambient, good stories, and anybody craving something new and different. Try not to let the above mentioned bit of disc two dissuade you, even when you reach it, because the story's conclusion more than makes up for the few minutes of discomfort. I promise.
Hats off to 'Axis' for what is probably the most intriguing album of 2009.
While I'm not one to know if the while idea of putting a spoken story to music is a common occurrence in other genres of music, I can say for sure this is not something you'd find at all in metal. The Axis of Perdition return with another offering of urban decay, morbid obscenities, and a sound that can only be described as nightmarish in their latest album, Urfe. What's more, they add an original spin to it and put the whole thing as a story, narrating it in a way very reminiscent of 30's and 40's radio broadcasts, although it is safe to say Junior and family would rush to the living room to hear this story told by the warm fireplace.
Of equal importance to the narrated story (Which must end here due to possible spoilers. We wouldn't want that now, would we?) is the extremely dark ambient music always playing in the background. For those familiar with the Deleted Scenes album, the ambiance here will have the same feel; sounds that just can't help but get under your skin, eerie synths, and quite a number of other miscellaneous sound effects that add to the grand effect. For better or worse, at times this ambient music rises to a volume greater than the narrator at certain points, but not for very long. Enough to where one might strain to discern a few sentences; however, as one might also expect, this surge in volume often indicates the climactic parts of Urfe's story. Neither music nor narration really feel like they're competing for audible superiority; a fact of great importance as it makes for clear understanding of the narrator without losing focus on his voice while the background music registers in your head, and vise versa.
There are two complaints I have towards Urfe though, which was probably inevitable. The first being the choice of musical direction taken during the last half of the second disc. What appeal this album might have had for those less inclined towards metal is swept away as tracks II through IV of the second disc progress. The ambient music changes to a very violent and grating series of droning guitar riffs, placed at such a volume that, as the listener will inevitably have this album cranked to max, present a curious, and almost needless, state of unpleasantness, and successfully breaks the listener out of any state of enthrallment they might have been in . As one can imagine, the narration dies down in favor of shrieks reminiscent of the band's earlier albums. The story is lost for a time, at least for me; I couldn't make heads or tales of the vocals, and I don't imagine many other listeners could either. This isn't to say the music present is bad, on the contrary, it is very unnerving and fitting for the story's setting.
The second complaint, or rather warning, is there isn't much in the way of repeatability. Urfe is a story, hardly any different from a typical book. As such, I wouldn't expect this album to obtain multiple listens very often, especially since the whole effect is lost if interrupted, or started from anywhere but the beginning. Compare it to pulling a book of a shelf and flipping to a random page and reading; it doesn't make sense, does it? An hour and a half isn't a needlessly long time for an album, but given the circumstances in which it needs to be listened to, it could prove to be a daunting task.
When all is said and done, The Axis of Perdition still succeeds in delivering an amazing album. So long as one can get past the hyper-sensitivity of the subject matter, and any fan of these guys won't have a problem with that, the story is nothing but captivating and enthralling. I found myself bound to my area while the tracks of the first CD played, my mind racing to create this terrible world brought about by humankind that serves as the setting, and wondering how the story was going to end. Urfe presented a type of album completely new to me, and probably new to many listeners as well. I recommend this especially to fans of dark ambient, good stories, and anybody craving something new and different. Try not to let the above mentioned bit of disc two dissuade you, even when you reach it, because the story's conclusion more than makes up for the few minutes of discomfort. I promise.
Hats off to 'Axis' for what is probably the most intriguing album of 2009.
Watchmaker_
Intensive Care Bear
I know this is a bit off topic, but are there any plans to print up some Axis shirts Emi? Urfe is a masterpiece.
Similar threads
