Dark Music Review – Strenuus (Imperial Edition)
Written By Casey Douglass
Team Nakrikal certainly
lives up to its description on Bandcamp: “high-quality dark ambient
releases with lots of content.” Strenuus (Imperial Edition)
by Demagolka, features two album’s worth of tracks coming in at sixteen, each
around the ten minute mark in duration, give or take a few
exceptions. Of course, that’s quantity covered, but what about the
quality? I'll get onto that after the blurb from the Strenuus
(Imperial Edition) page:
Produced by Stateslaver Zero, "Strenuus: Imperial Edition" is a massive, special bundle including a remastered re-issue of Demagolka's previous material and a brand new album, "Varmalus" - featuring over 2 hours of dark ambient composed by one of Nakrikal Records' finest acts!
Disc One (tracks 1-9) contains remastered tracks taken from "Strenuus" and the "Bloodfen" EP, as well as two bonus pieces of music exclusive to this release.
Disc Two (tracks 10-14) is Demagolka's latest, sixth studio album, "Varmalus". The new album contains over 50 minutes of epic ambient music.
Imperial Edition comes with bonus goodies - hi-res artwork and bonus music from Stateslaver Zero!
Usually in my reviews,
I begin with a little bit of titillation, describing the sound and
feel before moving onto the tracks themselves and then summing up
with my thoughts and rating at the end. As Strenuus (Imperial
Edition) is a beast of an album, this would make the review unwieldy
to say the least. With this in mind, I won’t analyse every track, I
will just mention my favourites and give an overview of the sound you
can expect from the album.
The sound of Strenuus
(Imperial Edition) is, at first hearing, a less complex form of dark
ambient, seeming to lack the multitude of layers some of the other
artists that I’m used to utilise. This is to miss the point
entirely however. There may not be much in the way of creepy
atmospheric recordings or on-the-nose sound effects, but the simpler
sound is none the less complex in its own way. Listening to many of
the tracks gives rise to what I can only call a chime or bell effect.
If you strike a chime or bell, you will know what it sounds like as
the sound reverberations die down, the sound slowly slipping away.
Imagine striking it but that the sound dies and returns, dies and
returns, setting up a pleasing resonance that gives rise to other
audio sensations. These other sensations might be thinking that you
hear voices in the music but aren’t sure, or picking up on rhythms
that you might think you are imagining.
There are also no harsh
changes of direction with the music of Strenuus. Some tracks
might take on a different tone or undertone after awhile but for the
most part, each track is a smooth and measured experience with little
to jar or unsettle you. This makes it a great album to listen to when
chilling out.
One of the stand-out
tracks for me was Waste Forge. It begins with a buzzing energetic
sound, a feeling of rotation and industry, like a large dynamo
spinning up. This track gave me the imagined scene of a beehive
populated with enormous mechanical bees, flitting about and tending
to the dark machinery that is fizzing and rotating at its core. The
tone of the track changes about half way through which might just
indicate a different phase of operation for the colossal device.
Sinister and resonant, a great track.
Another track that I
really liked was Oil, a track that starts with an almost whistling
whine, maybe suggesting some large contraption gaining steam as it
strives for life. The undulating noises mix with deeper tones to
create a rhythm the holds and carries the interest of the listener
before fading to a more echoing and peaceful soundscape.
The third track to
catch my attention was Bloodfen. Beginning with a sound that seems to
carry a roiling threat, it dissolves into high-pitched sounds that
echo and drone almost at the edge of hearing. Tinkling mingles with
it and brings to mind, my mind, a pixie graveyard at the edge of
reality, a sparkling fog blown across it by strange wind currents.
The final track that I
wanted to mention by name is Mute Goddess. Imagine a choir of women
singing the ‘ahhhhhh’ sound in a gentle way and that is pretty
much how this one starts. The track begins with a light hearted if
mournful tone and twists to something darker as it progresses, like a
wary traveller seeing an oasis in the desert, only to have it keep
pulling away. A beautiful track.
The other tracks not
mentioned all follow the same sound textures but for varying reasons
didn’t really impress themselves on me in the same way as the ones
I mention by name. This is not to say that they are any less
interesting however.
As a whole, I give
Strenuus (Imperial Edition) 4/5. The quantity is
certainly there, the quality too. As I am frequently saying, I do
love the darkest of dark ambient, really multi-layered and jarring.
I’m not sure I would have picked Strenuus (Imperial Edition)
up myself had it not been given to me for review, but now that I have
listened to it, I feel that I would have been missing out on
something very enjoyable.
Visit the Strenuus
(Imperial Edition) page on Bandcamp here for more information.
I was given a free
copy of the album to review.
Album Title: Strenuus
(Imperial Edition)
Artist: Demagolka
Label: Nakrikal Records
Produced by:
Stateslaver Zero
Released : 18th
December 2014
