Dark Music Review – Metropolis
Written By Casey Douglass
Locked out from the Illusion, this album takes place entirely in our former home. The darkened sky and gargantuan citadels line the horizon as the endless city, we once ruled as gods, stretches as far as the eye can see. Crossing the sea of the dead in search for a Beacon of Light that can lead the expedition to uncover the truth about the factions in control, what happened to the long lost architect and how to open a portal back into the colorful illusion the ignorant call home.This 11 track Atrium Carceri album is closely connected to The Untold and sheds more light unto what goes on in the Atrium Carceri universe and the Metropois in particular. An industrial, dark, distorted and cinematic experience unlike any other with amazing attention to detail and subtle layering, this album begs for repeated listening to take it all in.
Well,
with an album blurb like that, what more can I possibly say? Fans of
Atrium Carceri will already be well aware of the kind of audio
experience on offer and if you have yet to hear any of Atrium
Carceri’s soundscapes, don’t worry, you are on the path to
salvation, if you will only keep on reading (and actually go that
extra step and visit the Metropolis link at the bottom of this
review).
Metropolis
is an album that features rich soundscapes that revel in bestowing on
the listener scenes and impressions from other places and realms.
This is the reason why I enjoy the dark ambient genre so much and
Metropolis is a very good example of what I feel are the strengths of
the genre. Of course, if you don’t like dark things, it won’t be
for you, but if you do, read on.
The
Tracks:
The
Gargantuan Tower
An
ominous drone with wind-like properties is joined by a flare of sound
with subtle whisper-like elements, like ghosts attracted to the
living or moths to a flame in the darkness. The sounds of footsteps
accompanied by a spoken narrative sets the scene, with talk of being
trapped for a long time. The track ends quietly, the soundscape
cleansed for what comes next.
The
Dark Mother
Gentle
piano mingles with the sounds of rubble shifting and resonating
tones and tinkling notes that shimmer in the air, painting pictures
of dark architecture and abandoned spaces. When the beat joins, the
piano distorts, the audio equivalent of a fairground mirror warping
the person’s reflection, the beat itself a deeper tone that punches
its way through the melodies around it, falling away now and then to
reveal the sounds of movement in the darkness.
Across
the Sea of the Dead
A
muffled rumbling drone sits under the sound of dripping water and
swamp noises, chirruping and croaking, the soundscape thick with the
promise of stench and oppressively humid air. A wind noise does
suggest itself but it feels more like a death rattle, hot and
prolonged, like being in the belly of beast that is slowly fading
away. The cry of a bird pierces the soundscape at about the half way
point, the “wind” bellowing in reaction. Other notes only occur
in the last 1/3 of the track, a journey from one shore to another the
journey undertaken.
Black
Needle
Sounds
of movement and a pulsing sound are soon joined by a deeper tone and
lighter melody. A drone joins and distorts. Sounds like a music box
soon follow, the notes hanging eerily in the air before being joined
by similar notes. To me, this track suggested someone searching a
derelict place, looking for something but at the same time, hiding
from the things looking for them.
Decrepit
City
An
almost fanfare-like note starts this track, sounds of furtive
movement hidden by its echoing distortions. It sounds very much like
the mockery of a national anthem, something that should be all pomp
and glory but now resonating over a dead city, the sound as twisted
as the skeletal remains of the black buildings it reflects from.
Lighter chiming joins at the midpoint, maybe suggesting some faerie
fire, Wil-O’-the-Wisp type pixie light come to cry over the dead.
Sacred
Slab
A
quite harsh drone rises and fades, a subdued beat and higher sounds
adding to the mix. They take on a high pitched female singing voice,
to me at least, like angels singing a long way away, before the drone
quells them once more. The drone itself is like the rumbling of a
spaceship taking off, crackling heat and joined by definite vocals
along for the ride.
200
Days
Dripping
water and spoken words about distant lands and not being saved are
backed by a drone that is soon met with a deep tone that drags the
mind down into the despair of the speaker. Harsher tones join it as
it ends with a “plink”. The sound has a sharper edge as the track
continues. Things die down with a slightly warmer drone near the end,
melancholy vying with the dripping water for saturation.
Industrial
District
A
dual-tone begins this track with high-pitched and droning elements
rubbing against each other. A pulsing low-pitched rhythm begins,
higher notes playing like some kind of down-tuned alarm signal. If
the listener is ever able to roam the dark streets of a steampunk
city with rusting robots patrolling the cobbles and belching steam,
this is the soundtrack that fits that scenario.
Heart
of the Metropolis
A
very deep drone that rises in pitch begins this track, a deep pulsing
bass sound injecting a feeling of threat and claustrophobia to
proceedings. Lighter notes do add some highlighting to the soundscape
but this is a maudlin track that just seems to ooze between the ears.
The latter part of the track features a sound like a crow slowly
being strangled, but slowed down to less shrill levels.
The
Cowled Seers
Clear
notes sound in a lighter space, the odd eerie rumbling and whooshing
of wind making things seem more whimsical than fearful. The wind
sound undulates and is joined by lone piano chords, time slows and
forces are corralled. The piano notes are joined by others later as a
melody emerges, delicate and poignant.
The
Machine
A
low drone punctuated with metallic rattlings and deep booming noises.
The sound is jarring and creaking, the almost clockwork-like squeaks
suggesting the titular machine is coming to life, aware of the
attention of the listener and not best pleased to say the least.
Choral vocals add to this effect, like the rising of Lucifer or of some
great creature. The music twists and a darker choir is seemingly
joined by more bestial roars as things begin to shift. String notes
join the soundscape as what sounds like the hiss of steam erupts from
the dark machine, the music swelling around the expulsions.
Thoughts:
Metropolis
is a textured album that brings so many of the thing I enjoy about
Atrium Carceri’s work to the composition of the tracks; from the
eldritch rumblings and drones to the ambient sounds that fill the
soundscapes with life (or un-life). Particular tracks that I might
label as favourites were Decrepit City and Industrial District, the
first for its corrupted feeling of majesty, the second for its slight
steampunk associations for me. I also particularly enjoyed Across the
Sea of the Dead for the way it managed to merge the stifling
atmosphere of a swamp-like scene with the chill of a ghostly journey.
I
give Metropolis 4.5/5 as it has nearly all the elements I
enjoy from dark ambient music, produced in a high quality and
textured way that really transports me to places you just don’t find in
any travel brochure.
Visit
the Metropolis Bandcamp page here for more info.
I was given a free
copy of the album to review.
Album Title: Metropolis
Artist: Atrium Carceri
Label: Cryo Chamber
Written, Produced,
Artwork and Mastering by: Simon Heath
