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░ ██ ██ Artist: Narrow House ██ ██
▓ █░░ ■█ Album: Thanathonaut █■ ░░█
■ █▓▀ █ Year: 2014 █ ▀▓█ ░
█ ▓ Rel. Date: 2015-02-07 ▓ █
▒ ▒ Genre: Metal ▒ ▒
█▄ ░ Label: BadMoodMan Music ░ ▄█
░ █▄ ░ Source: CD ░ ▄█
░ █▓ Type: Album ▓█ ░
▓ █ Quality: VBR, 44.1kHz, Joint Stereo █ ░ ▓
▓ █ █ ░ ▓
▄ ■ ■ ▓ ■
░█ █░ ▀
█ Thanathonaut is an artificial word construction, █
█ which consists of two words. Thanatos (T??at??) is █
█ the personification of death in the ancient Greek █
█ mythology, while nautes (?a?t??) translates to █
█ "sailor". But by adding these two together, this █
█ merger leaves a certain amount of confusion, █
█ because they fail to add up properly. Sailing the █
█ stars as in ôastronautö makes some sense, as in █
█ the case of ôcosmonautö, while ôsailing deathö █
█ appears to be an impossibility; especially due to █
█ singularity of this person û Death û and therefore █
█ the dimensional limitation of this attempt. A █
█ styxonaut or an acheronaut might be deemed valid, █
█ though. █
█ Nevertheless, even though this kind of rambling █
█ might appear to be superfluous, it might still █
█ prove to be fruitful to explore this topic a bit █
█ further. Thanatos lives between the light and █
█ darkness. At a place which will never receive any █
█ sunlight. He stands on the border of two worlds █
█ and this is something that appears reflected in █
█ the compositions throughout the album. ôNarrow █
█ Houseö from the Ukraine perform music that might █
█ have been funeral doom at some point, but whose █
█ music has left this path definitely behind. In █
█ fact, a good portion of this output is not even █
█ metal any more. To find even a proper category for █
█ all the facets on Thanathonaut appears to be an █
█ impossible task indeed. █
█ This might give an indication on the style of the █
█ music: █
█ 1. Instrumental intro with samples █
█ 2. Doom / Death Metal █
█ 3. Doom Metal with various influences █
█ 4. Doom Metal █
█ 5. Nearly instrumental metal / ambient █
█ 6. Interlude █
█ 7. Nearly instrumental metal / ambient █
█ 8. Mostly instrumental metal / ambient █
█ 9. Interlude █
█ 10. Doom / Death Metal █
█ █
█ There is a sense of Gamardah Fungus, also from the █
█ Ukraine, in the music on this release. The overall █
█ melancholic atmosphere, the mellowing of the █
█ saxophone and the steadiness in the performance, █
█ all give a small indication into this direction. █
█ Of course, the genre of each of the bands differ, █
█ but considering how Narrow House has progressed █
█ over time, the gap between these projects has not █
█ widened but rather closed a bit. Should someone █
█ expect now that Thanathonaut consists of excessive █
█ and complex compositions, similar to those of the █
█ aforementioned band, then this person is mistaken. █
█ 40:15 in total length and ten tracks give more █
█ than a hint of the direction in which the album is █
█ going. Sadly this mere mathematical perspective on █
█ the whole issue is not far from the truth and █
█ there is a certain reluctance on the side of the █
█ band to fully develop the ideas and bring them to █
█ fruition. The tracks come over as unfinished and █
█ somehow they end all too sudden and leave the █
█ listener confused about this sudden break. With █
█ the concept of the release in the back of the █
█ head, the performance appears as such as it would █
█ discuss only a fraction of the facets of the █
█ entire topic, while important other ones are left █
█ out and ignored û somehow as if these would be an █
█ unwelcome mess up one's logic and theory. █
█ Thanathonaut may have a message, but it fails to █
█ bring it across due to the atomization of all that █
█ should or must be said. █
█ What is it that remains in the end à what is the █
█ core aspect of it all? What it all lacks is any █
█ sense of level of trying to engage the listener. █
█ There is no sense of keeping up the atmosphere, of █
█ playing with dynamics and explore ideas on a █
█ broader scale. And how could the band? With track █
█ whose length is mostly below the four minutes █
█ mark, ideas remain unexplored and kept in an █
█ unfinished state. Why for instance is there no █
█ sound of the Peace Bell in Hiroshima? Its distinct █
█ sound and droning tone has much more to offer in █
█ terms of the atmosphere than all of the tracks of █
█ the Ukrainians combined. A saxophone is an █
█ interesting instrument and certainly able to █
█ create a wide variety amount of sounds and noises. █
█ But why offer only this safe and harmonious stuff? █
█ Aspec(t)'s Skinless album can be brought forth as █
█ an example on to what levels this instrument can █
█ be pushed. ôNarrow Houseö are miles away from █
█ this. Considering that ôwar and nuclear weaponsö █
█ (from an information file that came with the █
█ promo-MP3s) are the main topics on this album and █
█ considering further how the band actually refuses █
█ to deal with the matter through lyrics or proper █
█ noises. A good production cannot cover up the █
█ flaws in the song-writing process. █
█ The cover reveals how the mask has been torn off █
█ and something else, impossible to see for the █
█ spectator, might possibly have been revealed à █
█ somewhere. Should it remind us on ôThey Liveö and █
█ its message on ideology and perception of reality? █
▓ ▓
▒ ▒
░ 1. Crossroads 4:19 ░
░ 2. The First Day of the Rest of Your Life 3:26 ░
░ 3. Furious Thoughts of Tranquility 2:32 ░
░ 4. The Midwife to Sorrows 5:04 ░
░ 5. Thanathonaut 5:08 ░
░ 6. A Sad Scream of Silver 3:31 ░
░ 7. Crushing the Old Empire 2:59 ░
░ 8. The Last Retreat 3:50 ░
░ 9. Doom over Valiria 2:08 ░
░ 10. Vozrozhdenie 7:12 ░
░ 40:09 ░
░ ▒ ▒
▓ █ ░ ▓ ░
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