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Obsequiae-Aria_Of_Vernal_Tombs-CD-FLAC-2015-CATARACT
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ARTIST : Obsequiae STOREDATE : 00-00-2015
ALBUM : Aria of Vernal Tombs RIPDATE : 12-12-2015
YEAR : 2015 RUNTIME : 44:17 min
GENRE : Black Metal LANGUAGE : English
LABEL : 20 Buck Spin GRABBER : EAC Secure
SOURCE : CDDA ENCODER : FLAC 1.2.1
QUALITY : 906 kbps Avg 44.1kHz 2 channels SIZE : 321.6MB
URL : http://tinyurl.com/jcqjdtf TRACKS : 11 Files
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01 Ay Que Por Muy Gran Fremosura 3:03
02 Autumnal Pyre 5:24
03 Until All Ages Fall 5:06
04 L'amour Dont Sui Espris 3:22
05 Pools Of A Vernal Paradise 5:36
06 Anlace And Heart 5:19
07 The Anchoress's Orison 1:38
08 In The Absence Of Light 5:05
09 Wilweorthunga 2:34
10 Des Oge Mais Quer' Eu Trobar 2:08
11 Orphic Rites Of The Mystic 5:02
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44:17 min
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│ │
│ Tanner Anderson barely has time to end his guarantee of our │
│ collective mortalityùor that "the same fate comes for us all," as he │
│ roars halfway through "Anlace and Heart"ùbefore his guitar begins to │
│ exalt the proclamation. His squealing solo takes a simple riff for a │
│ short, jubilant ride, as if heÆs a glam-metal headliner leaning back │
│ with his eyes closed. He pushes notes together and pulls them apart, │
│ the carousel-like movement of the melody suggesting delight in the │
│ face of death. Like most of Aria of Vernal Tombs, the captivating │
│ second album by AndersonÆs metal-and-medieval-music amalgam │
│ Obsequiae, "Anlace and Heart" explores cycles of birth, death, and │
│ rebirth. Greek gods battle with nervous mortals. Seasons shift, so │
│ that needles drop from tired tamarack branches. People weep as │
│ once-happy homes succumb to senescence. Jumping between black metal │
│ and doom, death metal and delicate interludes played on a medieval │
│ harp, the music animates all of these ideas, turning centuries of │
│ dark thoughts into 44 bright, momentous minutes. │
│ │
│ Anderson appears to be invested in intersections, or what the │
│ lessons of the past can say about the present and what seemingly │
│ disconnected forms of music (metal and otherwise) can afford one │
│ another. He has clocked nearly two decades in the metal underground, │
│ that time split between the grim doom act Celestiial and Obsequiae │
│ precursor Autumnal Winds. Recently, heÆs been playing harp and │
│ assorted acoustic instruments in Hiraeth Eschar, the eerie │
│ soundscape project of Agalloch bassist Jason William Walton. At │
│ last, Aria of Vernal Tombs aggregates and unifies all those │
│ experiences, synthesizing them into songs that fold AndersonÆs │
│ passions into singular sweeping motions. ObsequiaeÆs previous album, │
│ Suspended in the Brume of Eos, aimed for a similar end, but it often │
│ felt self-conscious and separated, its rigid parts coexisting on a │
│ record rather than cooperating. (ItÆs symptomatic of that recordÆs │
│ try-hard approach that Anderson and the bandÆs former drummer took │
│ the names of prominent 12th-century musicians in the credits.) But │
│ on Aria, where most tracks interlock with their neighbors, the vivid │
│ black metal of "Wilweorthunga" flows perfectly from the triumphant │
│ solo that closes "In the Absence of Light" and into a pensive, dense │
│ instrumental meditation. That sequence captures the sprawl of │
│ AndersonÆs interests in less than 10 minutes. │
│ │
│ Metal has a dirty habit of embracing bygone eras and appropriating │
│ historic symbols and stories without actually incorporating how │
│ those times might have sounded or felt into the music. ItÆs easy and │
│ alluring to slap a painting of a Viking feast or an ancient battle │
│ scene on a record cover or a name in a song title, more │
│ sophisticated and subtle to make those elements a dynamic and vital │
│ component of the finished product. Obsequiae plunders the past, of │
│ course. The cover of their debut featured a detail of a 15th-century │
│ fresco, where a regal woman posed among unicorns and other strange, │
│ smiling beasts. Likewise, Aria of Vernal Tombs offers a gorgeous │
│ scene of ruins at the gloaming. And a third of AriaÆs tracks are │
│ atmospheric harp solos, augmented only by the glow of echo. │
│ │
│ But the real power of Aria of Vernal Tombs stems from how │
│ deliberately and diligently Obsequiae integrate these elements into │
│ the main eventùthat is, the metal. AndersonÆs methodical grammar, │
│ antiquated vocabulary, and rich reference library offer the │
│ impression that youÆre opening an ancient, sealed text. ItÆs no │
│ coincidence that the liner notes come printed on stained paper that │
│ appears to be centuries old. Sure, that sounds pretentious, but the │
│ same principle actually makes the music thrilling. The guitar solos, │
│ for instance, often mirror the action of the harp, and vice versa. │
│ At the opening of "Anlace and Heart", AndersonÆs pace and polyphony │
│ suggest the interlocking melodies of Vincent la Camera Mari±oÆs harp │
│ interludes. The album opens with a harp piece, the notes piling into │
│ thickets and then spreading into thin strings. When a bell tolls │
│ after three minutes and the grand anthem "Autumnal Pyre" begins, it │
│ seems less like a new song and more like Anderson and drummer Andrew │
│ Della Cagna have simply replaced Mari±o. Anderson sings through │
│ refracted black metal shrieks. The drums swing between blast beats │
│ and an unwavering march. Topped with arching, heroic guitars, │
│ however, the music is of a piece with its instrumental predecessor, │
│ a modern update of several classic obsessions. The past becomes more │
│ than a sales pitch. │
│ │
│ Despite AndersonÆs longevity, he and his bands have existed in │
│ relative obscurity to date. But Aria of Vernal Tombs should help │
│ change that. Its deft reach across multiple metal aisles and │
│ resplendent, refined sense of presentation and production recall the │
│ recent successes of Agalloch and Chris BlackÆs assorted projects. │
│ Such gradual movement and improvement dovetail well with AndersonÆs │
│ philosophy of slow, almost ecclesiastic change. Obsequiae have │
│ matured into a great band, Anderson a brilliant leader. ItÆs as │
│ though being very aware of an inevitable end helped him make Aria of │
│ Vernal Tombs count. │
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