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░ ██ ██ Artist: Somnus Aeternus ██ ██
▓ █░░ ■█ Album: Exulansis █■ ░░█
■ █▓▀ █ Year: 2016 █ ▀▓█ ░
█ ▓ Rel. Date: 2016-07-17 ▓ █
▒ ▒ Genre: Death Metal ▒ ▒
█▄ ░ Label: Epidemie Records ░ ▄█
░ █▄ ░ Source: CD ░ ▄█
░ █▓ Type: Album ▓█ ░
▓ █ Quality: VBR, 44.1kHz, Joint Stereo █ ░ ▓
▓ █ █ ░ ▓
▄ ■ ■ ▓ ■
░█ █░ ▀
█ Like me, you'd probably struggle to list many █
█ Czech Doom bands: Et Moriemur, R.E.T. and Mistress █
█ Of The Dead being the most well-known to spring to █
█ mind. And, having produced that (short)list - or █
█ even with a bit more research via Metal Archives' █
█ advanced search - what might strike you is that █
█ not only are they genuinely few in number, but █
█ completely disparate in style: there simply isn't █
█ a consistent 'Czech sound' to point towards. █
█ Instead, there's a tendency to experiment with █
█ mixing up styles and genres, often with unusual █
█ but interesting results. █
█ I mention this, as Somnus Aeternus rather █
█ personify that sense of experimentalism: their █
█ 2012 debut 'On The Shores Of Oblivion' receiving a █
█ somewhat quizzical review on these pages. Whilst I █
█ sympathised with my colleague Dominik's difficulty █
█ in classifying it, and agreed with his assessment █
█ in terms of the band's potential, I'd have to say █
█ that I also rated the album a lot more highly in █
█ its own right - and I've been curious about what a █
█ sophomore follow-up might sound like ever since. █
█ And, finally, here is 'Exulansis' to answer that █
█ question. █
█ There have been some changes in the intervening █
█ years, with only two of the 'On The Shores...' █
█ line-up - guitarist Wohma and vocalist Insomnic, █
█ between them also representing most of the lyrical █
█ input of that album - remaining. Now slimmed down █
█ from a six- to a five-piece outfit, the █
█ instrumental spread is the same, as new member Ced █
█ doubles up on bass and keyboard duties, though █
█ there is less prominent use of the latter on this █
█ release. They have also switched labels, from █
█ Solitude to the more esoteric Epidemie Records - █
█ the Czech label responsible for releases by acts █
█ like Aarni, Umbra Nihil and Gallileous, which may █
█ be a bit of a hint... █
█ Having also taken the route of longer, somewhat █
█ heavier compositions, and dropped most of the █
█ melodic/Gothic sound that characterised the debut, █
█ what emerges is actually something like the █
█ off-kilter, unpredictable and somewhat chaotic █
█ Prog/Death/Doom of Phlebotomized (or, to a lesser █
█ extent, Yearning), seasoned with Black Metal █
█ shrieking and uptempo sections, plus a little █
█ Post-Metal guitarwork. And much like the Dutch █
█ band's works, that doesn't make 'Exulansis' a █
█ particularly accessible, or easy to absorb, album. █
█ Indeed, first or casual impressions may well be of █
█ an undisciplined sprawl, lacking much in the way █
█ of continuity. Which is actually both true and █
█ untrue - there are discontinuities, but deliberate █
█ ones, in which the oxymoron 'organised chaos' may █
█ well be correct. █
█ Fortunately, the comprehensive lyrics (included █
█ physically or electronically with all versions, █
█ and all written by Insomnic) and the additional █
█ booklet elaborating on the back story (collector's █
█ edition only) do explain what is going on. The █
█ word exulansis is an invented one, created by US █
█ artist John Koenig for his Dictionary of Obscure █
█ Sorrows project, meaning: 'the tendency to give up █
█ trying to talk about an experience because people █
█ are unable to relate to it'. Which is at the core █
█ of the life and death of the album's protagonist █
█ 'S.', driven to achieve exceptionality only so █
█ that he can end it with a grand and glorious █
█ suicide, in order to honour his dead love's █
█ memory. It is a thoughtful construction, more so █
█ than a quick precis can convey, and S.'s internal █
█ struggles with reason, understanding and █
█ acceptance carry a lot of depth apposite to the █
█ turbulence of the music. Conceptually, it actually █
█ quite reminds me of The Pretty Things' similarly █
█ challenging (for the time) 'S.F. Sorrow'. █
█ So 'Exulansis' kicks off with the furiously █
█ howling 'Zen And The Demise' - covering S.'s █
█ suicide in the void of space - and then throttles █
█ back to pick up the earlier story. Initially it █
█ returns to before his wife's death, with the █
█ mellower 'Insecure Pawn', then steers through █
█ 'Frostbound''s funereal tragi-comedy, in which he █
█ tries to come to terms with her passing. The █
█ second half of the album covers two long tracks █
█ and a brief instrumental outro: the █
█ semi-blackened, stomping 'Path Through Oblivion' █
█ traces S.'s descent into grief, years of waiting, █
█ then randomly walking until exhausted, and - █
█ finally - with the eerie textures of 'Reaching The █
█ Anatta', resolving to qualify for the first manned █
█ Mars voyage in order to make his grand gesture and █
█ finish the story. █
█ There's a lot going on in each of the tracks, very █
█ little of it repetitive - don't look to find much █
█ in the way of established riffs or rhythms. The █
█ instruments concentrate on progressive █
█ explorations, each track unfolding through █
█ multiple sections, each one changing pace and █
█ aggressiveness: echoed by the vocals that range █
█ from deep and clean through growls and into █
█ violent shrieking. Just as you would expect from █
█ the heavily-narrative concept, the music has to █
█ trace the entire, complicated story arc, and does █
█ so by splitting each of the five larger pieces █
█ into a series of developing vignettes. It rewards █
█ concentration, essentially: lose track of the █
█ story and the very changeability of the album can █
█ lead it to become a shapeless swirl of unresolved █
█ elements; pay attention, and it takes on an █
█ unfolding and fascinating nature. █
█ It also establishes a less ambiguous Doom presence █
█ for the band than the debut: the story is █
█ certainly doomy enough, the pace generally is, and █
█ there's a fair amount of depressingly crushing █
█ heaviness involved, even if the underlying █
█ technical nature of the compositions instinctively █
█ seem like they could just as easily belong to the █
█ likes of Opeth's Prog/Death or Negura Bunget's █
█ Prog/Black schools as with the aforementioned more █
█ Doom-oriented bands. That's simply an observation, █
█ though; I don't have any criticism of the style █
█ and direction of the album - indeed, the only █
█ minor complaint I'd muster would be that I'm not █
█ always that taken with the deeper Death-growl █
█ vocals: though mostly comprehensible, which is a █
█ bonus, they can also be somewhat invariant and a █
█ little uninvolving compared to the colour in the █
█ other vocal styles. █
█ Overall, there has been a commendable amount of █
█ evolution and experimentation gone into the making █
█ of 'Exulansis', and wherever you want to █
█ pigeonhole the actual result, it's still an █
█ intelligent, complete and deep concept realised █
█ with considerable skill and dedication. I will say █
█ I'm glad that I opted to buy the collector's █
█ edition - having the full story to peruse █
█ certainly enhances the experience - but the lavish █
█ and beautifully-packaged standard version still █
█ gives enough information for it all to make sense. █
█ Being completely honest, I'm not sure whether it's █
█ going to find massive general appeal: it's perhaps █
█ too complex, individual and difficult for that, █
█ but if you're after music that doesn't offer up █
█ its secrets as an easy reward, Somnus Aeternus █
█ come highly recommended. █
▓ ▓
▒ ▒
░ 1. Zen and The Demise 11:33 ░
░ 2. Insecure Pawn 6:44 ░
░ 3. Frostbound 8:24 ░
░ 4. Path Through Oblivion 11:23 ░
░ 5. Reaching The Anatta 12:36 ░
░ 6. VI 1:54 ░
░ 52:34 ░
░ ▒ ▒
▓ █ ░ ▓ ░
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