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/: :\
/:: Artist :: Jupiterian ::\
:: Album :: Terraforming ::
:: Year :: 2023 ::
:: __ _ _ __ ::
-:--\\-----------------------------------------------------------------//--:-
:: \ / ::
:: . Genre :: Metal Source :: CD . ::
:: Label :: Nihil Productions R.date :: 2024-04-29 ::
_::__ Cat.nr. :: NPCD-044 S.date :: 2023-00-00 __::_
::// \\::
::/---------------------------------------------------------------------\::
:: ::
/: Encoder :: LAME 3.100 -V0 :\
..: Bitrate :: avg. 275kbps :..
. Quality :: 44.1 kHz/Joint Stereo .
. Size :: 80.13 MB .
. .
__ __ _ . : _ ____ _ _ ____ _ : . _ __ __
.\\\\------- : | ---\ /---------------------\ /--- | : -------////.
+/ -\------- | | ----\ tracklist /---- | | -------/- \+
/: . : : . :\
/:: ::\
:: 1. Matriarch 7:20 ::
:: 2. Unearthly Glow 7:54 ::
:: 3. Forefathers 6:13 ::
:: 4. Terraforming 3:47 ::
:: 5. Us and Them 7:10 ::
:: 6. Sol 6:18 ::
:: ::
:: ::
:: ------- ::
.. >> 38:42 ..
__ __ _ . : _ ____ _ _ ____ _ : . _ __ __
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+/ -\------- | | ----\ release notes /---- | | -------/- \+
/: . : : . :\
/:: ::\
:: ::
:: Bands like Jupiterian tend to be interpreted one of two ways. ::
:: Either the overwhelming sonic scope and atmosphere lead ::
:: listeners to proclaim them the heaviest thing since sliced ::
:: bread, or the lack of memorable riffs and distinctive musical ::
:: accomplishments result in a rubbishing of the band on the ::
:: principle that they donÆt have real songs. I'd argue that both ::
:: of those groups are missing the point slightly, although the ::
:: latter party may be guilty of more wilful ignorance than the ::
:: former. You see, I feel that Jupiterian have been accruing ::
:: greater and greater philosophical import (call it creative ::
:: ideology if you prefer) since their formation, with ::
:: Terraforming a clear watershed moment. This second full-length ::
:: shows, in my eyes, much clearer thinking than prior releases, ::
:: manifested by a coalescence of all 6 tracks around core ::
:: principles of theme and approach. ::
:: ::
:: Jupiterian's style could be called textured sludge metal, since ::
:: the heft of sandy, distorted bass and thick, rumbling guitar ::
:: rub up against several minor elements in most of the songs, ::
:: steering the album firmly towards its atmospheric goals. With a ::
:: bit of my own interpretation - necessary due to the roared ::
:: vocals leaving lyrics indistinct - it seems that Terraforming ::
:: once again channels the obsession with ancient times that these ::
:: Brazilians advertised with debut EP Archaic, yet now the focus ::
:: takes on a decidedly terrestrial hue as opposed to those ::
:: spiritual pursuits that occupy some other atmospheric sludge ::
:: and doom bands. Not yet has the imagery achieved such ::
:: specificity as this year's Protosapien, though the same aura of ::
:: natural discovery (human or otherwise) underpins cuts like ::
:: æForefathersÆ and æUs and ThemÆ. In brief, a creative mind will ::
:: run wild with those evocative song titles and vast musical ::
:: sculptures. ::
:: ::
:: For a fairly slow album that doesnÆt quite reach 40 minutes, ::
:: Terraforming achieves plenty of variety while maintaining its ::
:: mysterious ambience. The title track largely relies on ::
:: tremulous suspense and inhuman utterances to pin the listener ::
:: to the spot, but æMatriarchÆ had already done the same with ::
:: repetitive ringing arpeggios in the first couple of minutes of ::
:: the album. Similarly, æForefathersÆ opening with meditative ::
:: tapping on a metal bowl reminds me of the practices of Buddhist ::
:: monks, and still it draws enough from the unworldly to nail the ::
:: mood Jupiterian were going for. Despite the variance in sonic ::
:: profile, only the more aggressive drumming assault during æUs ::
:: and ThemÆ feels out of place, mostly because of how it ::
:: reintroduces temporality to an expansive experience through its ::
:: shock value. Due to its swelling parameters, Terraforming ::
:: demands listening to in full; it would be unintelligible split ::
:: into parts. ::
:: ::
:: Perhaps now you'll understand what I meant by saying that this ::
:: anonymous quartet have been growing their ideas over time, ::
:: since the basic parts of Jupiterian's music seem insignificant ::
:: and meaningless by contrast to the overall picture. Much of ::
:: this album is covered by large-scale yet actually quite simple ::
:: riffing, none of which invites memorization or participation, ::
:: but putting aside my normal preference for music to be both ::
:: memorable and participative I can see that Terraforming ::
:: impresses precisely due to its alien qualities that transfix me ::
:: in the present moment from beginning to end. As a formula, this ::
:: kind of album needs to have a specific end in mind, and what we ::
:: get here hints enough at the massive implications of crushing ::
:: alternative history to convey its weight in just the right ::
:: manner. When Jupiterian arrive with full force, submission is ::
:: the only sensible option. ::
:: ::
:: . _ _ . ::
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__\____ :: ____ ___\ _ / BERC : 2024 \ _ /___ ____ :: ____/__
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