Encomiast "Espera" 2xCD
[H/S]
Not unlike the last full-length from Encomiast, this release is full of supreme and bleak dark ambient soundscapes with several tracks running massive lengths (13 - 20 minutes). The approach tends to be very minimal and fairly quiet, with lots of oppressive low tones, sweeping motions, and volume swells. "Arthroscope C" is the first truly lengthy piece, and also the first to get a bit louder and introduce some musical synths. For the most part it's still calm, quiet, and minimal (there's not a lot of layering), but it definitely hints at the more musical side of the project. "Transient" is very spacious and, as opposed to the other songs, uses mostly dense percussive sounds with some scraping and other more natural textures. At 19+ minutes, "Schlafern" is the longest and thankfully most diverse track herein. It's longer than it needs to be, but since the entire record flows nicely, you almost can't tell that this is one long track rather than a few slightly shorter pieces. Flute makes an appearance in "Kannelyre", but you'd never know it! I certainly couldn't make it out. The only minor problem this time out is that the entire disc (which runs well over an hour) tends to sound basically the same throughout, with very little deviation from its set path. I like the consistency, however it can become a bit tiresome, and I feel that the project's previous CD was a bit more diverse and interesting as a whole. The recording is of course very nice, helping the smooth, graceful nature of the material, but the entire record is not quite as moving as "Winter's End" was. The layout is very simple, but it works. It's all black and white with some abstract photography, simple use of text, lots of white space, etc. Not bad.The first 50 copies of "Espera" also come with a bonus full-length CD-R of various older tracks and remixes, where the lineup enlists help from several other individuals. The tracks here range from as brief as two minutes to as long as 24! So things are rather interesting. The flute in "Gavishti" gives it a very strange Eastern sort of feel, definitely making it one of my favorites for its original flare alone. "Messages/Azazel" is a monstrous 24 minutes, and introduces some careful vocal samples amidst nice synth tones, later morphing into a looped clean guitar arpeggio and sinister keyboard undertones - creating one of the darkest atmospheres herein. "Cycles" was recorded live and is probably the weakest track I've heard from Encomiast simply because it doesn't possess the same depth of feeling, and there are some issues with the sound quality that disrupt the flow. Towards the end of the disc "8.26v.2" and "Arthroscope" use more traditional instruments such as violin, viola, cello, and piano (collectively) and are not only more musical, but atmospherically a bit different from what seems to be the standard for this group. The only minor setback on the CD-R is that the recordings are not quite as strong and there are several little "clicks" throughout the disc that I can't tell if they're recording errors or glitches that resulted from the burning process. I would guess the latter is the culprit, but thankfully the "clicking" doesn't become too annoying until it picks up in frequency towards the final 10 minutes of the material. The CD-R's package is similar to that of the CD, but the imagery is high contrast and the disc comes in a sleeve with all of the necessary text on the back. When all is said and done this is still a recommended release from a very strong project. However, I would absolutely recommend trying to obtain the full set with the bonus CD-R, because the first two bonus tracks are essential. It's a shame that the extra material is limited to so few copies... (7/10)
Running time - 2:10:05, Tracks: 14
[Notable tracks: Arthroscope C, Kannelyre, Gavishti, Messages/Azazel]
Encomiast - http://www.encomiast.com

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