Star of Ash "Iter.viator." CD
[The End]
This is the solo project from Heidi S. Tveitan (better known as Ihriel from Peccatum) that features a handful of guest musicians, among whom are members of Emperor and Kris G. Rygg (Ulver). I basically hate Peccatum and I'm not a fan of Heidi's vocals in said band at all, but I'm absolutely loving this Star of Ash material. The music is generally calm and somber, relying heavily on melodic orchestral synths, heavily treated instrumentation, and a wide spectrum of vocal approaches (softly spoken passages, perfect singing with tons of vocal harmonies, soaring operatic tones, and so on). Some of the dramatic vocals still get on my nerves, but barely, and the songs are so good that it just doesn't matter. "Beautiful as Torment" is an absolute masterpiece. The live drumming is recorded with great density but still has the feel of an electronic rhythm, and the acoustic guitar parts are quite moving when coupled with the beautiful vocal harmonies. "Death Salutes Atropos" is by far the most rock-based track, using lots of distorted guitars and a mix of live/programmed drums. Some twisted guitar riffing beneath piano and subtle vocals comes up in the middle - very fucked... but awesome stuff, and there's even some blatant progressive metal riffing. Closing track "In the Throws of Guilt" runs a whopping 10 minutes and is largely an instrumental epic. Male/female vocal harmonies come in about midway through, but it's the almost unbearably powerful force of the musical orchestrations that drive this track - absolutely one of the most moving pieces I've heard in quite some time. The songs are also very long (averaging more than six or seven minutes) but the album doesn't necessarily feel all that long because there are so many fluid changes within each track that some of the songs feel like several shorter pieces rolled into one. So when you're listening to it straight through it sort of flies by rather quickly... I think the recording is absolutely pristine. I've not an objection. Everything is clear, full, and resonant, exactly as it should be. It sounds highly professional and perfectly tailored for the experimental nature of the band's sound. The layout is really simple but it looks great. There's a lot of metallic gold ink, simple bold text, and artsy black and white photos of central band member Heidi S. Tveitan. The lyrics are presented in a small, crisp font, followed by credits for each song (as the contributing lineup changes from track to track). There really aren't that many lyrics, the passages are quite brief and cryptic: "The I left behind, The ever fading I of the moment, The I shifting and bending, Into the horizon of the unknown, The hollow presence of those we never became, The ones slaughtered." This is a great disc. Very highly recommended, and I certainly hope to hear more from the project in the future. Fuck Peccatum. This is where it's at. (8/10)
Running time - 42:31, Tracks: 7
[Notable tracks: Beautiful as Torment, Death Salutes Atropos, In the Throws of Guilt]
The End Records - http://www.theendrecords.com

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