Strange. This group, driven by the vision of lead member Bruce LaFountain (with contributions from numerous other musicians), utilizes everything from electric guitars and keyboards to chimes and field recordings, though most of the tracks are built around musically driven synths and narrative vocals. I can't lie, I'm really not into this at all. I can appreciate it for its curious value, the wonderful quality of the production, and what I assume might have been some unique recording techniques, but as a listening experience this doesn't really do anything for me. For one thing, I just can't get into narrative vocals. And in this case, the music itself sort of has a narrative quality to it. Things are very spacious and suggestive, and when you combine that with the vocal delivery you feel like you're hearing the audio components of a larger work that is missing its visual presence. I don't know... it's just this weird sort of ethereal, ambient, highly experimental style that definitely has some sort of sophistication involved, but it's really irritating in my opinion. I've read other reviews of this disc that compare The Sword Volcano Complex to Current 93, Coil, and what some would consider to be the "World Serpent sound", but I'm not sure if I agree with that or not. I've never been a fan of Current 93, nor much of the World Serpent material that I've heard, so admittedly perhaps the audience for this type of release is just outside of my realm. "Hercules 2" is easily my favorite track on the disc. Sure, it's a bit more "straightforward" (at least compared to the rest of the material), but it works... I also enjoy the foreboding percussion, vocal manipulations, and drones of "Under the Paw", but beyond that the entire album is uneventful for my ears. The layout is rather unusual, with large, close-up facial photos used almost exclusively, layered with peculiar images/icons, some of which are printed in a very faint clear varnish (as is the band name on the front cover). Inside are a few more photos and a tracklist that details the contributors and what particular elements they handled within in each composition. Perhaps if the lyrics had been included or if I somehow knew more about the ideas and concepts being explored on this release I might at least have some greater appreciation for what's going on, but that still wouldn't make me enjoy listening to it. Oh well... I knew this was going to be something out of the ordinary, I had just hoped it would be something a bit more fitting to my tastes.
[Triumvirate]
Running time - 64:57, Tracks: 16
[Notable tracks: Hercules 2, Under the Paw]
Triumvirate - http://www.citadel-gate.com
