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Things start with little promise. "Sonnegotter" is full of miscellaneous dark ambience that shrouds many releases by Sweden's Cold Meat Industry record label. It can conjures foreboding wastelands, abandoned sanatoriums or merely the commute to work on a Monday morning, depending on your imagination. If you like this sort of Enya-played-backwards at midnight in a graveyard sound then there's plenty of this stuff about. Personally I'm looking for something more from my music. Thankfully Rome have heard my cries of woe - and "Der Brandtaucher" is stunning. Vocalist Jerome sings deep and clear. Film samples, so beloved of Cold Meat Industry bands, are interspersed with proper singing, rather than being offered as a substitute. There is a chiming guitar which surfaces above the murk. This song has direction, where I will admit to you, I thought this album would not.
"Das Feuerordal" is a neo folk song, with an echoing acoustic guitar and ghostly clanks in the background. It reminds me of Death In June, particularly the But, What Ends When The Symbols Shatter album. The piano recalls Soul Mining-era The The. "Der Tote Spielmann" is more dark ambience. It could be the sound of a train going by, or it could be the rain. Everything is so murky it's hard to tell. Spoken words samples fill the void where there should be real singing. Thankfully at less than two minutes the boredom is soon over. "Wir Gotten Der Stadt" is much more impressive, with echo-laden guitar. It's the sound of Brendan Perry, if he'd come from Germany rather than Australia. The industrial beats emphasise the intensity of emotion expressed. Their sparing use increases their effectiveness. "Die Nelke" is more neo folk like "Das Feuerordal". There's a hint of Cure-style guitar, which adds a little spice. "Der Erscheinungen" is surprisingly good. Jermone has a marvellously emotive voice. The plucked guitar, is mixed with gentle piano. It has the emotional impact of The Blue Nile at their best. I'm not sure about the sound effects, which while adding an unusual percussive effect, sound like the cracking of a whip and miscellaneous screams. Or maybe the latter is the sound of seagulls? Sometimes it's hard to tell. "Die Brandstifter" features an oompah band who usually have a residency in Hell. It's the sort of thing that Danny Elfman might do for a Tim Burton film. There's an echo of Nick Cave in Jerome's vocal stylings. It's the type of song that shouldn't work, but does. Not only are you marvelling at the band's creativity, you're also stomping your foot in time. The inventiveness continues with "Kriegsgotter", which features subtle brass samples. There's a scale to this music, that makes for intoxicating listening. Musically "Wir Moonsoldaten" has the feeling of a TV series theme, with its brass-band inflected rousing the listener. The spoken word monologue recalls Momus. The lyrics intrigue: 'We live on tea and grief...' Next there is "Neue Erinnerung" which is generic Death In June-style neo folk, but with the inventiveness on display elsewhere you can begrudge the band taking the easy road now and then. "Nachtklang" brings things to a dark ambient close. I'm not quite sure where my low expectations came from, but I was genuinely surprised and delighted by the inventiveness on offer here. There's something for fans of neo folk or dark ambience, but there are also songs for people who love deep-voiced emotional epics. You can count me as a fan of the latter group. |
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