Arvio

Coph Nia has returned to more familiar ground, though this time it's - at least on the surface - more in a "Lucifer" rather than "Thelema" tone. But the same feel of stylish , mental authority is as present as ever. The disc opens with the first part of the play ("a celestial tragedy in two parts"), a fine 15-minute work of ambient and choral sounds, called The End. Which, unfortunately, ends too abruptly. The second part consists of the seven other tracks, three of which are covers and four of Aldenon's own design, cleverly placed to alternate between the two. Everything is dominated by Aldenon's incredibly strong vocal presence, but of an almost equal importance are both Linus Andersson's drums and Karin My Andersson's background vocals. This is a whole where every piece is essential, including the guest appearances of a cello and a tuba.

The later part begins with a new (with an added word "New") version of The Oath, a track earlier heard in alternative form on the compilation Flowers Made of Snow. It is more complex than the previous take, but also a bit less coherent. The other three of the artist's own tracks are excellent, slow and majestic, despite not truly gaining a profile of their own as individual works, not even after several listens. The cover songs are a very different case, as two of them have already been totally worn out by countless previous attempts by countless other artists. Or so I thought before this album. As it happens, Coph Nia manages to make them its very own, just as it should be when making a cover version of a classic song. In addition, both Arthur Brown's Fire and The Rolling Stones' Sympathy for the Devil fit the thematic idea of this disc extremely well. Neither interpretation is perfect, but they are good covers, and when given an extra kick by Aldenon's undeniable stage presence, they will most certainly be great stuff when played live. The third cover track, a surprising choice, is the album's definite gem: a slow, two-vocal version of Religion, one of Front 242's key works from their later period. It contains all the strong points of both the original and Coph Nia, and furthermore creates a great continuity with the following track, Hymn to Lucifer.

The division of the album works really well; whereas it was important on the magnificient Holy War ep that the changing ambient track was in the middle, here its natural place is at the beginning. Yet the album does not divide into two, but rather forms a continuing plot that moves from abandonment to boasting and exultation. I would very likely loudly praise this disc a lot more, if not for the fact that Shape Shifter (2003) was an even more magnificent work.

An extremely good continuation in the legend of Coph Nia. Io Aldenon! Io Coph Nia!

Jiituomas

Coph Nia - The Dark Illuminati

Coph Nia on jälleen palannut tutummalle maaperälle, tällä kertaa - ainakin näennäisesti -enemmän "Lucifer" kuin "Thelema" -vaihteelle, mutta sama tyylikkään henkisen auktoriteetin tuntu on läsnä kuin ennenkin. Kiekon avaa näytelmän ("a celestial tragedy in two parts") ensimmäinen osa, mainio 15-minuuttinen kuoroa-ja-ambienssia -raita The End, joka tosin loppuu liian katkonaisesti. Toisen osan muodostavat sen albumin seitsemän viimeistä raitaa, joista kolme on lainoja ja neljä Aldenonin omaa tuotantoa, sijoitettuina fiksusti vuorottelemaan keskenään. Kaikkea hallitsee Aldenonin uskomattoman vahva vokaalinen läsnäolo, mutta lähes yhtä tärkeässä osassa ovat silti niin Linus Anderssonin rummut kuin Karin My Anderssonin taustalaulutkin. Tämä kokonaisuus toimii niin että sen jokainen palanen on tärkeä, myös vierailevat sello ja tuuba.	Artisti: Coph Nia Formaatti: CD Levy-yhtiö: Cold Meat Industry Julkaisuvuosi: 2007 Kokonaiskesto: 57:18 Kappaleita: 8
Jälkimmäisen osan avaa uusi versio Flowers Made of Snow -kokoelmalla kuulusta raidasta The Oath, lisättynä sanalla "New". Se on edellistä tulkintaa monipuolisempi, mutta samalla myös hiukan hajanaisempi. Muut kolme artistin omista kappaleista ovat erinomaisia, hitaita ja mahtipontisia, vaikka eivätkään varsinaisesti profiloidu selkeiksi erillisteoksiksi ainakaan vielä muutaman kuuntelukerran jälkeen. Coverit ovatkin sitten aivan toinen juttu, sillä niistä kaksi on jo kulutettu vuosia sitten jo loppuun muiden kuin alkuperäisten esittäjien soittamina. Tai, no, niin ainakin luulin ennen tätä. Coph Nia nimittäin tekee kappaleista selkeästi omiaan, juuri niin kuin mielestäni todella onnistuneeseen uudelleentulkintaan kuuluu. Sekä Arthur Brownin Fire että Rolling Stonesin Sympathy for the Devil asettuvat lisäksi levyn temaattiseen linjaan kerrassaan mainiosti. Kumpikaan niistä ei ole erinomainen, mutta hyviä covereita ovat molemmat, ja lisättynä Aldenonin kiistattomalla lavakarismalla ovat livenä varmasti todella kovaa kuultavaa. Levyn yllättävä kolmas coverraita on joka tapauksessa sen ehdoton helmi: hidas, kaksilla vokaaleilla toteutettu versio Front 242:en uudemman tuotannon keskeisimpiin teoksiin kuuluvasta Religionista sisältää kaikki niin alkuperäisen kuin Coph Niankin vahvat puolet, ja muodostaa vieläpä upean jatkumon sitä seuraavan Hymn to Luciferin kanssa. Albumin jaottelu toimii oikein hyvin; siinä missä mahtavalla Holy War-ep:llä oli oleellista, että pitkä ambientraita on keskellä kiekkoa, tässä sen paikka on täysin luontevasti alussa. Levy ei siitä huolimatta jakaudu, vaan on yksi looginen kokonaisuus jonka juoni kulkee sen halki, hylkäyksestä uhoon ja ylistykseen. Kehuisin tätä kiekkoa varmasti maasta taivaisiin, jollei vuonna 2003 julkaistu Shape Shifter olisi vielä tätäkin onnistuneempi luomus. Äärettömän onnistunut jatko Coph Nian legendalle. Io Aldenon! Io Coph Nia! Jiituomas

Takaisin - Kokoelmat - A - B - C - D - E - F - G - H - I - J - K - L - M - N - O - P - R - S - T - U - V - W - Demot

Coph Nia has returned to more familiar ground, though this time it's - at least on the surface - more in a "Lucifer" rather than "Thelema" tone. But the same feel of stylish , mental authority is as present as ever. The disc opens with the first part of the play ("a celestial tragedy in two parts"), a fine 15-minute work of ambient and choral sounds, called The End. Which, unfortunately, ends too abruptly. The second part consists of the seven other tracks, three of which are covers and four of Aldenon's own design, cleverly placed to alternate between the two. Everything is dominated by Aldenon's incredibly strong vocal presence, but of an almost equal importance are both Linus Andersson's drums and Karin My Andersson's background vocals. This is a whole where every piece is essential, including the guest appearances of a cello and a tuba. The later part begins with a new (with an added word "New") version of The Oath, a track earlier heard in alternative form on the compilation Flowers Made of Snow. It is more complex than the previous take, but also a bit less coherent. The other three of the artist's own tracks are excellent, slow and majestic, despite not truly gaining a profile of their own as individual works, not even after several listens. The cover songs are a very different case, as two of them have already been totally worn out by countless previous attempts by countless other artists. Or so I thought before this album. As it happens, Coph Nia manages to make them its very own, just as it should be when making a cover version of a classic song. In addition, both Arthur Brown's Fire and The Rolling Stones' Sympathy for the Devil fit the thematic idea of this disc extremely well. Neither interpretation is perfect, but they are good covers, and when given an extra kick by Aldenon's undeniable stage presence, they will most certainly be great stuff when played live. The third cover track, a surprising choice, is the album's definite gem: a slow, two-vocal version of Religion, one of Front 242's key works from their later period. It contains all the strong points of both the original and Coph Nia, and furthermore creates a great continuity with the following track, Hymn to Lucifer. The division of the album works really well; whereas it was important on the magnificient Holy War ep that the changing ambient track was in the middle, here its natural place is at the beginning. Yet the album does not divide into two, but rather forms a continuing plot that moves from abandonment to boasting and exultation. I would very likely loudly praise this disc a lot more, if not for the fact that Shape Shifter (2003) was an even more magnificent work. An extremely good continuation in the legend of Coph Nia. Io Aldenon! Io Coph Nia! Jiituomas