Arvio

Sephiroth still sounds so much like itself that it would be very easy to recognize the artists even without knowing what's on. To a level of precision differentiating it from the works Ulf Söderberg has done under his own name. This is scenic low-tone ambience, on top of which booming rhythms and sacral calms take turns. The whole feel of the disc is obvious from the beginning, as the opening track, The call of the Serpent, contains plenty of both.

The feel of things happening is strong in all of the contents, so it is very easy to envision sinister cathedrals rising from dark depths and strange creatures running through jungles while listening to it. There's a constant sense of majesty, but not any pompousness. Essentially the album does not contain anything new. On the contrary, it's a jump backwards - precisely to the time of the Spehiroth debut, Cathedron (1999). Draconian Poetry lacks the subtlety that made Vindarnas Hus (2003) and especially Tidvatten (1998) the essential masterpieces of their particular style.

Then again, more powerful rhythms do indeed need more space, and supported by those rhythms this album has no trouble standing on its own merits. Söderberg is still as brilliant as ever at what he does, combining familiar pieces and small surprises into big dramatic structures. This album works extremely well, especially in small segments of one (the massive A Map of Eden before the Storms) or two (Dark Garden & Uthul Khulture) tracks.

On one hand, nothing new. On the other, more of that damn good Sephiroth stuff. This is definitely worth getting, as either a new acquaintance or as an addition to Söderberg's previous albums.

Jiituomas

Sephiroth - Draconian Poetry

Sephiroth kuulostaa yhä niin paljon itseltään, että sen tunnistaisi ongelmitta vaikka ei tietäisi mikä soi. Jopa niin tarkkaan, että sen erottaisi jopa Ulf Söderbergin omalla nimellään tekemästä tuotannosta. Maalaavaa alasävyistä ambienssia, jonka päällä vuorottelevat pauhaava rytmi ja hitaat, sakraalin oloiset suvantokohdat. Koko levyn tyyli tulee heti alussa selväksi, The call of the Serpentin tarjoillessa runsaasti molempia.	Artisti: Sephiroth Formaatti: CD Levy-yhtiö: Cold Meat Industry Julkaisuvuosi: 2005 Kokonaiskesto: 48:38 min Kappaleita: 7
Sisällössä on voimakas tapahtumallisuuden tuntu, niin että sen soidessa on helppo kuvitella synkkien kappeleiden nousevan syövereistä ja outojen olentojen juoksevan viidakon halki. Levyssä on jatkuva mahtipontisuuden, mutta ei tippaakaan mahtailevuuden tuntu. Mitään uutta se ei toisaalta sisälläkään, ja voisi oikeastaan sanoa että kyseessä on pitkälti hyppy taaksepäin - nimenomaan ensimmäiseen Sephiroth-nimellä tehtyyn levyyn (Cathedron, 1999). Draconian Poetrysta puuttuu se hienovaraisuus joka teki sekä Vindarnas Husista (2003) että varsinkin Tidvattenista (1998) oman tyylilajinsa keskeisiä mestariteoksia. Toisaalta, voimakkaammat rytmit tarvitsevat oman tilansa, ja niiden avulla tämä teos seisoo kiistatta omilla jaloillaan. Söderberg on yhä aivan nerokas siinä mitä tekee, yhdistellen tuttuuden tunnetta ja pientä yllätyksellisyyttä dramaattisiin rakenteisiin. Varsinkin pieninä annoksina - yksittäisraitoina kuten pauhaava A Map of Eden before the Storms tai kahden kappaleen sarjoina malliin Dark Garden ja Uthul Khulture - tämä kiekko toimii kerrassaan loistavasti. Toisaalta, ei mitään uutta. Toisaalta, lisää sitä samaa hemmetin hyvää Sephirothia. Kyllä tämä hankkia kannattaa, niin uutena tuttavuutena kuin entistenkin jatkoksi. 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

Sephiroth still sounds so much like itself that it would be very easy to recognize the artists even without knowing what's on. To a level of precision differentiating it from the works Ulf Söderberg has done under his own name. This is scenic low-tone ambience, on top of which booming rhythms and sacral calms take turns. The whole feel of the disc is obvious from the beginning, as the opening track, The call of the Serpent, contains plenty of both. The feel of things happening is strong in all of the contents, so it is very easy to envision sinister cathedrals rising from dark depths and strange creatures running through jungles while listening to it. There's a constant sense of majesty, but not any pompousness. Essentially the album does not contain anything new. On the contrary, it's a jump backwards - precisely to the time of the Spehiroth debut, Cathedron (1999). Draconian Poetry lacks the subtlety that made Vindarnas Hus (2003) and especially Tidvatten (1998) the essential masterpieces of their particular style. Then again, more powerful rhythms do indeed need more space, and supported by those rhythms this album has no trouble standing on its own merits. Söderberg is still as brilliant as ever at what he does, combining familiar pieces and small surprises into big dramatic structures. This album works extremely well, especially in small segments of one (the massive A Map of Eden before the Storms) or two (Dark Garden & Uthul Khulture) tracks. On one hand, nothing new. On the other, more of that damn good Sephiroth stuff. This is definitely worth getting, as either a new acquaintance or as an addition to Söderberg's previous albums. Jiituomas