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Over the course of a history that is now very consistent in duration, the Italian label I, Voihanger has offered us undoubtedly particular and extravagant publications, within an already vast and multifaceted panorama such as that of extreme metal. Even in such an immense field, the label has become an essential point of reference for those who choose a 'strange' all-round approach to extreme metal and related sound universes.
In short, there is a so-called “I, Voihanger identity” that permeates the bulk of his publications and there are projects that would be practically impossible to trace back to other record companies, so characteristic and adhering to a certain type of philosophy are they. “From The Waters Of Death” belongs precisely to this category of album. We are in the presence of a four-headed split, which calls into question long-standing and more recent exponents of experimental extreme metal. They are the protagonists of five songs designed to describe in a modern key the first epic poem in history, that of Gilgamesh, cultural testimony of the ancient Mesopotamian culture.
The bands called into question have continuity on a stylistic and conceptual level, as they have some significant differences, which obviously fall on the tracklist, so as to lead us on a journey that is certainly challenging, difficult in some situations and consistent with what one would expect from every single entity present here.
The start is entrusted to Serpent Ascending, with “Aruru Births The Lord Of The Wilderness” and here we can see what will be the element destined to unite, despite their peculiarities, the episodes of the tracklist: we are talking about the voice of Alice Corvinus, singer of Swords Of Dis, a gothic metal interpreter who lends her voice to every track. For the creature of Jarno Nurmi, formerly in the ranks of the most famous Finnish deathsters Desecresy, the song is a compendium of his many influences, which go from the death metal of the origins – honored above all for some rhythms and some moments of ferocity in the singing – to a singular miscellany of atmospheric sounds, between rarefied epos and avant-garde. Despite the ponderous duration – almost a quarter of an hour – and a decidedly non-circular development, “Aruru Births The Lord Of The Wilderness” flows well, involuntarily recalling the In The Woods… of “Omnio” and, in the subtleties of some plots, those of the subsequent “Strange In Stereo”.
Ôros Kaù's “Into the Wailing Darkness They Fell, Where the Mouth of Fire Awaits” goes in another direction, marking the album's harshest moment. A black metal project by CZLT, whose most representative incarnation are the colossal Neptunian Maximalism and their experimental stoner/doom, Ôros Kaù shapes a black metal with martial tones, prone to dissonance but without exaggerating in labyrinthism: also in this case the emulsion with Corvinus' voice gives a special touch to the narrative, creating links with what came before and taming, at least partially, an otherwise furious and implacable.
At this point, Swords Of Dis takes the predominant part of the tracklist, occupying its central portion with the infinite – even in the titles, abbreviated here – “From Egalmah They Rode…” and “Blood Stains the Altar of the Sun…”. The first takes us towards sounds exuding exoticism, oriental melodies overflow everywhere, embedded in a multicolored tapestry of gothic arias, grandiloquent moments, vehement breaks and theatrical pathos. The second travels on similar coordinates, resonating only slightly more violent, harder and tense, thus touching on symphonic black metal territories.
Finally, we have Midnight Odyssey, the protagonist of a rather direct song given his habits: “From The Setting Of The Sun…” largely abandons the epic demeanor of his latest works, moving towards pressing rhythms, screaming singing, a less enigmatic use of keyboards than usual and a decidedly black metal general tone. Only mediated by the frequent interventions of Corvinus and mystical openings aligned with the themes relating to the poem of Gilgamesh.
If you love the bands featured here and, more generally, appreciate the oblique eclecticism of the I, Voihanger catalogue, “From The Waters Of Death” will be able to gratify the listener. It is an ambitious publication, conceived to be something unique, without distorting the sonic identities of the musicians who took part in it. Indeed, in combining their ideas a common direction was found which makes the work smooth in its own way and without major breaks from one piece to the next. An overall effort that was certainly well executed.
From The Waters Of Death by MIDNIGHT ODYSSEY, SWORDS OF DIS, ÔROS KAÙ, SERPENT ASCENDING
Daniel D`Amico for SANREMO.FM
