Believe it or not, but even someone who writes so many things here for VoS has a slight writer’s block. Just for a few days, but one notices and then needs a record to short-fuse that spark. For me, that record is the new Lamp of Murmuur at the moment, and yes, I know – everybody is talking about it, but believe me – there’s a reason for it: it’s another proof why that mysterious M is a true artist. Saturnian Bloodstorm is simply great Black Metal!
There is something about Lamp of Murmuur records that not a lot of people seem to notice – it is pretty Gothic. When you listen to the synths in e.g. ”Hymns of Death, Rays of Might” that becomes more obvious than ever. M uses the vast passages to their utmost advantage; of course the track is dominated by the staccato riffing, the mighty blastbeats and M’s growls, but there are these synths in the background that become a little louder throughout the song and they radiate that feeling of gloriousness, that really comes to shine in the middle passage when they even seemingly resemble a medieval monastery choir. And that same feeling and effect is given at the end of the song, when the synths are completely placed upfront and center.
That the mystery man is able to construct records becomes clear, when the next song ”Seal of the Dominator” kicks in with a near thrash-metal-riff and then further down the road, when he even works with some classic Heavy Metal drum kicks under the slowly descending guitar line. When the song flares up again and picks up pace until madness-level, M shows how many twists a song can take, because the next moment, he takes the foot of the pedal again and lets the swirling guitars take over.
That he incorporates a small interlude like ”Descending from the Aurora” and doesn’t make better use of it but kick-starts into the next track ”In Communion With the Wintermoon” can be forgiven, because that track is such a great example of dynamics, which he defines par excellence via the combination of guitar lines and lightning fast drumming. That he incorporates yet another awesome choral-synth passage is just one more proof for the miraculous brew he serves on this record. The middle passage of this track is really magically interwoven semi-acoustic guitars which seem to glide down the lotus leaf leaving behind not one stain; there is a seeming tabula rasa moment mid-track before the staccato riffs are back – and even here he combines it with the same synth-passage as before. Brilliant songwriting.
Some people will complain about the clarity of the production on Saturnian Bloodstorm - here the title track is a good example: Believe me, I could not care less. It does not always have to be rawest, bleakest, darkest, most indistinguishable lo-fi production. Sometimes a clear production is better when the artist wants to purvey a lot of needle-sharp shifts, changes and turns. For that a clearer production makes more sense and M makes the best use of it.
To cut down to the chase – this record is awesome and if you do not listen to this, don’t blame everyone else for doing so. Simply great stuff. And now please excuse me, I gotta listen to this writers-block-breaking record again.
