Messe I.X-VI.X

Ulver has returned with a grandiose dose of dark orchestral bliss. I like this album much better than Wars of the Roses. It seems much more mature and thought out. It sounds more like Ulver. It's interesting because both albums are very sparse and ambient, but somehow this one is so much better.

This reminds me more of albums like Svidd Neger, Shadows of the Sun, and Lyckantropen Themes, which are some of my favorites. If you can appreciate those albums, I think you'll like this too. It's very theatrical; some parts could sound like a movie soundtrack. The main difference would be that this sounds way more orchestral rather than electronic, but I love it. It's like Ulver has reached a whole new maturity. Of course, they have the Tromsø Chamber Orchestra to help them out. That being said, there are barely any vocals on this album, and I didn't even notice that until I heard the first vocals on the album on the fourth track, "Son of Man."

This album is very fluid; it sounds like one giant song flowing in and out, from calm interludes to more turbulent parts. The faster parts can feel quite hectic, and can start and stop very suddenly or gradually. Really, anything goes here, but Ulver knows how to make it sound perfectly effortless as usual. Don't expect to listen to this and instantly fall in love either, whether you're a long-time Ulver fan or not, it takes some time to grow on you. This is deep stuff, it will take your brain some time to figure it out. And if your brain doesn't figure it out, well, sucks for you.

When all is said and done, I love Ulver's direction here, but think they could go so much farther with it. Some songs (and parts of songs) such as "Noche Oscura Del Alma," are interesting, but leave something to be desired. The second half of "Mother of Mercy" is quite anti-climactic for the last song. Ulver has still set the bar so ridiculously high with albums like "Perdition City" and "Themes..." that I cannot award this a higher rating. Even though they could make a bunch of albums similar to this, I'm sure it's already in the rear-view mirror and they have moved on to new ideas.