Veneration

So this is the third effort by somewhat strange black metal band Circle Of Ouroborus, directly from Finland, land of alcohol-induced pink noses and some of the best metal on earth. But wait, what's this? Well, it turns out this is a completely acoustic album. But if you're bracing yourself for some Kveldssanger rip-off, keep reading, this album is far from that kind of acoustic album.

Instead of a neofolkish album, C.O.O. create acoustic melodies which can only come from the minds behind Shores and Streams, that is dark, spaced and simple melodies tied together by a strong sense of solitude and melancholy, with clean and distant vocals, evoking images of a lonely man sitting by the river, singing onto the water so it may drown his sorrow and take it away. All wrapped in their trademark lo-fi-but-easy-to-the-ear sound.

Lyrics, at least what I could make out of them, are what you would expect, stories of loss, solitude and every now and then some reference to the devil or other demonic incarnations. I don't usually mind or give attention to lyrics anyway, at least not when the music is good and the vocals inspire enough feelings by themselves, and these vocals sure do.

Now, onto the melodies themselves, most songs have and hold more or less the same tempo, in which a base melody serves as a core around which other, secondary melodies revolve, creating an arrangement of sorts. The melodies are jumpy at times, almost sounding happy, especially in songs like Suicidal God (a definitive highlight), but then again most songs are slow and gloomy while still maintaining a regular speed, thus not allowing many silences to punctuate holes through the music, keeping it's flow.

At times I could if ever so slightly perceive influences by unexpected genres such as grunge, and at times I can feel a definitive folkish aura in the melodies, but not the same as works like the aforementioned Kveldssanger, no. It reminds me of some Finnish folkloric music I like to listen to now and then (basically kanteles and some drumming). There's even some disperse drumming which sounds like bongos or ancient martial drums, and at times I can clearly hear a keyboard emulating flutes, giving the music a strong mythical and ceremonial feel.

Yes, that's the word. This album feels like ancient ceremonial music recorded somewhere in the deep woods Finland is famous for. There's not much odinism to be found here, nor demonic worship, but this music really feels like it was played with some pentagrams and ancient symbols painted on the floor, in a true act of veneration. Extremely recommended for those who like dark and tranquil music, or just weird stuff, like me.

Originally written for the paper version of the Terror Cult Zine
http://www.terrorcultprod.glt.pl/