Symphony of Insignificance

Surprise, surprise – this selection of songs from past works by Russian solo post-BM act Que Metal gets a neoclassical acoustic makeover in "Symphony of Insignificance". The result is an epic soundtrack of orchestral melodrama that can sound dungeon synth mediaeval in parts. This treatment really shows off Que Metal man Xojid's song-writing skills in composing and arranging short tracks filled with intense emotion and much activity. Even though three of the five tracks on offer fall short of the four-minute track, they pack in a lot of power and variety of sounds and melodies. The songs chosen span two years of recordings made by Que Metal since the project formed in 2021.

I must admit though, after hearing this compilation a few times, there's not really much in it that will encourage repeat hearings. Most tracks are short so even as they're jam-packed with dramatic and powerful music, they end up sounding rather like one-trick ponies – they hit their peak early on and stay there. As a result, the more you listen to the music, the flatter and more stereotyped it becomes. I'm guessing most if not all the orchestral arrangements have been generated on synthesiser as they sound smooth on most tracks, especially the middle ones from "Waves of Sorrow" to "Gradually Disappearing", and only some of the drumming sounds fresh, sharp and energetic.

The one track that stands out above the others is the last track "Death" which is a richly layered droning synthesiser piece with added synth orchestral melodies. Some of its textures, especially in the last couple of minutes, almost have a resonant metallic tone. I could do without the synth strings as they are repetitive and sound tired. The original version of this track appears on the EP "Life & Death" and has more emotion and atmosphere.

The exercise in turning raw depressive atmospheric BM songs into neoclassical / dungeon synth pieces is interesting in itself as a way of demonstrating song composition skill and bringing out the power and emotion in songs in a different way – but it might have worked out better if, instead of using synthesisers to replicate a full orchestra, an actual chamber music group played the songs in live studio performance. The raw quality and the energy of actual violins, viola, cello and double bass at least, if not of other acoustic orchestral instruments, could add something to the songs that makes them more vivid.