MEMORIA VETUSTA II: DIALOGUE WITH THE STARS

With a few peaceful oases, this is an album that might be enjoyed by those who can appreciate constant noise in the form of double bass drumming, overdriven guitars, and growling vocals. The overall lack of either clarity or melody makes this one hard to sit through for me.

"Acceptance (Aske)" Admittedly, I was not expecting bright, calming synthesizer pad to open the album.

"Disciple's Libration (Lost in the Nine Worlds)" However, I was fully expecting a 180 degree turn on the second track, and that's precisely what happens. Rapid drumming and grating guitars begin the sonic assault, later joined by growling vocals and some rather tasteful lead guitar. The starkly beautiful denouement should have arrived sooner I think, because it's definitely the better, more intelligible part of the piece.

"The Cosmic Echoes of Non-Matter (Immaterial Voices of the Fathers)" Intense music barks right from the beginning. Constant double bass and vocal retching would make this something to pass by, as not even the lead guitar makes the piece interesting, but the tapestry of guitars midway through is pretty cool business.

"Translucent Body of Air (Sutta Anapanasati)" Very similar to the ending of the second track, this features shimmering guitar with an otherworldly tone creeping over it- simply amazing.

"The Formless Sphere (Beyond the Reason)" The sound on this one seems rather tinny, as though the bass is muffled, a problem that appears on other tracks as well, but not as bad as here. It is the usual constant onslaught of heavy drumming, sludgy guitar, and growling. Halfway through it becomes something far more lucid, with a great lead.

"...the Meditant (Dialogue With the Stars)" Blut aus Nord may be a metal band of some manner, but their talent really shines when they kill the distortion for a while and let the melody breathe. They do this in the beginning, and then slaughter it with acerbic gain and painful vocals. There is a lengthy guitar solo that consumes much of the middle of the track, which is somewhat melodic and economical. Midway through, the glistening guitar comes back for a while, only to be consumed once more by that garbled metal sound; the second consumption is far superior to the first, however, and the piece ends beautifully.

"The Alcove of Angels (Vipassana)" Perhaps the speediest track on the album, this may enthrall those who enjoy a constant barrage of noise, but I'm grateful for the occasional respites when there is no drumming at all. The exception is part of the final couple of minutes, when the music is closer to that of Mono- hauntingly melodic.

"Antithesis of the Flesh (...and Then Arises a New Essence)" One would think a band would tire of playing breakneck, tinny, slushy music, but not this one. An audible layer of keyboard adds another ingredient, but it is subtle. The guitar riffs are at their best when they are unaccompanied.

"Elevation" The final track is a breath of fresh air, as it were, since it has a refreshing tempo and a melodic clearness. It does grow repetitive, however- one can only sit through the same riff so many times, even if it is great music. Either way, the last one is the second best.