THE PRIMORDIAL DEITY

One of the things that I like when reviewing Senmuth is when Valery Androsov dedicates his instrumental music to concepts related to ancient Egypt and Esotheric things, as he shows a very deep knowledge of both. It gives me the opportunity, other than speaking of his music, to dig into the web searching for the meanings of his tracks. Knowing what a song is about, even when fully instrumental, is often a key to better appreciate it.

The key of this album is in track 4: Kemet Orthodoxy. Kemet is the ancient name of Egypt and Kemet Orthodoxy is a neopagan movement founded by an American Egyptologist: Tamara Siuda (she's also a Voodoo priestess).

"The Syrian Singer in the Chamber of the Horus Medjed" is a very ambient track whose production makes it sound "distant" and dreamy. It features some Arabic vocals but they sound distant as well. Medjed is the name of an ancient city in the southern part of Egypt, when the legend says that a fish ate the penis of Osiris (the Oxyrhincus) and in which some fragments of Euclids Elements have been found.

"Lost Magic of Ancient Architecture" has a rhythm which sounds quite "indian" and is unusually melodic for Senmuth. About the title, let's say that Valery is an architect and Senmuth was an Egyptian architect, I think under Cheops.

"Omm Seti" means "Mother of Seti". It's the name which the American Dorothy Eady has given herself after convincing herself of being the reincarnation of an ancient Egypt's priestess and founding the "Abydos Temple of Seti I". This sequence of chords is quite common in the most recent Senmuth's albums, but the distinctive characteristic of this track is its lazy rhythm and the dreamy soundscape, as on the first track.

"Kemetic Orthodoxy" starts with a keyboard layout that may remind to early Tangerine Dream which is quickly overridden by ethnic instruments. The wooden flute's melody is dissonant but this flute has brought to my mind Pink Floyd's More soundtrack.

"Flight Over Waset" is another ambient track with many ethnic indo-arabian influences. Waset is the ancient name of the Egyptian Thebes. Even with all his darkness, the Senmuth's ambient albums can be very relaxing.

" Xr.t hrw" is a transcription from hyerogliph and it's a part of a prayer and offer of food to the God Nefertum. Part of it says: "Your meal is the meal of Seth. You have satsified Horus with his eye." It starts with an edited distorted guitar but with a weird rhythm, then it stops and a guitar solo starts. I think experimental metal is a good way to describe it.

"Meditation in the Red Pyramid: Invoking Horus Neb Maat" is a two minutes dark track made of weird sounds. Very ambient. Horus Neb Maat Snefru means "Horus, Lord of the Cosmological Order" and Snefru is the invoking King.

Mut was the Goddess mother of Thebes: a woman wearing the double crown plus a royal vulture headdress. She's the counterpart of Amon and has two crowns becaus she's bisexual as she's mother of everything, including women.. This is another ambient track but a bit more metal oriented.

"Incessant Stone Pounding" is a reference to the aliens who may have had a part in building pyramids and one of the best tracks in terms of composition.

"Place between Ra and Apep" is an interesting title. The fight between Ra and Apep, the God of Sun and the God of Evil is as in almost all the religions the fight between Good and Evil, so finding a place between them is a curious thing. It's a good track, not much different from the rest of the album and of course in line with his usual stuff.

"Waters of Osiris" is a short heavy track. In this case it goes straight to the nucleus of the idea. A good short act.

"The 12 Hours of the Amduat " can't not be dark. Amduat is literally "What is in the realm of Death", one of the most important funerary books reserved to Pharaohs only. The 12 hours represent the death and resurrection of Osiris as well as the cycle of sunset and sunrise. Senmuth has already dedicated a whole album (one of his best) to this path. Keep this story in mind while listening to it.

I haven't found anything about "Burial Pentimenti". It's a pity because this is the longest album's track even if not the best. I find it a bit boring but it's probably because I'm missing its "hidden meaning". It's a repetitive sequence of percussion and bass with some ethnic sounds coming and going for 8 minutes with an interlude in the middle.

The closer is short, instead. "Khnum Khufu has gone" Khnum is one of the most anciet Egyptian Gods: he represents the sources of Nilus river. and its floodings. One minute and half of ambient low sounds.

In my personal scale it could even be a four stars album but basing on the site's rules I have to stick on three. If you like dark ambient music give it a try.