NASLEDIE

'Наследие' - Senmuth (5/10)

The fourteenth installment in the Senmuth saga, 'Наследие' will not come as a big shock to anyone who has followed the music thus far, or even given this Russian one man project a few tracks' sampling. Another one of the industrial metal-styled albums, 'Наследие' is substantially longer than the average Senmuth album of the type, finishing at around the seventy minute mark. As can be said with many Senmuth releases, there are quite a few forgettable, throwaway tracks here, but the journey is marked with some intelligent passages and a few strong songs. While the fact that Senmuth has regressed once again to the typical industrial sound may dishearten some listeners, there is a clear sense here that the execution of the music is a bit more interesting than at the beginning of the career.

With fifteen tracks to delve into here, this is a bigger time investment than your average Senmuth album, but there is depth to it. While the musical style is all-too familiar by this point (metal infused with ethnic instrumentation and electronica), Senmuth still manages to make an album that delivers a sense of satisfaction by the end, although it requires a certain amount of patience and effort on the end of the listener to achieve that. A few tracks here see Senmuth collaborating with some associates (typically female singers) and these turn out to be some of the most memorable tracks on the album. There is a repeat of the track 'Путь к Руинам' here; the song is remixed to close of the album. Both versions are vocalized by a female singer under the stage name Skandy21, who, depending on my mood, either impresses me with her stylized Russian inflections, or aggravates me for the very same reason.

Moreso than other Senmuth albums, this record is a sure grower. After my first listen, I felt exhausted from the long length and general tired sound that the album centered around. Repeated listens did however, open me up to the idea that Senmuth was showing a general improvement in his craft. Here, there is alot more melodic lead work, as well as a greater presence of standout riffs. At it's heart however, 'Наследие' still falls into the category of Senmuth albums that relish in their mediocrity.

After some excursions out of his metallic kingdom into ethnic realms, Senmuth is back to when he started. His distorted voice and the noisy background are here again, but there is in general more melody so if you remove the noisy elements what lies behind is a sort of techno, even if nobody may think to dance on this kind of rhythms.

The first song has something to do with an "obelisk", but it's all I can argue from the google translator. It fits in the description made above.

"Psychokills" goes the same way. Disco, Metal and Ambient parts alternate continuosly in this only 3 minutes song. Too much together, probably.

With "Ruins" the story doesn't change, but whenever somebody else than him sings on his songs, the result is quite good. Skandy21 is a Russian Punk-Metal girl. I don't know much of her, but I think some info are on Senmuth's site if you can read russian.

"Blesk" is another typical Senmuth's song. Noisy, metallic and dark. Proceeding with listening to Senmuth's albums I'm starting to understand what captures me in his music: he is so different fromanything else, so challenging and so simple and repetitive at the same time that he carries me into a "bad dream". Not properly a nightmare, just a sort of alternate reality. Blesk is a track that does it.

"Bound" has a different structure. The percussions and the ehtnic sounds before he starts singing remind me to his second album "Izoteri-ka", when he was exploring the ancient Egypt and the Book of the Deads. It's the longest song of the album and has an excellent guitar solo in the middle. Surely one of the highlights here.

"Karmnasl" and "Propadaya" are average Senmuth's stuff. Things go better with "Karma". Each time he touches argument like metempsychosis he is more inspired. Of course the industrial techno-noise and the distorted voice are not missed but there's something more.

The 9th track should be entitled "Reka". I don't think it has anything to do with Lovecraft but it might. In Lovecraft's nightmares there were elements full of adventure and sense of wonder. This is what this song makes me think to. Good guitar here and there. I like the semi-acoustic coda (who knows which instrument is that? guitar or what?).

Another guest sings on "Nezimroe". This time is some "Nenasty", but he's alternated to Senmuth's usual distorted voice plus some screaming. This is a metal track with no doubts. More rhytmic with hard drumming before turning suddenly to ethnic-ambient and then back to when it started for a second round.

"Znaki", whatever t means, is another metal track not much different from the previous.

The following one seems to be entitled "Funeral". The piano/keyboards intro let's us presume something "hard" coming because the sound is very powerful. Effectively after one minute we are deeply into growl and Semnuth's distorted voice. It's like an ogre and a ghoul are debating about who will start eating a corpse...well I'm not sure that this is what the song is about, but it's what it transmits to me. Surprisingly the guitar solo in the middle is Gilmourish in the sound used.

"Emotion Ecology" is another usual industrial metal track with an interesting piano background that's unfortunately ovbscured by Senmuth's voice (when he sings).

Google is unable to translate the following track title. This track is really too noisy. The instrumental central part is not bad, with a good guitar, too. But this isn't my fav track for sure.

The album is closed by a remix of the second track, lighter than the first version, I really enjoy this second more.

Another 3 stars Senmuth's album for me.