ORACLE OCTAVE (PART I: ORION MYSTERY)

'Oracle Octave (Part I: Orion Mystery)' - Senmuth (8/10)

Having listened to over ten Senmuth albums before moving onto the 'Oracle Octave' duology, I can safely say that I am pretty familiar with the man's style, trends, and flaws. While each Senmuth album always had music on it that I enjoyed to varying degrees, I'll admit I was getting a bit frustrated with the seemingly endless rut of mediocrity that alot of his creation seemed to fall into. However, I kept hopeful that an album would come along that would shake what I thought I knew about Senmuth's abilities and really impress me... After all, out of such quantity of albums produced, there would have to be one to come along that would be excellent. After having listened to 'Orion Mystery,' it becomes clear that my hopes have been realized; Senmuth has finally released an album that has grabbed my attention, and developed the project's sound into something on another level altogether.

Most importantly, it must be noted that virtually all of the problems I have had with the Senmuth sound in the past have been remedied. I noticed very subtle improvements in Senmuth's trademark industrial/world metal sound with the release of each album, but I would always be left a bit dissapointed. Even one song into 'Orion Mystery,' it's clear that almost everything has been improved. There is much more instrumental melody here, dynamic, and even an improved sound of production, which I never realized I had a problem with in earlier albums until hearing how much better Senmuth sounds in higher fidelity.

The album is entirely instrumental, which works well for Senmuth's style of composition. Some of the songs do seem to get a bit dry at points, but even the less melodic parts lend an air of atmosphere and feeling to the music. At times sounding like space psychedelic, at others like folk metal; Senmuth's 'Orion Mystery' may very well have something for everyone. All I can say is that I'm all the more excited to listen to more Senmuth albums after seeing what a successful project the man can dish out.

There is something missing in this 10th album of the enormous Senmuth's catalog. This doesn't have the omnipresent "industrial noise" that's usually produced by a distorted guitar and heavy percussions, but mainly it's missing Senmuth's distorted voice.

I took 10 albums before realizing that even if those two elements make his music immediately recognizable, they are sometimes irritating specially when added as background to the most world oriented songs.

Well, this is the first time that it's possible to entirely appreciate the Senmuth's composition skills. In particular, the Orion trilogy is probably the best thing I've heard from him up to now, but also when a bit of industrial noise is back on the closing track, this is not so disturbing as usual. It's a slow and a bit dark metal track.

Even if this album is completely instrumental, the concept that's behind all the albums that I've listened to until now is still mentioned into the last track's title: "Astral Conception of Soul's Path".

Looking into Senmuth's website, I have tried to get a google translation of one PDF. What I have understood is the link between Egypt, Middle East, India and Japan that are the regions touched by the musical voyage of Senmuth. It's everything about Death and Rebirth and/or life after death. The egyptian phylosophy behind the book of the deads, the Induist concept of Metempsychosys, are present throughout his production.

About the music itself, there is more attention to melodies and structures than to sounds as it was in his first albums. He can create the dark and adrenalinic athmospheres even without the "noise".

This is the biggest achievement. Obtaining it after 10 albums can seem too long, but those 10 albums have been released in a period of less than one year, so it's a significant improvement.

4 stars ? still not, but he's never been so close to his first masterpiece. This is the right "Soul's path" to the 4th star.