You can support Terra Relicta by donating! Please, do so, and thank you!
Band: Enmarta
Album title: Sea Of Black
Release date: 30 June 2015
Label: Cryo Chamber
Tracklist:
01. Enmarta
02. Dark Asylum
03. Aesthetics
04. Nekrosis
05. Putrefaction Chamber
06. Ecstatic Paradigm
It's certainly nice to see the dark ambient genre growing these days, quite a lot of interesting bands are coming up with some pretty original ideas and served with kind of vivid darkness that I could never imagine that can be transformed into sound. Enmarta is one of the latest signees on one of the biggest labels releasing this kind of music, Cryo Chamber, a label which launched some of the most intriguing releases of this scene from bands and artists like are Atrium Carceri, Sabled Sun, Northumbria, Council Of Nine, Ugasanie, Wordclock and many others. Enmarta's Sea Of Black is not an exception, it's a pretty unique work of art made by Italian artist and producer Siegfrid T, who composes this music when not touring with Reggio Calabria Philarmonic Orchestra as a viola performer. Sea Of Black is the debut album for Enmarta and is a result of Siegfrid's four years long work, it's an exceptional dark ambient release and not only, once those elongated melacholic soundscapes start to penetrate your mind the whole new imagery of cinematic music opens up.
Sea Of Black is a multifaceted album, it is composed with many layers of different elements that are well combined together into a flowing mass of sound based on dark ambient foundation, and Siegfrid's training and service in classical music leaves a deep mark on Enmarta's sound with. The fluent soundsapes are cohesively painting pictures of isolated castles and dark towers, but still the whole album is in contrast to some of the latest post-apocalyptic dark ambient releases that I've listened to in recent time, it offers a bit more gothic and sentimental toned sound. The melancholic and in a way depressive feeling of isolation is present all over, yet in this starkly cinematic atmosphere there are many parts where some soft and almost tender passages bring a bit of brightness and serve with gentle caresses.
Before putting your headphones on and put the volume on a high level, be sure to turn off every possible source of light that may distract your feelings. If you do so then I promise you that Sea Of Black will open up a totally new bleak and obscure world for you. The album opens up with "Enmarta", where a subtle throat singing voice smoothly leads into a bizzare ritualistic seance. The ambiance is often deepened with a kind of echoing and hypnotizing line intertwined with a layer of field recorded sound. There are many sparkly metalic sounds and hidden industrialized effects, tortured screams are heard somewhere in the background and all those things just make the whole thing more adventurous. The second chapter "Dark Asylum" is full of that and everything you'll hear perfectly stands behind its title. Each track offers a new experience and the central part of the album, "Aesthetics" and "Nekrosis", are true gems showing perfect coexistence of dark ambient and neoclassical music. The insertion of gentle and absolutely melancholic sound of viola is so soothing, how softly it converges with those dark waves of linear deafening layers in the background. It's just like some kind of a mourning song that gives way to something much more mysterious, maybe to something evil.
Jurney through the sea of black and walk upon the mysterious halls of gothic castles slowly approaches the end with epic dark ambiances of claustrophobic, hauntingly disturbing and scarry "Putrefaction Chamber", which in my opinion is a perfect soundtrack for any mystery themed movie or horror adventure video game. Even if it's minimalistic in its essence there's so much going on, the listener must just keep the attention to all of the details, without that the journey is not complete and Sea Of Black doesn't offer pure satisfaction to those who are willing to take the steps into this world of mental depravity that closes up with the controversial "Ecstatic Paradigm", which plays with listeners mind by interlacing almost cacophonic disturbing darkness with lush yet soothing ominous ambiance. Enmarta's Sea Of Black enthuses with its diversity, bold insertions, well composed soundscapes, interesting ideas and most of all with its fluent deeply melancholic cinematic vibe. It offers a well flowing sonic journey that every fan of dark ambient should perceive.
Review written by: T.V.
Rating: 8,5/10
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
