Artist: Ordo Rosarius Equilibrio
Title: Songs 4 Hate & Devotion
Genre: Neo Folk / Ambient
Release Date: 29th October 2010
Label: Out of Line
Album Review
Hot off the back of their recent EP ‘Do Angels Never Cry and Heaven Never Fall?’ is the brand new full length from the duo of Tomas Pettersson and Rose-Marie Larsen. ORDO ROSARIUS EQUILIBRIO (ORE) is not a band for people who don’t engulf themselves in music. There is so much at work musically and conceptually on every ORE album that they are definitely worthy of the title of a “Thinking man’s band”. To cap off their seventeenth year the band have released a wonderfully luscious album here. Full of apocalyptic imagery, nihilism, blasphemy and sexuality intertwined with seductive strains of classical and folk music strained through an industrial framework. I think it’s safe to say that Pettersson and Larsen have outdone themselves here.
‘Where I Stand On The Holy Mountain and Pray 4 War’ opens the proceedings with it’s combination of martial beats, sombre piano and nihilistic lyrics it sets the album up well. ‘A World Not So Beautiful (A Song 4 The Emperor)’ is a more up beat song musically but those restrained vocals and the lyrical content make for heavy listening. ‘In My Little Black Dress’ is seductive and desperate with its use of confessional sexuality and mournful synthesised strings throughout. ‘With Unspoken Pleasures (My Guardian Demon)’ is very folky in feel with its strong bass groove and Spanish guitars, which gives the song an entirely different flavour to its predecessors. ‘In Heaven, Only Abstinence Remains’ features sumptuous sounding instrumentation that swirls and echoes through the darkness of a desperately nihilistic mind. ‘Do Angels Never Cry and Heaven Never Fall’ is driven by strong martial beats and synthesized brass and feels like the rallying cry for the downtrodden and maligned of the earth - definitely a standout track. ‘Lucifer In Love’ is a grand example of neo folk by way of lounge music with its classic bass, guitar, piano and minimal drumming which provides a nice centrepiece.
‘Serpent - Dagger - Lion - Man’ has the beat and atmosphere of an apocalyptic pop song that has an almost sing-a-long potential at the chorus. If the previous track was apocalyptic pop then ‘Long Knives and Little Men’ is an apocalyptic ballad to all Goth girls. ‘4 1 4 1’ however, returns to a very similar format to ‘Do Angels Never Cry and Heaven Never Fall’ with it’s epic sense of space and sombre marching beat. ‘IMBECILE, My Idiot Lover’ is the subject of a promotional video for this album, and it’s a very strong offering too with it’s minimalist arrangements and subtle groove. Apart from being a brilliant song title, ‘If Christ Is The Answer Then What Is The Question’, is also a very accessible slice of folk-pop that incorporates a lot of ORE’s best features. The title track ‘A Song 4 Hate & Devotion’ finishes things of in a similar style to ‘A World Not So Beautiful?’, which again is again heavy listening but in a beautiful way.
ORDO ROSARIUS EQUILIBRIO have really hit the nail on the head here. Not only is this one of their best sounding albums from a production standpoint but the song-writing and performances at work are fantastic. This won’t appeal to people who don’t like dark and downbeat songs, no matter how pretty they sound. This is harsh and beautiful in equal measures, and although in places it may feel as though it drags its feet, it soon rallies round.
Tracklist
01. Where I Stand On The Holy Mountain and Pray 4 War
02. A World Not So Beautiful (A Song 4 The Emperor)
03. In My Little Black Dress
04. With Unspoken Pleasures (My Guardian Demon)
05. In Heaven, Only Abstinence Remains
06. Do Angels Never Cry and Heaven Never Fall
07. Lucifer In Love
08. Serpent - Dagger - Lion - Man
09. Long Knives and Little Men
10. 4 1 4 1
11. IMBECILE, My Idiot Lover
12. If Christ Is The Answer Then What Is The Question
13. A Song 4 Hate & Devotion
Line-up
Tomas Pettersson
Rose-Marie Larsen
Websites
http://www.ordo-rosarius-equilibrio.net/ / www.myspace.com/ordorosariusequilibrio
Cover Picture
Rating
Music: 8
Sound:
Extras: -
Total: 8 / 10
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