Title: From Deep Within
Artist: Mathieu Fiset
Genre: Ambient /Acoustic Rock
Release Date: 2009
Label: Self-Released
Album Review
Mathieu Fiset is a busy guy. Not only is he one half of MANAHIL (who you’ll remember me reviewing a couple of times) but he’s also got the time to be a part of several rock and metal bands, a couple of tribute bands, and still have enough hours in the day to put out a solo album. This isn’t his first solo album either having released two experimental and one ambient album previously. Like MANAHIL, this release is firmly routed in the Ambient side of things, but where the other project opts for sweeping progressive and ethnic sounds, this new release is routed in classical and jazz sounds that intertwine with Fiset’s progressive mindset to create some fantastic improvisations.
The album is stripped bare of all electronic pretensions, instead opting for the natural resonance of the piano and the expressiveness of the player. The comparisons that come to mind are a NINE INCH NAILS acoustic set, or the Final Fantasy piano collections. The first track on the album ‘Better than Words’ is a sombre jazzy piece that sets up the mood for the rest of the album before blending seamlessly into the first of five improvisation pieces. This is where the link to MANAHIL is at it’s most tangible with their swirling avant-garde forms blending in to each other. Each one feels as though it is part of a greater whole but is well enough constructed to stand on its own - with their own moods and changing structures. In that regard they have the feeling of a movie or game soundtrack. The title track ‘From Deep Within (Still…)’ however feels more like a traditional ballad-like song, without vocals, much like the albums opener. This makes it feel a lot more approachable than maybe some of the improvised tracks, but it still doesn’t feel separate from them, as though they’re telling a different chapter of the same story. The final track ‘Waiting For…’ feels a lot more ambient than it’s predecessors. Where the opener was very jazzy, and the title track had a ballad feel about it, the final track has a much more refrained simplicity to it that makes for a nice track to listen to in a darkened room.
Sticking fast to the creed of “Ambient Music for Metalheads”, Mathieu Fiset has produced another piece to challenge the traditional outlook of many Metallers. Keyboardists and guitarists will no doubt like the dark, progressive and ambient nature of the album, as many of these tracks could no doubt be reworked into a band format. But I think the more adventurous listener will be taken aback by the emotional resonance of the album as well. Even from a technical standpoint the album is very good, the production recording, and mixing have captured that expressiveness of the performance to the point where it could be being played in the same room as you. I could accuse Mathieu of ‘Showing off’ a little on here, but I can also just as easily say “why not?” if this is the end result.
Tracklist
01. Better Than Words
02. Vivre l’instant présent : Improvisation 1
03. Vivre l’instant présent : Improvisation 2
04. Vivre l’instant présent : Improvisation 3
05. From Deep Within (still…)
06. Vivre l’instant présent : Improvisation 4
07. Vivre l’instant présent : Improvisation 5
08. Waiting for…
Line-up
Mathieu Fiset
Websites
http://www.mathieufiset.com/ / www.myspace.com/mathieufiset
Cover Picture
Rating
Music: 8
Sound: 8
Extras: -
Total: 8 / 10
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