Title: Violent Identity
Artist: Samhain
Genre: Electronic
Release Date: 17th November 2006
Label: Aliens Productions
Album Review
Originally founded in 1996 by the members Solo, Blazen and Peter Blazko, the project already went through a line-up change, when Peter left the project in early 1997 and Bob became a regular member of SAMHAIN and during the same year Blazen left the band for the following three years. The two remaining members recorded the first demo’ Recognition, Pain & Death’ and in-between gave birth to two side projects ‘Loct In’ and the more known LAST INFLUENCE OF BRAIN. After some work on the other projects and another demo the first album ‘Violent Identity’ finally saw the light of day in 2007.
When it gets to the point of describing the music of SAMHAIN, then we’re facing the problem of being forced to open various genre drawings like Noise, Experimental Electronica, Ambient and a few more things. You see, it’s not an easy thing. You can most likely compare it to the early MENTALLO & THE FIXER. Another thing is that you can’t call those tracks ‘Songs’ in the proper sense of the word. They’re sound constructions of an immense complexity, frequently reaching a playing time of over seven minutes, what makes it necessary to be able to fully concentrate onto the music. But now I’m finally going more into detail with some of the track. It’s always a good thing to start at the beginning, in this case marked by the track ‘Undefinable’, beginning with the shattering of glass, just to introduce a small sequence of beats surrounded by lush ambience, suddenly disappearing after a few seconds to give way to a more consistent, slow beat pattern, accompanied by distant samples in the background. The further the song progresses, the more complexity finds its way into the mix and the ambience reaches majestic heights with polyphonic choirs.
‘Wince’ is one of two tracks on the album with vocals, cold, dismissive vocals, radiating inhumanity and contempt. The track is starts off with a sample, followed by a dark long-stretched ambient theme, spreading an apocalyptic mood. Every sequence gets its room until the drums kick in after almost three minutes to slowly push the song forward with its destructive aura. Despite ‘Subsist’ being the second vocalized track, it’s the unique connection of the ambient and, especially the drum section that make this track so fascinating for me. Beats like earthquakes, mixed with distorted sequences, being in a constant flow of change and behind a veil of stunning ambience, a voice hides, only reaching your ears as a malicious whispering.
The only and probably the most serious problems is, like I mentioned before, the length of the tracks, which will have a deterring effect on many people and one might think that the project isn’t able to fill those time with enough diversity. I can assure you that it is and it will blow your mind.
Tracklist
01. Undefinable – 6:50
02. Wince – 7:47
03. Impression – 7:17
04. Veil - 2:10
05. Underneath the Earth – 6:20
06. Aparition – 5:48
07. Wicked Design – 7:27
08. Subsist – 6:18
09. Bridge – 6:29
10. No Load – 4:08
11. Your Die – 6:46
12. Invoke – 5:01
Line-up
Solo
Blazen
Bob
Website
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