There was an artistic collaboration of German and Russian painters, shortly before the First World War, who were active as ‘Der Blaue Reiter’. Amongst them, by the way, Wassily Kandinsky (if I am not mistaken, this partnership was named after a painting by this expressionist artist) and Paul Klee, both of them pretty well-known names, I think. But this isn’t an exposé about the history of pictorial art; this chronicle deals with a 21st-century musical group, of course. This is Concreteweb, you see, and not Google Art or whatever…
This Der Blaue Reiter are a musical project, which was formed a decade ago in Barcelona, Spain, by Narsilion / Ordo Funebris-members Lady Nott and Sathorys Elenorth. They did release three albums before, Le Paradis Funèbre, L’Envers De Tristesse (2006) and Silencis (2008) via Caustic Records, and Nuclear Sun (2009, Ars Musica Diffundere). Then things went silent for quite a while, but the Catalonian duo now returns with what can be considered the successor of the debut Le Paradis Funèbre, L’Envers De Tristesse, called Le Paradis Funèbre II – L’Adieu Du Silence (‘the funereal paradise II – farewell to silence’). It gets released on one of Belgium’s most influential Industrial / Ambient labels, Neuropa Records, and lasts for fifty seven minutes. And for your mostly important info: the mastering was done by no one else but Peter Bjärgö, you know, the driving force behind the likes of Arcana or Sophia, amongst many others (he’s involved not only within the Dark Ambient / Neo-Classical / Industrial scene, yet as well within our beloved darker regions of the Metal scene).
The album’s intro is taken from the well-known opera Lakme by Leo Delibes (he, not O Fortuna from Orff’s Carmina Burana this time!), but soon opening track Underworld Dreams II continues the post-apocalyptic way, seen (or heard) from a mostly bleak point of view. This song slowly, yet convincingly, transforms into a somewhat Arditi / Puissance-alike Martial Ambient Industrial creation, eerie but, at the same time, victoriously built up. This great song truly evolves from rather introspective minimalism unto epic and glorious pride. Anthem For Doomed Youth starts off the CMI-way (or at least a part of this magnificent roster), cf. the likes of earlier Desiderii Marginis, Coph Nia, and why not, even Sophia and Arcana (cf. Peter Bjärgö being involved) or some Raison d’Être-excerpts from the Old Days. When the vocals join in, one cannot deny a very strong, yet fabulous hint of Ordo Rosarius Equilibrio: dual vocals, both male and female, spoken yet oh so warm (and with a pronunciation so charming…). Did I mention the Cold Meat Industry-current?... But this song, and the same goes for most other compositions to follow, has its own identity. Elements from Dark Ambient, Martial Industrial, Neo-Classical and ethereal Ritual Music are joined to create a darkness so heavy, so dense, yet at the same time, truly beautiful and intriguing. Conquest Of Glory is much more oppressive and ominous, with its breath-taking and icy melodies and post-nuclear structures. Once again Puissance and Arditi come to mind, with those ritualistically-martial percussion and hypnotic synths. The spoken words, by the way, are performed by the warm voice of Alina Antonova, the lady behind another fabulous project, Lamia Vox. L’Adieu Du Silence Part I is different, for being rather comparable to semi-emotional Neo-Classical, though the border in between all those genres is, as you know, nothing but a theoretical construction. It’s based on somewhat sad violin lines, atmospheric keyboards and melancholic piano parts, finally climbing up onto a more self-convincing here-I-am-attitude. Il Tempo La Disperazione is based on brave piano melodies too, with dark-spherical keyboards coloring the whole in both black and white. After a minute and a half, martial percussion patterns join in, and then… A fairy voice, courtesy of no one else but Daniela Bedeski, the great singer involved with the likes of Camerata Mediolanense or Rosa Rubea. The vocals are haunting, bewitching, ritually creating utter obscurity (cf. the suffocating obscurity by Sui Generis Umbra, yet less demonical). The Beginning Of The End gets introduced by an excerpt from what I think must be a song from the Interbellum or little later, but soon it turns much more offensive, horrific and industrialized-electronic. After a two-minute introduction the way I just described, this songs turns into an Arcana / Sophia-inspired composition (the church bells included), once again with those dual vocals in the vein of Ordo Rosarius Equilibrio. Eventually, martial drum patterns, mesmerizing violins, church balls and orchestral keyboards do complete this majestic piece or Aural Art, before ending in esoteric warmth à la Raison d’Être’s Prospectus I-alike stuff. Under Deadly Rain (damn, first a note to myself: I was not about to give a description about each single piece, yet rather a general one, but seen the excellence, I am losing myself again in a mostly passionate way…)… So, Under Deadly Rain opens with a semi-Gregorian male-female choir piece, joined by repetitive but warlike drums after about one minute, and somewhat Neo-Folk alike acoustic guitars, besides the returning spoken-sung voices. It’s Cecilia Bjärgö being involved right here, you know, the talented lady that takes part of the core from Arcana or Sophia. She did, for your information, collaborate with Lady Nott and Sathorys Elenorth before (she guested for Narsilion too). The song ends like how it started, with that semi-religious choir. Requiem For A Dying World opens with a ‘real’, male-only Gregorian chant, pretty short (including scarifying synth lines and even the sound of a crying eagle or buzzard), before turning into a classical piano piece with artillery fire on the background. It’s a pretty desolate, sorrowful instrumental piece, based on a very beautiful piano melody especially, enriched by atmospheric keyboard melodies and a sad, introspective violin melody. Like the former song, this one ends like how it started, with the very same chants (male-Gregorian). The New World Order too is instrumental, opening with bomb-sirens, and soon transforming towards bombastic, somewhat electronic darkness with quite an energetic attitude. Once again, despite lacking vocals, Arcana and Sophia might come to mind very easily. Conspiracy, the next piece, is initially based on creepy background synth-scapes with heavy and militant percussion. The nihilistic approach slightly turns into a more oppressive orchestration, including, once again, the semi-spoken vocals by Lady Nott and Sathorys Elenorth. This composition too is such one that evolves and grows, from minimal and primal too grotesque and overwhelming. And don’t forget adjectives like ‘post-apocalyptic’, ‘mighty’, ‘full-bodied’ or ‘multi-atmospheric’… Le Paradis Funèbre – L’Adieu Du Silence ends with the short and very sober piece L’Adieu Du Silence Part II, an emotional piece based on, once again, piano and violin, and mythic / mystic spoken vocals.
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