Transparent Vibrant Shadows
It’s common knowledge that black metal as a genre has some quite strict rules which define what elements can be used and what should better be unattended. Overriding/Expanding of those rules is a quite difficult plan, as many of this experiments just fail but some are quite welcome. Some mixtures of genre are quite popular, for instance post-black or black-death metal, but everything that converges to pop or electro has a hard stand. Haeiresis plays a mixture of black metal and ambient music, with an influence of electro. Read on if you want to know, if this experiment was a success or a failure.
Haeiresis is a Lithuanian band and the sideproject of S.B., some of you might know from his main band Inquisitor. Transparent Vibrant Shadows is his second release under the name of Haeiresis, although the first one “only” was a split with the Seagull Overseas. His debut record covers a total playing time of 49:41 minutes, divided on to nine songs. You can’t really say that he’s playing a “pure” mixture of black and ambient metal, as there are also some huge death metal influences involved.
The record starts gloomy and threatening with some synthesizer effects and samples of chirping crickets, which creates some thick atmosphere before the first song starts. The first song starts quite black metal with a fast riff, which soon is converted into some slower melody and vice versa. The first appearance of the vocals is quite strange, as you have to ask yourself if this is really supposed to be the vocals or if it’s just some effect. Sadly, this mass full of effects really shall be the vocals, but it sounds somewhat like the luzifer from b-shocker movies. Although it fits some passages or even one or two full songs, it’s quite annoying and ludicrous in the main time and it doesn’t really suit the record as every emotions the voice could have transported is obliterated.
The songs are pending between some black metal riff structures, rhythmic passages and quite technical and complex parts, which resemble the greatest death metal influence on the whole record. The songs are, at least sometimes, seperated by atmospheric interludes which shall create a bridge between the different songs. The songs feature some quite shriek melodies, but they are fitting in the concept, as they are enhancing the discomforting mood that is created through the quite compact structures. The whole record is filled with complex structures, which causes a loss of “orientation”, e.g. you won’t really know when one song ends and the other starts if there isn’t an interlude. It’s also hard to guess to which song you are listening to without peeking on the tracklist, as you won’t really find catchy structures that are easy to remember. Although the drums are quite well programmed (or played, but triggered), they are way to monotonous and constant which leads to a lack of dynamics. This can be traced back – at least partly – to the production, as the focus clearly lays on the high frequencies which causes the drums to sound flat.
Conclusion:
There are some factors that will determine if you like the music of Haeiresis or not. One of them are the “infernal” vocals, another big one would be the monotonous drumsound, which can’t be balanced through the varied programming. If you can get used to both, you will find a record that offers a lot of atmosphere through the ambient parts as well as a lot of furious parts featured by the black/death passages, which are quite complex. I couldn’t really get used to both and neither could the complex playing style convince. This precipitates in the rating as well, but that shouldn’t hinder you to risk an ear, as you might like his style!
Rating: 63/100
Date of release: January, 20th 2012
Tracklist:
