Lux Occulta - Kołysanki

Now this is pretty good!

Interesting but definitely not black metal.

Written by [user id=110592] on 24.03.2014 at 01:49

Interesting but definitely not black metal.

Definitely not black, and definitely not metal.

Too weird for me, metal or not. (It's not.)

Listening to it right now. So far it definitely sounds like my kind of music. And no, it's not metal.

EDIT: third listen in a row. Holy fuck, this is my personal surprise of the year. It has everything I want from experimental music: weird twists, organic/warm production, freaky vocals, groovy tunes here and there - not to mention that creepy cover artwork.
It's something I would enjoy with headphones, good computer speakers or maybe during a late night drive too.

I did not find it that much chaotic as others. It has some common structure in it. But great, especially the electronic parts!

I quite like the muted electronic parts of it, reminds me of Perdition City (which is my only real reference for this kind of music given my inexperience in the field), and I was hoping I had something I could fall back on when I wanted something that was like PC but not PC, but the random arrangement of orchestral and subway station instruments and vocals became grating fast, and I ended up just losing interest.

As it is written on Progarchives:

Quote:
There is nothing else like this album in existence, and it is a mind trip like little else you will hear this year or any other.

It isn't a metal release at all, more of an experiment marrying several different musical styles: electronica, trip hop, jazz, traditional Polish folk music (chants), industrial, instrumental rock, classical music, probably missing some other genres. The degree of variety of the vocal styles employed on here is also impressive, ranging from male spoken parts in Polish, Orthodox chants, traditional folk chants to sung parts in French. What was being referred above to as 'subway station instruments' is the accordion, the harmonica and a cello.
A fact that isn't reflected in the line-up credits is that instrument is played by Vogg, quite proficiently (I don't know about the other instruments).

This album is a journey through different musical soundscapes. Kołysanki may be difficult to swallow for a traditional metal fan, looking for a typical metal release, for there is little metal on here, making it more of an alternative release. It doesn't dwell on any particular motif. The first time I heard it got me intrigued what it was I had just heard. On subsequent listens, the record unfolded slowly, with the appreciation and attempting to understand the concept. It's not a record that will bore the listener but it just isn't aimed at a typical metal fan. I guess world music fans may quite like it.

Kołysanki does share one concept that has become prevalent in 2010s metal music and that is the inclusion of regional folk music. Lux Occulta go beyond the mere marriage of electric guitar and folk but try to extend the repertoire of instruments, style and vocals quite successfully. It's a very good album in terms of how these elements have been combined but it may require time to appreciate to the full or an open minded attitude to music. It may be seen as chaotic at first but then again are experimental albums easy listens exactly? For a band with many years' hiatus since the earlier record, it demands a careful listen in order to appreciate the concept. Recommended to those seeking originality in today's music, not necessarily metal.