Ulver - The Assassination Of Julius Caesar review
| Band: | Ulver |
| Album: | The Assassination Of Julius Caesar |
| Style: | Synthpop |
| Release date: | April 2017 |
01. Nemoralia
02. Rolling Stone
03. So Falls The World
04. Southern Gothic
05. Angelus Novus
06. Transverberation
07. 1969
08. Coming Home
If Ulver were one of the X Men characters, they'd easily be Mystique. Ever changing, always in a state of flux, and able to morph their identity with incredible ease. When we last left off, Ulver dropped that "Zodiac Album" with the unpronounceable title. Highly psychedelic, jammy, and meditative, if you know the band and what they're all about by now, you know there's only one thing you can ever expect next out of them: the unexpected.
And indeed, considering their previous effort, for Ulver The Assassination Of Julius Caesar is a pretty big curveball. Musically this album is about as far removed from the Zodiac Album as could possibly be. Instead of that sound, here listeners are treated to a bright, synth-driven pop type landscape, held up, unquestionably, by the absolutely amazing vocals of Kristoffer Rygg. Here you get what is no doubt one of Ulver's best Rygg-centric albums to date, and I don't mean "Rygg centric" like Shadows Of The Sun or Wars Of The Roses, albums where his vocal presence was there, but in a very hushed, whisper-like delivery. Here he is the commander of this ship, offering up a soaring delivery and epic lyrics that do indeed revolve around themes of Rome, the Caesars, and relating subjects. My, oh my, just give "Nemoralia" or "Southern Gothic" a listen and let it melt your heart. This is one of the very few guys out there I'd legitimately go gay for because of his voice.
An increased presence for Rygg's vocals inevitably means a lower presence for instrumentation, or, to put it better, that the instrumentation here isn't really as crazy and all over the place as it was on their previous effort. This may come as a downer for some who really enjoyed that Zodiac Album, but it's testament to the fact that Ulver have a seemingly infinite number of ways of changing their style and still making it work. The music here is often pretty simplistic and reminiscent of basic pop song structures, but somehow it still carries a distinct " Ulver flair" in the fact that it's still very hypnotizing, relaxing, and spiritually uplifting. This is the real joy of The Assassination, this feeling that Ulver did go for a more conventionalized musical style here, but that they still totally owned it and made it their own. And goddamn, does it work oh so deliciously. Just give "So Falls The World" a listen if you want to see what I mean.
On The Assassination Of Julius Caesar, it's really Rygg who carries the weight of the music with his vocals and drives everything to its destination with his forward momentum. But that's OK, it's perfectly fine, because with this approach, one really can't complain and say that it means Ulver are a band that can't make good music without Rygg's powerful vocals at the helm, as this simply isn't the case. All this album is is an alteration for Ulver, what the band are all about really, one that goes from the extended, jammy instrumentation they've recently been playing with into a more restrained, poppy instrumentation dominated by the beautiful pipes of Kristoffer Rygg. Is it better? Is it worse? You decide. All I know is that as a total effin' sucker for both synthwave and Rygg's vocals, this is hands down my favorite Ulver release in years, and one that could easily become my favorite period with a few more listens. Yes, it's seriously that good.
The terrified cry of "Et tu, Brute?" has never sounded this beautiful.
 | Written on 18.04.2017 by Metal Storm’s own Babalao. Comforting the disturbed and disturbing the comfortable since 2013. |
Comments page 2 / 3
Comments: 66
Visited by: 536 users
| Auntie Sahar Drone Empress Posts: 5933 From: USA  |
Written by 3rdWorld on 19.04.2017 at 22:04 Thanks dude, I really appreciate that because you're kinda right there, some of my older reviews definitely do kinda make me cringe looking back  But hey, we all gotta start somewhere. And yes, the sound of this album and the mixing's careful attention to detail is pretty flawless. That's probably Rygg's work more than anything, I'm pretty sure he usually handles a lot of aspects of the band's production and I think he's actually done quite a bit of mixing for some other bands out there as well
---- I am the Magician and the Exorcist. I am the axle of the wheel, and the cube in the circle. “Come unto me” is a foolish word: for it is I that go. ~ II. VII
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| BitterCOld The Ancient One Posts: 15250  |
It's not metal. really enjoyable, but not metal.
---- get the fuck off my lawn. Beer Bug Virus Spotify Playlist crafted by Nikarg and I. Feel free to tune in and add some pertinent metal tunes!
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| Unhealer Eclecticist Posts: 2311 From: Argentina  |
POOR LITTLE SISTEEEER I HOPE YOU UNDERSTAAAAND 
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| Cynic Metalhead Paisa Vich Nasha Posts: 6805 From: India  |
If you want to do something different from metal, follow Ulver and Igorrr.
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| BloodTears ANA-thema Posts: 11835 From: Portugal  |
Written by Bad English on 19.04.2017 at 17:39 It's not sad. I still listen to doom and I still write poetry. But metal isn't the only genre I listen to, obviously. Above it all, I like music.
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| BloodTears ANA-thema Posts: 11835 From: Portugal |
Written by Auntie Sahar on 19.04.2017 at 13:39 Eheh Yes, it's a rare occasion but I like it too  Pretty sure I'll enjoy this.
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| pdepmcp Posts: 141 From: Italy  |
Maybe I'll be back in a few years, loving it, as it happened before with some of their stuff, but as of now I'm quite disappointed with this release. I had to stop after just 4 tracks. Not my stuff. Not now, at least. Good review, though. It gave me a good idea of what it's all about. And I decided to give it a chance.
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| Auntie Sahar Drone Empress Posts: 5933 From: USA |
Written by Unhealer on 20.04.2017 at 05:07 THE BABE IN THE WOODS WILL BE TAKEN BY A WOLF 
---- I am the Magician and the Exorcist. I am the axle of the wheel, and the cube in the circle. “Come unto me” is a foolish word: for it is I that go. ~ II. VII
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| Auntie Sahar Drone Empress Posts: 5933 From: USA |
Written by pdepmcp on 20.04.2017 at 14:20 Well I'm happy to hear that at least, part of my intent with my writing is to get people to check out the music even if it wouldn't ordinarily be their thing so.... success! 
---- I am the Magician and the Exorcist. I am the axle of the wheel, and the cube in the circle. “Come unto me” is a foolish word: for it is I that go. ~ II. VII
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| Malignar Posts: 284 From: USA |
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| Auntie Sahar Drone Empress Posts: 5933 From: USA |
Written by Malignar on 20.04.2017 at 16:48 Hmmm... I can't really see it, personally. Not saying it wouldn't work, pop can certainly include guitar, but I don't really think that was the particular kind of pop feel they were going for here. More synth-driven than anything else
---- I am the Magician and the Exorcist. I am the axle of the wheel, and the cube in the circle. “Come unto me” is a foolish word: for it is I that go. ~ II. VII
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| Dave FC Posts: 199 From: Spain  |
That's a very very well done review. not been interested on Ulver last years but i'll check it out!
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| homemadeweapon Posts: 16  |
Heard the whole thing today, kinda liked it. Its better than previous one. Its not metal for sure but Ulver are not metal for quite some time now.
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| nikarg Posts: 7037 From: Greece  |
Written by BloodTears on 19.04.2017 at 13:02 Do yourself a favour and listen to it. You'll love it!
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| nikarg Posts: 7037 From: Greece |
Written by Auntie Sahar on 19.04.2017 at 03:45 There is no parthenogenesis in music and every band has its own influences. Of course this album is fused with some of 80s electropop and the genre's masters that are Depeche Mode, but DM were never as sophisticated as Ulver in this album. If this is a clone, then every metal band should be considered a Black Sabbath clone, don't you think?
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| Auntie Sahar Drone Empress Posts: 5933 From: USA |
Written by Guest on 02.05.2017 at 19:43 No fucking question
---- I am the Magician and the Exorcist. I am the axle of the wheel, and the cube in the circle. “Come unto me” is a foolish word: for it is I that go. ~ II. VII
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| blackmamba Posts: 52 From: Algeria |
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| Auntie Sahar Drone Empress Posts: 5933 From: USA |
Written by Guest on 06.05.2017 at 04:42 Probably just because it's different. I've never really liked pop music either but I wouldn't really call this "pop music" as we commonly understand it. This is a far cry from Duran Duran or Madonna or something like that, it's more electronic pop than anything else, and even then it still seems to have that unique edge to it is unquestionably Ulver
---- I am the Magician and the Exorcist. I am the axle of the wheel, and the cube in the circle. “Come unto me” is a foolish word: for it is I that go. ~ II. VII
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| Daniell _爱情_ Posts: 6058 From: Poland  |
Written by Guest on 06.05.2017 at 04:42 Because it's good music. Genres are irrelevant.
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| busodeLcueo Posts: 15 From: Italy |
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| Marcel Hubregtse Grumpy Old Fuck Posts: 40071 From: The Netherlands  |
Nope, relistened this album loads of times and it is just average music no matter if you regard it as pop, electro, metal, rock, whatever. And yep there ius still way too much Depeche Mode in this album.
---- Member of the true crusade against European Flower Metal Yesterday is dead and gone, tomorrow is out of sight Dawn Crosby (r.i.p.) 05.04.1963 - 15.12.1996 
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| Auntie Sahar Drone Empress Posts: 5933 From: USA |
Written by Marcel Hubregtse on 16.05.2017 at 00:05 You're still going on with this?
---- I am the Magician and the Exorcist. I am the axle of the wheel, and the cube in the circle. “Come unto me” is a foolish word: for it is I that go. ~ II. VII
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| Marcel Hubregtse Grumpy Old Fuck Posts: 40071 From: The Netherlands |
Written by Auntie Sahar on 16.05.2017 at 00:09 Of course ;-) Since it is an average pop album with way too many Depeche Mode influences  
---- Member of the true crusade against European Flower Metal Yesterday is dead and gone, tomorrow is out of sight Dawn Crosby (r.i.p.) 05.04.1963 - 15.12.1996
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| VIG Account deleted |
VIG
Account deleted Written by Marcel Hubregtse on 16.05.2017 at 00:13 Honestly, originally I loved this, but when you think about it that way it's very correct. Although I have always prefered Black metal/neofolk Ulver.
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| Auntie Sahar Drone Empress Posts: 5933 From: USA |
Written by Guest on 16.05.2017 at 02:21 Probably not as much at the very least, considering the name that's attached to it. I mean, you could ask the same thing of that ambient album WITTR put out back in 2014. But I think it's nonetheless a bit of a stretch to say that it wouldn't receive any attention here at all, given that quite a good chunk of people here are into a lot of nonmetal genres
---- I am the Magician and the Exorcist. I am the axle of the wheel, and the cube in the circle. “Come unto me” is a foolish word: for it is I that go. ~ II. VII
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| BloodTears ANA-thema Posts: 11835 From: Portugal |
I freaking love the album! I knew my instinct was right and I should listen to this All the songs are a highlight to be honest.
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| X-Ray Rod Skandino Posts: 18274 From: Sweden  |
When Rome falls... ...SO FALLS THE WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOORLD!!! Fell in love with that track when they played it live. Now that I listen to the studio version, still my favorite track. Best moment was probably the extended ending to "Coming Home" though, so hypnotizing.
---- Written by BloodTears on 19.08.2011 at 18:29 Written by Milena on 20.06.2012 at 10:49
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