It seemed a bit of an odd and in a very English way, eccentric idea for UK progressive black, death metal band Talanas to go down the acoustic and unplugged route. However on listening to new mini album ‘Asylum’ and on dipping back to their 2011 release ‘The Waspkeeper it became abundantly clear that it was not that much more than a sidestep for them and a parallel from their previous more in the face output. Certainly we lose some of the burgeoning pummelling aspects and along with that the more technical sweeps with Talanas in a stripped down mode but there has always been a lot more about them than this and whilst those facets are on the whole tethered, the dark moods and atmospheric intricacies of their music are heightened. This is particularly important too as narratively we are drenched in the rich lore of our isles sinister side as thematic odes to hauntings, witchcraft, madness and general occultism are tackled here.
‘Sister Damnable’ sounds as though it is a tale of a fallen nun burnt at the stake for heresy and no doubt it could well be. The instrumentation eases us in with its enchanting and spellbinding tones before vocals babble in beseeching and mysteriously. This is instantly dark and has an eerie and mystical vibe as the riffs slowly glimmer and drums gently tap opening gothic and arcane passageways as it twists and turns. You feel chilled out and mesmerised by this and it has a bit of a snake charming effect as it slithers onwards. As vocalist Hal Sinden moves towards more upfront clean singing it summons in past memories of a thin white duke and he certainly has a Bowiesque tone about his devilish delivery. ‘My Lady White’ is a classic sounding ghost story of a title with wind whipping at cliffs before the dulcimer bewitches adding a fragrance that is heady and beguiling. This is dark poeticism of the soul and feels very classical in tone as this ode of lost love unveils itself. Musically and vocally it has a magical and almost fairy-tale vibe about it and like all good tales of its ilk is one that lures you in and leaves you in fear as much as it caresses.
Despite the fact this is unplugged there is still lots to focus on and music of this type can have lots of substance and does not need to rely on abject stark minimalism. This has been very much proved by the way it has got my imagination flowing. The tone of Bauhaus seeps into the moody sermon of ‘The Apostle’ and as much as it reminds of Bowie I am also drawn towards thinking of the solo work and voice of Chris Connelly as well. The haunting (and that is the best way to describe them) waft of Beth Ryan’s vocals add to this perfectly sending a really cold shiver down my spine. The title track is more riff orientated and picks up the pace a bit, melody is strong, intricate and very natural sounding as it freely flows elegantly along. This half hour voyage is one that drips with rich dark moods and the occultist feeling at its heart really comes through. The muffled first part of closing track ‘Nothing Gained’ sounds like it could have been recorded in in stygian chambers before the cleaner sound suddenly brings enlightenment. Obviously a lot of thought has gone into the construction of this and it has been a more than welcome aside before the band no doubt move towards looking at that all important second full length album.
(7.5/10 Pete Woods)
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