I’m always a sucker for “improvised electronic ambient sonicscapes” which is how this album is described. There are bands called Eventide from the USA and Sweden, but this one is a recent offshoot of the French progressive death doom band Epitaphe who have released a couple of albums on the same label.

The track titles are simple: Eventide, Waterline, Adrift and Sphere. The statement in the sleeve notes suggests intensity, spirituality and darkness: “Following the autumnal paths in a state of isolation, into the darkest night, into daylight, into birth and into death. Saturnine thoughts, both an eternal anguish of the soul and nourishment of the self, embrace the dawn”. This statement is made in the opening piece “Eventide”. Clouds have formed gradually. A mystical drone comes from the keyboard. The scene is misty when these words are uttered distantly. It’s like being high in the mountains. The saxophone adds to the aura of sadness. The sounds of nature can be heard. Moving along at its own pace and spreading atmospheric aural magic, “Eventide”, sad, magnificent and chilling. The sound becomes more cosmic and tense as harsh electronic waves develop and make their own statement. That long, sad saxophone reappears as the sound waves intensify still further, throbbing and progressing in their experimental way.

“Waterline” continues along melancholic lines, with the saxophone wispily weaving between the developing electronic sounds, which create the mental image of the clouds forming and slowly passing. The drum meanwhile has a trip-hop edge to it. The saxophone sound itself becomes edgy. If I were to compare this to anything, it would be the accompanying sound to a slow-burning mystery thriller amid the bright lights of a big city at night. This is incredibly evocative. The dreamy aura whooshes through the short and sad piano-led “Adrift” before the 18 minute long “Sphere” makes its quiet and sombre entrance. Cosmic interference and the familiar electronic drone-come-wave stand in the background, as the saxophonist emits a slow and lonely tune. Subtly, the mood becomes deeper. We are now treading in the midst of dark and powerful forces. These dark forces hover above us. Further waves sweep in, intensifying the scene. The saxophonist enters and once again heightens the air of sad and lonely expression, developing its message through its meandering tones and placing itself in juxtaposition with the droning and crackling cosmic elements. It all dies away and we are suspended in mid-air with an electronic hymn. Delicate guitar sounds ring forth and take us to the end of the spiritual dream that Eventide have created for us.

I do like ambient music, especially the sort where bands step outside norms and use experimental inventions to create the environment. This is what happens here. “Waterline” is a powerful and evocative work.

(8.5/10 Andrew Doherty)

https://www.aestheticdeath.com/releases.php?mode=singleitem&albumid=6188