Lethe comprises Anna Murphy, formerly of Eluveitie, and Tor-Helge Skel of Manes and once of Atrox. This project is described as “a melting pot of dark rock, pop, electronic, experimentation and metal, filled with a cold and harsh atmosphere, beautiful melodies and mesmerising grooves”. Sounds good to me.
Anna’s haunting and angelic voice floats above the steady electronic sound and calming drum beat. A flute section takes us further into dreamland. “anhedonia” reminds me a lot of The Gathering but a dreamier version. The sound of the trumpet enters the scene. And the beat goes on, as they say. “brighter” is anything but. It’s dark and sinister, and is made up of electronic distortions, echoing vocals and trip-hop. The beat rises in tempo and shuffles on. A sampled voice is the prelude to a mélange of sound effects. Anna’s voice is distant. This is an interesting track, which is cleverly constructed to maximise its disturbing aura. More dark electronic tones act as backdrop to Anna’s clarity and range of voice on “when it’s over”. It’s dark but the fluid sound mix results in a kind of ambient pop vibe. There’s an element of Jon and Vangelis about this, with Anna’s harmonies being an ethereal alternative to Jon Anderson. Whatever it resembles, it’s a delight to listen to.
“éternel” is a little heavier than what’s gone before. Again a whistling electronic tune and hypnotic beat form the backbone. We rise to the heavens once more. Overtly there is simplicity in the sound but the production and layers behind this are sophisticated, which is what makes it such a silky feast to listen to. The clouds of “éternel” build up epically. A frenetic narrative emerges, contrasting with Anna’s calming tones. Another rap in French appears in “crossroads”, the next misty piece of electronic ambience. Anna’s emotive tone is again reminiscent of The Gathering’s former singer Anneke van Giersbergen. Electronic waves sweep through before a darker aspect enters “sedator”. The sharp-sounding French rapping narrative cuts in – I wasn’t entirely convinced by this, I have to say – and gives way to a trippy beat, with Anna in the clouds above it all. “sedator” is a feast of moods. It’s dreamy, dark, urgent and as always heavily laden with atmosphere. Anna’s vocals then inject a sultry and mysterious mood into “erosion” before the deep and typically rich “worm” takes us back to this sophisticated dreamland. Dark electronic pulses beat as the French rapper returns. The beat is infectious. Anna’s vocals float above the engaging sound. It all creates a kaleidoscope and another hypnotising listening experience.
“Alienation” is an aural feast. On the face of it, this album is an electronic work with the enhancement of Anna Murphy’s lofty vocals. Lethe have created musical layers and ambience in a way that is commercial, dark and magical all at the same time.
(8.5/10 Andrew Doherty)
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