Well this Dutch label have been very quiet of late and have apparently changed their mindset a bit releasing music focusing less on metal and more on ambient and synthesized based music. In the last year or so they have just concentrated on a couple of artists, Neverland – ‘The Night Shadow’ a project from Anna Merkulova which slipped by a year ago and more recently the fourth album from Munruthel. Both artists are intertwined in the somewhat incestuous Ukrainian underground and are well worth checking out. I was lucky enough to get a reissue of the second Munruthel album the epic ‘Oriana Tales’ on Gardarika music and found myself completely blown away, steeped in its folkloric atmosphere and symphonic prowess. One thing that was really evident about it was the way it has such a soundtrack clad flow about it and at the length of a short film it struck that the artist would excel in that particular medium.
Although a lot more compact at a mere 39 minutes that is pretty much what the multi-instrumentalist Munruthel who has been in bands such as Astrofaes and Nokturnal Mortum and is currently in Thunderkraft, has done. As you journey through this dark opus the track titles will speak for themselves giving you some descriptive clues as to how the music will sound.
We start with the ‘Main Theme’ and it strikes immediately with a strong and mournful melody, full of intrigue and although calm one with a sense of mystery and danger about it. The main refrain is both gentle and symphonic adding might as the timpani drums are slowly hit. There is a bit of a Hitchcockian feel to it and one can think of the obvious Herrmann at work as well as the likes of Jerry Goldsmith. This changes quickly as we enter the eerie and sinister world of ‘The Thick Wood’. Things slither and uncoil with dreadful intent and ambient calls perpetuate the void with ethnic sounding instruments like pipes. It flows naturally into ‘And The Story Has Began’ with a medieval feel about it harking back to films like ‘The Devils’, ‘Blanche’ and an era that we glimpsed at in movies such as Corman’s masterful ‘Masque Of The Red Death.’
By now the listener should have lost themselves in this fantastic realm and be dreaming along with it. As we traverse the musical canvas we visit different scenes and settings. There is an abandoned feel to ‘The Huntsman’s Camp’ the fire may still be smouldering but above the cry of the birds there is a feel of rapid abandonment and one wonders what calamity befell the hunters. There is much more danger around ‘The Old Fort’ one feels that if they approach 1000 barbed arrows are going to be sailing through the sky in their direction. There is a bit of a romantic refrain that comes in though and it suggests that it might be worth the risk, there is a maiden ripe for rescue within the walls. As for ‘The Graveyard’ well it speaks for itself. This is a place where the dead perpetuate and there is an oozing nightmare within.
It is not as if Munruthel is suggesting that he is only able to do the most underground of film. Tracks such as ‘The Pirate’s Bay’ with odd steel slashing effects and ‘The Ork’s Lair’ a foul stinking place where the music suggests utmost stealth is required to creep through, he is saying “blockbuster no problemo.”
Although this is an album that will no doubt appeal more to the soundtrack fan than those who are into ‘metal’ there is no reason that the atmosphere and great melodic juxtaposition will shine through and win the casual listener over. I completely fail to name a single Ukrainian film and looking around see that the country is far more prolific musically than it is with the cinema. That said if anyone is thinking about making something, Munruthel would be perfect to get involved with the project. ‘The Dark Saga’ very much lives up to its name and is a great and highly imaginative listen.
(Pete Woods 7/10)
Since reviewing it has been pointed out that the album is actually an original soundtrack for PC game Gothic II: The Dark Saga add on. Each track is a musical scenery for different locations.
02/04/2012 at 10:38 am
Really great stuff!