Предзакатный Взор на Земли Папируса

Senmuth is back to the ancient Egypt, 24 centuries BC under the 5th dinasty. The Papyrus of Abusir is the most ancient example of aministrative documents. So not an epic poem like Gilgamesh or any strange esotheric finding. It's not much different from what a modern finance manager would write.

But it describes some of the life 4500 years ago, and Senmuth tries to do it with the music.

It's a sort of dark new age. This time he avoids falling into what I think are his bigger weaknesses: unnecessary chord changes and sudden alternances of middle-eastern ethnic and metal. The tempo is lazy. It perfectly gives the idea of the hot desert, and it's like looking through the "fogs of time".

This is sometimes interrupted by strong percussion like on track 3, which title means "Inside the pyramid of Sahura", but they are just few exceptions. The following "The Solar Temple of Uskarraf" would appeal also the fans of progressive electronic.

Until it remains on this quet dark environment it's an excellent album. Even at the "Headless Pyramid of Menkaukhor" when the percussion are strong, the feeling doesn't change.

If in my past reviews I have blamed a bit the sudden passages between metal and dark ambient, in this album the metal is almost missing. I don't know what happened with the bees in Abu Rawash (track 7), but this short track is great if you like the genre.

An unusual, for Senmuth, melody brings a bit of rock into the abum. Not bad at this point. Not a masterpiece but it's a good rock break between the ambient tracks. By the way, it has more melody than the average Senmuth, I think Track 9 is more challenging: just one chord and percussion coming and going but it leads to track 10, which is inspired to the Pharaoh Sekenkhet. To fully enojiy the album, as often with Senmuth, you have to let your mind go back in time to the ancient Egypt.

The album is closed by another short-living pharaoh: Shepseskaf. This track gives the sense of a funeral and a burial into the pyramid.

Many may think that 4 stars are too much, but if you like Senmuth, this is a good album to start with.