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Senmuth - Nagaratyanta CD (album) cover

NAGARATYANTA

Senmuth

Experimental/Post Metal


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Conor Fynes
PROG REVIEWER
3 stars 'Nagaratyanta' - Senmuth (6/10)

A project of great diversity and versatility, Russian one man act Senmuth will undoubtedly amaze a prospective listener even before hearing the music itself. With scores of albums ranging from industrial metal to ambient folk, the discography of Senmuth mastermind Valery Av is certainly one of, if not the most challenging body of work I have come across. While the music itself can generally be processed after a few listens, the mere fact that there is such a vast expanse of work to cover will likely daunt a newcomer to his music. Another one of his 2010 releases, the Indian culture-inspired work 'Nagaratyanta' falls towards the more mellow and atmospheric side of Senmuth's musical spectrum. While the album doesn't do well to distinguish itself from the dozens of other albums he has written in this vein, there is a better sense of composition that makes it one of the stronger works Senmuth has produced in the style.

Reaching almost an hour and a half in length, this is among the longest of Senmuth's albums, and would be considered a 'double album,' were it distributed through CD, as opposed to digital medium. With tracks reaching upwards of seventeen to eighteen minutes long, 'Nagaratyanta' certainly takes a little longer to sink in than some of the more to-the-point and concise work of Senmuth. However, don't go expecting any groundbreaking epics here; the songs gain their length not necessarily from complexity in the composition, but moreso a drawn out, ambient approach and a tendency for jungle-emulating soundscapes.

Using vocal samples of Indian traditional singers (both as some of the main melodies, and background ambiance), the actual singing is scarce here, but effective. The majority of the music revolves around a very exotic Indian vibe. Tribal percussion is met with some programmed instruments such as flutes and sitars. While a lot of the sound here was synthesized through a computer, the music is surprisingly convincing and authentic for the culture Senmuth is exploring.

While most tracks such as the ridiculously drawn out 'Banteay Srei' and the melodic reflections of 'Nataraja Bayon' share the same sound as the rest of the Senmuth ambient discography, a handful of songs here share moments that seem to throw in something new to Senmuth's work. 'Khmerian Naagarataa' for example, meshes the traditional Indian sound with some psychedelic rock, a keen surprise that makes it the arguable highlight of the album. The track immediately following contributes a bit of typical Senmuth metal heaviness that the rest of the album lacked. While the album as a whole is good, it's only the final few tracks where Senmuth really experiments with some new material.

'Nagatyanta' is an interesting album, and certainly above average over many of the other Senmuth ethnic albums, which seem to miss the mark.

Report this review (#348186)
Posted Thursday, December 9, 2010 | Review Permalink
octopus-4
SPECIAL COLLABORATOR
RIO/Avant/Zeuhl,Neo & Post/Math Teams
3 stars This is not just another ethnic-ambient album from Senmuth. The tracks are longer than usual, in average, and it was long time since the last Senmuth's ethnic excursion outside of Egypt, if we don't consider the Bulgarian escape of Tenha Vuva.

Probably Kambodia is lighter than Egypt, but the first track is not dark as usual. "Devata Dvaparal" is a good long ambient track with slight passages from pure ethnic to parts with metal guitar in the background as often happens with Senmuth, but the transitions are well studied and the hypnotic bells which permeate the whole track help in getting into the right mood. I haven't found any translation of the track title even on Google or Wikipedia.

Even the following track title "Naṭarājā bayon" can't be translated by Google. However this is a very interesting track. It's made of a sequence of 7 chords, the last one repeated for two bars for a total of 8. It's a quite simple song with lyrics which appear to be Indian but they also have an African mood in the female choir. I really like it and the magic "world" environment that it sets up. There's some light out of the "Book of the deads", it seems. I think to have heard the name of Vishnu.

"Prea Kan" is more minimalist, in the sense that's based on percussions and just two notes. It's repetitive and if it was just a bit more "acid" it could have fit into Krautrock. It changes after 2 minutes and half when a little more complex theme comes for few seconds, then we are back to the original two notes theme, but with more instruments. Another stop for few spacey seconds, then back to the original theme again. Stop and just the two notes played by bells, with the background slowly growing from silence to chaos until the second chorus and the coda.

"Apsaras Natyati" starts with the same chords of Animals' Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood, but on a base of tablas and Indian percussions and, of course, a very different rhythm. An interlude of bells then we are (luckily) in a different theme. Now it's a very Krautrock track. I think to Amon Duul II or to Can. A bit too long for what it effectively contains, maybe.

"Koh Ker Kamrateng" is an Angkorian site 100Km northeast of Angkor Wat. This is an usual Senmuth's ethnic track that doesn't add anything to the album. It has the usual good production and arrangements, but fails in creativity.

If we don't consider the one-disk track "Zekhenu Uaut Sekhet", probably "Banteay Srei" is one of the longest tracks released by Senmuth. With over 17 minutes in length one should think to an epic. Well, it's not. It's a long track that develops slowly like many Krautrock things, or even many Tangerine Dream tracks of the late 70s. To be honest not as good as TD, but not bad.

"Khmerian Nagaarataa" is another asian folk track featuring a female choir. A very interesting track for the mixture of ethnic and metal that contains. Also this track features vocals apparently in Khmer on a background that involves ethnic instruments and heavy distorted guitar. Unlike Koh Ker, there's a lot of interesting things in this quite short song.

"Suvistara Prasat Utsanna" starts where the previous track ends, but soon a heavy guitar turns it into good industrial metal interrupted by the insertion of ethnic parts based on gongs and bells similar to the indonesian barong.

"Yathaakalpam" is I think a part of a Veda, the Valmiki Ramayana and is mentioned also in the Srimad Bhagavatam that's one of the books that the Hare Krshna are used to sell down the roads. It has something to do with balancing the opposites. The song starts with about 3 minutes of ethnic then suddenly turns into heavy rock. The drone percussion and the bells don't override the techno-metal of the elctronic drums and the heavy guitar. As on the previous track, the alternance of gongs and bells with somebody speaking lowly or singing a mantra, probably still in Khmer, with the metal can be disturbing for who likes only one of the two genres, but the transitions are well made as the drumming in the background doesn't change. In the middle of the song there's another change. Now it's a totally different track, still in the distinctive Senmuth's style, but it's more similar to a sort of dark Mike Oldfield. It's like the two elements are now joined into a fusion. The alternance continues but the two extremes now seem to be closer. The gap becomes narrow.

The album can be divided in 3 parts: the first with good ambient, the central weaker and the last with good metal. If it wasn't for the central part of the album that's weaker than the rest I would have rated it with at least 4 stars.

I go for 3.

Report this review (#557329)
Posted Wednesday, October 26, 2011 | Review Permalink

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