MAL'AKATU

'Mal'akatu' - Senmuth (3/10)

Coming back yet again in 2010 when another metal-leaning ambient album, Senmuth's 'Mal'akatu' is already born to harsh conditions. With at least eighty albums by this Russian artist having come before, the album faces a big risk of sounding very tired and recycled right off the bat, regardless of quality. As it turns out, 'Mal'akatu' is a generally inoffensive album that while listenable, lacks virtually any sort of memorable melodic hook or impact on the listener.

LIke I said, perhaps this is simply due to the fact that I am unable to appreciate the weaker albums of Senmuth now that I've listened to so many of them, but 'Mal'akatu' simply feels hollow, barring one of two graces. One of these positive notes is the presence of vocals, although not vocals as we might be used to them with Senmuth. This album certainly deserves to be called instrumental, but there are near-operatic female vocal flourishes that can be distantly heard in the background, which give the impression of mythical sirens; very cool. Unfortunately, these can only be heard towards the last three tracks, and only in sparse quantities. For the very most part, 'Mal'akatu' is a snore.

The songwriting and execution is something that's been heard many times before, some sort of tribal percussive beat mixed overtop some seemingly improvised melodies. All of the music here is also programmed through a synthesizer, meaning anyone looking for an authentic world music experience will be surely disappointed. While the album serves as being background music fairly well, the fact remains that Senmuth has made so many albums by this point that serve the same purpose, but do a much better job of it.

A very disappointing release, and while I still can't bring myself to say it's without merit entirely, there is little here that has a chance in hell- or Xibalba, or Ragnarok- of ever dazzling the senses.

One of the less inspired Senmuth's album of 2010 is included by the artist in his website into a list of "music for movies" albums. Honestly I can't imagine which kind of movie could it be. This album lacks of originality and is quite similar to his very old efforts as solo artist.

My impression is that after releasing an average of one album every two weeks during the whole 2010, he had some spare material, enough to fill one album more.

It's not a totally bad album if you haven't listened to other 79 of his albums before this one. In theory if this is your first approach to Senmuth at least you can find it somewhat interesting, but if you have already listened to other albums of this prolific author this one appears unnecessary and uninspired. Take a bit of raga from Swadishtana, a it of industrial noise from Cognitive Discord cut off the most ambient and imaginific soundscape of which Senmuth is usually capable and what remains is this sequence of forgettable tracks with the exception of the heavier moments of "Baal Haddad" with a good distorted guitar jeopardized by the sudden end.

The indo-raga parts are not enough to give it at least a psychedelic shape. The album doesn't go anywhere even if I have to recognize that proceeding with the listen it becomes better going to its end.

There's a bit of guitar here and there, and the vocals in the last three tracks are not very usual. Not the best album to start with Senmuth.