ULVER

It's like singer Garm wanted to make the music of the future. Most of the instrumental credits go to programming even if more ''sane'' instrumentation is used throughout the album. Up until now, I only knew of Israeli group Ahvak trying their hand at this ''programming'' instrumentation, but Ulver makes this ''instrument'' quite blatant in their sound.

Almost too blatant. The over-wrapping and intertwining of all these buzzing, humming and underlying metal sounds (produced by guitars proper) give me a migraine. I can enjoy what Garm is doing only in theory; in practice, while this isn't a mess, I'm having a good problem trying to pluck out the compositions here.

This album is what I would call an example of an ''art first'' album, where the primary goal of an output like this is to make an artsy statement. I could follow the artsiness more if there was some memorable riff or hook that could grip into the inner psyche of what BLOOD INSIDE is trying to do. Only ''Christmas'' and ''Dressed in Black'' can pull that feat off in a ''somewhat'' fashion. Else, I feel like I'm trying to listen to my pulse when I listen to BLOOD INSIDE.

Listed here on PA as a genuine studio album, Childhood's End by Norwegian chameleons Ulver is really an ode to the late sixties. All of the 16 tracks here are among the first wave of psychedelic rock that hit the airwaves some 45 years ago, so if you're looking for new material from this shape shifting rock group - you'll have to wait awhile until the release of the upcoming album, which in turn should be in the making as we speak.

I refer to Ulver as chameleons because of their inability to stand still musically. Starting out as an experimental black metal band with one foot buried in ancient Norwegian folkloric music, these guys have since then played all electronic, post rock, post metal - and some rather indefinable genre-less sounds that have cemented their position as one of the few truly progressive bands of the modern rock scene.

Childhood's End should be an album made for yours truly - it really should. Back when music really started to unfold beyond the mundane to me, it was mostly the sounds of the sixties that spoke to me. Here was music that was wild and untethered - free as a bird and all that jazz, and it hit a nerve with me in a most peculiar way that still resonates with me deeply. I can still put on a Jimi Hendrix album or a Grateful Dead jam and loose myself for an hour or so and come up on the other side of it and feel rejuvenated and alive in that hippie-peace out-love conquers everything type of way. It's naive, yeah I know, but I love it - and I can feel it right down in my bones!

Add to that, I think I have every album from where these tracks have been lifted off - and some of them still remain personal faves. So when you then count in just how fond I was of Ulver back in my metal days of Obituary and bonfires, you may get an idea of how much this album should work for me..... But it doesn't! Sadly no. Maybe it's because I've heard the original tracks to death and back and have trouble seeing them in a new dressing, but I sincerely doubt that is the sole reason for my disappointment. Personally I think it's all about production and how some musicians seem to be incapable of leaving 'mistakes' alone. Letting the odd howl and screech be as it is. Childhood's End is far too clean and sterile to these ears, and that is in itself an error Ulver should have been able to track miles ahead of it actually occurring - seeing as they once ditched the studio antics in favour of raw unadulterated power, back in their black metal beginnings.

The original songs here, like The Pretty Thing's Bracelet on Fingers or Street Song by 13th Floor Elevators fed off the rawkous garage drive. -A thing that literally pushed the tracks into another dimension altogether, and yet on here they seem like mere shadows of themselves - reduced to lukewarm indie rock with mellow tasteless vocal delivery. It's much the same one faces with songs like Living in the Past by the now legendary Chocolate Watch Band and Velvet Sunsets from Music Emporium. The music seems like professionally recorded tracks inspired by Steven Wilson techniques and studio multi tracking gone completely berserk. Don't get me wrong, I happen to love Steven Wilson as well as his producing skills, but would I really like them transcribed onto my favourite psychedelic rock music from the sixties? No way in hell! Big mistake.

All of the songs lie uncomfortably close to the originals, which again shaves away any real room for improvisation or multifaceted imaginative b pieces interwoven in the old school batter. No siree! If they indeed had done something to that effect, I would better have understood their production choices, but alas - this was not to be.

I may sound tough, and I guess I would be lying if I said that I didn't find some form of enjoyment in this release, but if I really have the urge to listen to these brilliant classics, I'll pull out my old record collection any day over this. Childhood's End does have its more breathtaking moments, and especially the modern twist on Jefferson Airplane's delicate and fragile love song Today, sounds oddly beautiful and robust all at the same time here with its low bass vocals and doomy atmospheres. Still, I'd rather have the real McCoy thank you...

My guess is that the younger crowd here on PA will find a lot to love on this tribute album, and that is probably mostly down to them not knowing the originals like the rest of us. If such is the case, then I heartily recommend this recording, and I sincerely hope it will ignite a fiery sonic journey back through the wild and soulful annals of psychedelic rock that once flew like milk and honey in the skies of marmalade, where Lucy once sat cross-legged in amazement with a splif hanging from her lips.

Here, their music havers mainly in a post-rock sort of space, with occasional forays into trip- hop and just enough outbursts of industrial metal guitar to establish that whilst black metal was off the table, metal itself was still part of the palette. Over these instrumentals various vocalists recite portions from the poetry of William Blake. To my ears, it's a rather disjointed affair, with the metal and trip-hop and post-rock sections sat next to each other without sufficient connecting tissue to really make them feel like part of the same composition, and the end result is a bit of a jumble. This might have been OK as a 40 minute album but as a double album it begins to lose my attention.

Well, as I often am, I was completely wrong. Though there is quite a bit of black metal influence, there's also an incredible amount of subtlety in Ulver's music here. The production isn't spectacular, but that only adds to the subtlety; often very intense listening is required to catch everything that is happening in the music. That may be irritating to some but personally I find it very intriguing and I'm willing to bet that most prog fans will as well.

"I Troldskog Faren Vild" begins with a drumroll that leads into a metal riff, that, despite being labeled as progressive black metal, isn't that hard to digest. To my further surprise the first time I listened through this album, the first vocals are clean. The extremely fuzzy guitars and almost dreamy vocals give the song an almost psychedelic feel, which was a welcome surprise. Not that I dislike black metal, but from what I'd read about this album I was expecting something much more brutal. This, on the other hand, I actually find quite pretty, with folky guitar solos and extremely pleasant vocal harmonies taking place over the constant, almost droning riffs in the background. Though there is undoubtedly a great deal of black metal influence here, this is very dynamic music, a fact which is highlighted by the sudden acoustic guitar solo that takes place towards the end of the track. It's a gorgeous little break, and when the heaviness picks back up in the last minute for an extremely folky- sounding electric guitar solo you begin to grasp the intense maturity of songwriting demonstrated on this first album from Ulver.

All the metal trappings go right out the window with the beginning of "Soelen Gaaer Bag Aase Need," which starts with a flute section accompanied by classical guitar. This beautiful little introduction lasts for about a minute and a half before pounding blast beats and riffing burst forth out of the relative calm, accompanied by the first growled vocals on the album. Lest you think that Ulver has fallen back into stereotypes, however, they prove they can still create an atmosphere by interspersing these harsh growls with haunting, almost chanted clean vocals. Personally I think this track sounds quite a bit like early Opeth, though the production is undoubtedly a little rougher. This track will probably be a little tougher than the first for non-metal fans to digest, but if you're not terribly averse to growling there's still a ton of beautiful music happening here.

"Graablick Blev Hun Vaer" is another song with an unconventional beginning for a metal track, with chanting vocals layered over what sounds like a fingerpicked guitar part. Like "Soelen Gaaer?" a very heavy metal track emerges from this introduction, with more growling and riffs and drumming that nearly approach speed-metal. Some interesting bass work makes an appearance as well, with the bassist laying down a languid, flowing line behind the insane strumming and drumming that's happening at the front of the track. As quickly as it began, the metal gives way to a fantastic acoustic guitar solo that itself gives way to what sounds like a field recording of someone stomping through the woods. Over this a piano part emerges, lasting for a brief period before fading away just in time for the metal to re-emerge, this time backed by those same chanting vocals from the previous track. The song ends in a bizarre mish-mash of metal and atmosphere that sounds completely alien and yet works absolutely perfectly.

"Een Stemme Locker" starts off again with an acoustic guitar part and very low pitched vocals that are reminiscent to me of Gregorian chant. After awhile these chanted vocals drop out to be replaced with faint whispers, and at about the same time the guitar part gets more complex, with harmonies being added over the repeating pattern. Very faint female vocals are briefly added as well, giving the song an otherworldly, ethereal feel. Overall the song is a very relaxing one, with no metal to speak of, and it works both as a standalone piece and as an interlude of sorts before the final track of the album begins.

"Bergtatt, Ind I Fjeldkamrene" begins immediately with the same kind of droning, fuzzy riffs that dominated the first track. Some extremely brutal growling is introduced over this, and if you listen very carefully you can hear some folky acoustic playing back in the mix as well. After only about a minute this comes to the forefront, and this acoustic guitar part plays unaccompanied for a little while before the metal riffs return, this time aided by clean vocals. At one point, a very faint clean guitar solo begins playing behind the riffs, creating a very delicate effect that really shows off the subtlety of the songwriting here. For most of the rest of the track growled vocals dominate, but the track switches it up briefly at the end to feature another of those gorgeous classical acoustic guitar parts to close out the track.

So if it's not totally apparent by now, this album totally blew me away. Those who really can't stand extreme metal probably won't like it much, but fans of the genre should check this out immediately. Coming in at only about 35 minutes, this is an incredibly tight release without a poor moment on it. Highly recommended for all metal fans, especially Opeth fans searching for something a little grittier. Seamlessly blending folk, psychedelia, and a heavy dose of pounding black metal, this is one of the most impressive and enjoyable metal albums I've heard in a long while.

5/5