MINAS TIRITH

...the music on "The Art of Becoming" still features traces of extreme metal but, the album is pre-dominantly a progressive metal album. The most prominant extreme metal feature is the occasional semi-growling vocals on the album. Mostly the vocals are clean sung though. Minas Tirith are a trio consisting of Frode Forsmo on bass and vocals, Stian Kraboel on guitar and Tony Kirkemo on drums and they have that distinct stripped down trio sound with a strong emphasis on the rythm section. Both bass and drums are very busy. I´m sometimes reminded of Rush.

"The Art of Becoming" is what I´d call an odd ball progressive metal release. It´s very eclectic with all sorts of musical playing styles and stylistic elements put in. It´s safe to say that Minas Tirith are not afraid to experiment. I admire their adventurous approach to writing music but there are a couple of issues with "The Art of Becoming" that drag my rating down. First of all the sound production is only semi-professional to my ears (the guitar sound in particular is rather powerless but the vocal production isn´t too successful either) and secondly the clean vocals are a bit "off". So while "The Art of Becoming" is certainly both an intriguing and original sounding progressive metal album, it´s not perfect by any means. a 3 star (60%) rating is warranted.

For those of you who does not know this band, it is fair to say that Minas Tirith is probably the strangest band to ever have been spawned from Norway. Their music is a mix of some zeuhl, Radiohead like rock, general disharmonies, disharmonic atonal vocals, pop, metal and art rock. Their musical landscape is populated by noone other than themselves. Hence, their popularity among fellow musicians, but no commercial success whatsoever.

Their music is still very much as on their previous albums, but some more normal rhythm patterns and melody lines aka Rush has been introduced. Frode Forsmo's atonal vocals is still the main focus here. They are supported by some guitar, bass and drums. The lack of any really great tracks is the main problem with this album. I also feel their mission had run their cause on this album and the decay has set in. It is still a good album, but it is not a revolution. A good album it is, but nothing more than that.

3 stars

The best label or slogan I can come up with is a detuned more insane version of the last Arcturus album. Minas Tirith's vocals are both pastorial and atonal. Strangely enough; they are beautiful too. The music is based on some very strange rhythm patterns which loosely reminds me about the Zeuhl scene. The music is delivered with bass, drums and guitars. The guitars are mostly delivered as rhythm guitars. Do not expect any guitar solos here. The music is not particular hard either. Neither is it particular metal too. A Child Is Born In Babylon is a fine example of atonal vocals, a good melody with some good rhythm guitars.

It is my view that Minas Tirith is the most original metal act ever to come out of Scandinavia and this album proves my point. The quality is good and I really like this album. I have been listening to it on and off since it was released. But I have yet to fully understand it. I guess both this album and myself is headcase. That explains why this is not an informative review, although I have done my best to describe the art of becoming in my piece. Without success, I fear.

3 stars

How do I describe Minas Tirith and this MCD ? I guess Radiohead is a good reference. Add Arcturus and VDGG too and we are in the ballpark. Minas Tiriths vocals is very special. It is both atonal and melodic at the same time. The excellent vocals are pretty much dominating this MCD. But the guitars, bass and drums are excellent too. No wonder why this band is so popular among other musicians. Based on ability, Minas Tirith was head and shoulders above the rest of the Norwegian scene at that time. The music can best be described as a blend of hymns and thrash metal. Less thrash than hymns and prog, I have to add. Tom Yorke would had been pretty comfy on the songs on this album. I would not be surprised if he is a fan of this band.

Besides of the hymn Heartbeat, the three other songs is a mix of thrash metal, hymns and eclectic prog. There is a lot of nice details in the songs. Even some jazz creeps in here. The music is brash, bold and fifteen years ahead of it's time. It would had been a pretty popular release it it was released today. Unfortunate; it is now a forgotten release very few have ever heard about. I think that is a shame because this is a very impressive release.

As far as I know, Minas Tirith is in hibernation now. The vocalist now sings in the genre defining doom metal band Funeral. All their albums (including this one) can be bought from their homepage.

3.5 stars

Nobody understood Minas Tirith. Well, almost nobody. This album is a collection of oddball atonal melodies, with vocals which is just beyond comprehensions. The rhythms are everywhere in an unstructured structured pattern. The guitars are distorted and bleeding thunder. This is not progressive metal. It is a blend of Zeuhl and Post Rock. Minas Tirith is most definate a strange band. Maybe that's why they faded away...... or so I believe. Or maybe they still excist. Anyway........

This album is full of oddball melodies which touches base with the likes of VDGG, King Crimson, Mayhem, Radiohead, Arcturus, Ved Buens Ende and Magma. Totally weird and it is a pity their albums is so hard to find. I think they were ten years ahead of their time, this band, because what they did back then is today's indie rock scene. I really like this album because it is so weird....... and may I say; slightly genious. Weird and almost wonderful.

3 stars