METAMORPHOSIS

Although Ulver can not be blamed of being a stagnant, self-parody group at any period of their career, I believe that the name of the Metamorphosis EP is indeed symbolic, as this is where the Norwegian group abandoned their roots, which were previously in Scandinavian folk and the Extreme Metal scene. It's not really important anymore though, since they no longer show signs of the past. Ulver's whole existence in the world of music can be summed up with the name of this little EP, that was meant to be a connecting link between two masterpieces - Themes From William Blake's The Marriage of Heaven and Hell and Perdition City.

It is a rather short EP, reaching mere 25 minutes and it is a logical advancement from Themes..., developing the Electronic ideas of that album, although performed in a more Experimental way(not that Themes... wasn't already Experimental enough!). Of Wolves & Vibrancy opens the EP and is the most straight-forward and memorable track on it, although a bit repetitive. There are some choirs here and drums that *could* be either real or artificial, I am no longer 100% sure. The beat is very memorable and energetic and makes this track dancefloor-worthy, if you think about it. Gnosis is the next song and is less song-like, showing more minimalist tendencies. Later into the track though, a very memorable lead line appears, which can be compared to the previous track in one way or another. 5 minutes into the song, the song shifts within itself and the listener witnesses a great, mellow part with Garm's vocals, which, luckily, are improving with every release. The lead line kicks in again, accompanied by Garm's more harsh vocals(not in a 'Metal' way though, however, his singing can be compared to James Hetfield's, like ir or not). It is the only track on the CD that features vocals. Not much can be said about the next song, Limbo Central, which I, quite possibly because of the lack of Electronic experience, associate with Tangerine Dream's Phaedra a lot, but the last one on the album - Of Wolves & Withdrawal - is the most minimalistic and ambient, hinting at one of Ulver's future recordings(I am talking about the Silence EPs).

This is not really an essential or even a highly recommended album, as it is short and hints at its successor a lot - piano and choir parts found here will be present in Perdition City as well, and the stylistic change between those two releases isn't that obvious. Metamorphosis EP, in conclusion, is recommended to all Ulver fans who are collecting the group's diverse catalogue and those who would like to listen to their albums chronologically(I know I did), but it is not a crime to ignore the existence of this nice little EP at all. 2 stars.

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