IN ARCHETYPES

'In Archetypes' - Senmuth (5/10)

Falling comfortably into Senmuth's mid-period career of ethnic ambiance and progressive electronica, 'In Archetypes' is another album that is sadly defined by it's mediocrity in Senmuth's discography. Yet another release in an increasingly vast string of albums by this Russian one man experimental project, the album further delves into Senmuth's dark fascination with exotic cultures, without necessarily developing the sound into anything new.

As usual, the album is quite well produced and put together considering it's place as an indie release, and especially providing how quickly the album was apparently made. While many of the instruments here (barring the guitars) are artificially produced through use of a computer, things sound warm enough to be enjoyable, and there are is a surprising amount of detail and small flourishes in the music that only reveal themselves should the listener pay close enough attention.

As an album 'In Archetypes' does share the same style as those produced around the same time, but is graced with some stronger music. While much stronger albums like 'Contextual' were graced with some good melodic writing, the leads in the music here feel improvised, but often switches between different lead instruments (electric guitar, flute and so forth), much in the same way that jazz does. While none of the musicianship here is too impressive, things are played with decency.

'In Archetypes' is a hard album to comment on clearly, for the fact that while it is an interesting trip into a myriad of different cultures through the mind of mastermind Valery Av, the album lacks a sort of personal identity that many Senmuth albums fortunately were given. A pleasant listen for the most part, but there's the unyielding feeling that everything I listened to here will fade in memory in a short time.

In this period of his career (for Senmuth a "period" can be two or three months long) the ethnic/ambient is where he's able to make his best. After a couple of releases on the metal side which are weak and leading nowhere from a musical perspective he releases this "In Archetypes" that's midway. Not totally ambient because the industrial metal element is present in almost all the tracks, but with more attention to the composition and the melodic lines.

He seems to have abandoned the useless changes of pitch and even on tracks like "Insight Torn" where the metal element is dominant, it's possible to understand where the music is going.

The first very good track of the album is "Psyheya" that I think is only a wrong transliteration of the Greek "Psyche" (Ψυχή). If something like "Powerful Ambientt" would exist this could be its label.

After a good guitar solo in a quite weak track (Visualization of Flowerdance) and a track that sounds identical to the previous (Internal Celebration) The acoustic guitar returns. When Valery plays acoustic the music is more meaningful. "Sad Aroma Of Flowers" is a good example.

I don't know if "Touching Anima" is referred to his previous band, Anima, which means "soul" in Latin. It's another typicval Senmuth's song that takes about 3 minutes before the acoustic guitar introduces an intelligible melody. A good half-song.

"Vanishing In Gardens" is vanishing in distortion. It doesn't add anything, just another average Senmuth's track.

Totally different is "Calm Of Dews" again with acoustic and classical guitar trying to emerge from the heavy keyboards and the distortion. Above the average.

"The Secret" brings us back to India, as often happens with Senmuth. An average track of this kind, with the usual pauses filled by ethnic instruments and a lot of acoustic stuff overwhelming the distorted tapestry. I like this kind of tracks in Senmuth when as in this album they are not filling the whole release.

In brief an average album after two unsatisfactory releases.

3 stars but rounded up