VDOL PUTY K PODNEBESNOY

I'd like to know the meaning of the ideograms on the album's cover, but the only thing that I can guess is that this is about China. The first short track is based on chinese percussions (electronic of course). Just 1 minute and half. The second track (Goddess Dream) is an unusual mix of chinese melody and "industrial sounds" The result could be called "techno- prog". The final part of the track is quiet and confirms the chinese mood. "Real or Dream" is on the same way of the previous. A chinese melody over techno-industrial sounds and metal-like singing. This is a typical Senmuth track. Respect to the first two albums the melodies seem to have a bit more importance and this is absolutely not bad. This is the 3rd of 78 (while I'm writing) albums and an evolution is already visible.

"Rain Images" confirms this tendence even if the omnipresent background noise doesn't permit a relax. "China Theater" is psychedelic, of that kind that's typical of Asian bands. It reminds me to Acid Mothers Temple. "Ho Shang Kung" is an excellent track, but Senmuth's music is hard to describe. "Hard-electronic"?

"Ethernal Fighter" has a captivating melody and some "cymbals" interludes between metal singing. The tension is back with "Forrest and Sun". The kind of tracks that justifies the "Post-Metal" label. The album is closed by "Tai-Chu" (The opener's title was Tai-I). Another remind to Chinese traditional music.

To summarize, respect to the two first albums there is surely an improvement. It's not yet a 4- stars album but it's very promising and because downoloading it is free I suggest everybody to spend some time on it.

As all the Senmuth's albums also this one has an excellent sleeve design (Senmuth is a designer). A visit to his website is recommended.

'Вдоль Пути к Поднебесной' - Senmuth (6/10)

The third installment of Senmuth's epic musical journey, the man behind the music of this project finds himself treading deep into the realm of oriental/far east music. While almost all of his albums are influenced by ethnic sounds, this is the first work under the Senmuth label to focus on one culture almost exclusively. While 'Вдоль Пути к Поднебесной' certainly follows the tradition of industrial-tinged metal that Senmuth based his early career on, the integration of East Asian musical sensibilities fit very well into the staple style, generally working their way in as upbeat synth melodies. While 'Вдоль Пути к Поднебесной' lacks both the catchiness of 'Cognitive Discord,' and the intricacy of 'Izoteri- Ka,' the album's focus on cohesion and melding ethnic styles seamlessly into Senmuth's metal foundation makes it a rather worthy addition to the Senmuth project discography.

The music generally revolves around light oriental synth melodies bouncing around overtop downtuned guitar riffage, and the typical electronic industrial ambience that Senmuth seems to throw into every project he worked on in 2004. Despite the work of this man typically being labelled as 'doom metal,' the mood here is generally light hearted and whimsical, with a few mentionable exceptions. One such exception is the dark ambient piece 'Chinese Theatre,' which is thrown in the middle of the album. While it is an effective, even haunting piece of soundscaping, the dark and imposing tone here feels very out of place next to the melodic, upbeat pieces that surround it.

Another very prominent sound here (besides the oriental ethnic style) is that of the martial, Industrial beats that run throughout most of the album. While Senmuth has always had an Industrial side, it always meshed into the metal side of the music; never being showcased on it's own, or with any other genre combination. While it gives the music a very militant, aggressive feel (perhaps a commentary on Chinese culture,) it feels like it robs the music of what could have been a much more melodic inclination. Due to the fact that the instrumentation generally relies on melodic synth work (and some of the melodies work remarkably well,) it feels a bit disheartening to hear the percussion drowning out songs which might have been a more effective experience, had they been kept 'lighter' overall.

Senmuth seems to have melded some of the aspects of his last two albums to create a new piece that retains some of the qualities of his catchy pop-based work and the more complex orchestrations of his sophomore. By this point in my listening experience with Senmuth, I am definately drawing patterns in his music, but if anything, the man has proven that he has the ability to reinvent himself within the space of a few days. 'Вдоль Пути к Поднебесной' is an enjoyable listen with some strong melodies and a more upbeat sound, and while not all of his musical innovations are entirely convincing here, the merging of oriental, industrial and metal styles works surprisingly well in parts.