A forest of stars is what would be effectively know as avant-garde,
but play to my ear what is a blend of progressive black metal with elements of
folk peeking through from time to time. The music on Beware the Sword You Cannot See is an amalgamation of sounds and
emotions which is accomplished through a variety of instruments including;
flute, violin, keyboards and piano, as well as harsh and clean vocals, spoken
word and female vocals. To incorporate such a vast amount of elements into a
cohesive sound is no easy task and as such, would require complex song structures
and adept songwriting to be successful.
Such complexity (and success I might add) can be heard right
out of the gate on the opener “Drawing Down the Rain.” This nine-and-a-half-minute
mammoth, should be viewed more so as a listening experience rather than simply
a song, in that the various passages and changes throughout the song inspire a
number of moods and emotions.
We begin with a soft and melodic opening, creating an
inviting atmosphere to lull the listener into a sense of calmness. Then, the violin
kicks in and adds a bit of upbeat folky nature to the sound before suddenly, tremolo
picking and blast beating drums erupt sending the listener spiraling into
another world. After the initial assault, the mood shifts into an Edge of
Sanity style echoing passage that installs a hope in the listener that the
violence has finally subsided. Shortly after, we hear the introduction of the
female vocals which have an almost siren effect to ease the tension, which then
transitions into a long, winding path of dissonance as the song shifts to an
almost Gothic sounding overtone. The lonely section carries on until finally, a
sorrowful violin caps off the song, marking the end of your trudging experience.
Dramatic? You bet, but in order for an avant-garde act to
successfully convey their thoughts and ideals onto the listener, they have to
be able to install such an effect. Complex structures and layered
instrumentation cannot simply be viewed as a singular entity, but rather as
Aristotle once said “The Whole is Greater than the Sum of its Parts”. Once you
sit down and hear all the finer details that is put into this type of music,
the appreciation of such a diverse and intricate sound can be attained. Songs
such as “A Blaze of Hammers” and “Hive Mindless” are no less diverse than the
opener in that they are, in and of themselves separate listening experiences,
but each are unique in their own right.
Now, that being said, just because you simply jam a bunch of
instruments, tempos, passages and musical genres into an album, doesn’t’
necessarily mean result in a successful outcome. The juggling of some many
layered sounds and effects requires a level of competence that can only be
attained through concise songwriting and a dedication to the finer details of
one’s vision. This is an area where A Forest of Stars excels as, each of the
songs is equally complex, but at no point becomes redundant nor do either of
the songs sound too much like one another. Even the monstrous Pawn on the
Universal Chessboard, which albeit is broken into six parts, is essentially one
long story being told that, maintains its core sound across all six songs, yet each
part carries its own identity.
It is very difficult to put into words the listening experience
of what Beware the Sword You Cannot See offers, as I believe, every person will
experience it differently. This is a complicated album in which one needs to
keep an open mind while listening, but I will say that one or two listens
simply will not be enough. Once you hear the album on its fourth and fifth
time, you’ll continually discover new sounds that will only enhance your experience.
Highlights: “A Blaze of Hammers” “Draw Down the Rain” “Pawn
on the Universal Chessboard”
Rating: 3.5
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