Background/Info:
Some
of you for sure know Mark Crumby. This British artist has been involved with
multiple projects, but Konstruktivists has been for sure one of the most
famous. Another important project was Cathedra. The production was released
during the 90s, mainly on cassette and released on different labels such as
Ant-zen, Jara Discs ao. This album features a selection of twenty nine songs
from that period and taken from these different releases.
Content:
The
first disc entitled “Burning Is Irreversible” features 14 songs that are mainly
driven by ritual influences. It’s a minimalistic composition reminding me of
some 80s pioneers and especially Zero Kama. Electronics have been merged with
the mystic sound of flutes, wind-bells, slow tribal percussion and a few lethargic
chants. I also noticed a few tracks,
which are more into dark-ambient.
The
second disc entitled “The Memory Cage” has nothing in common with the first
disc. The songs have been meticulously chosen and are into a pure cinematic
approach composed with electronics. The songs are carried by endless dark
strings while you’ll notice a few passages with chants.
+
+ + :
The ritual side of Cathedra is absolutely magic! I think there are not
many projects dealing with this kind of music. The atmosphere recovering the
songs has something mysterious, but the ritual elements are there to lead the
listener into an imaginary dark rite. The first CD is an essential work
featuring multiple outstanding songs.
–
– – :
I’m disappointed by the second disc, which is pure monotony. I don’t
have anything against cinematic experiences, but the tracks are too similar and
based upon a repeating sound formula.
Conclusion:
This
is an interesting retrospective and especially as it must be the first time to
have Cathedra on CD format. The ritual side of the project is brilliant while
the other tracks are suffering from a lack of elaboration and efficiency!
Best
songs: “Servulus”, “Black Rain”, “Ritual I”, “Lex Non Scripta”.
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