Desiderii Marginis – Departed (Album – Cyclic Law)
Genre/Influences: Dark-ambient, cinematographic.
Format: Digital, CD, Vinyl.
Background/Info: “Departed” can be seen as a milestone in the history of this project driven by Johan Levin. It indeed is the tenth full length of the Swedish artist, which two years after the great “Vita Arkivet”-opus strikes back with a new work meant as a ‘soaring meditation on mortality’.
Content: “Departed” clearly features classical elements of dark-ambient music. The work reminds me of the magic of the project’s early releases, composing overwhelming sound waves and ghost-like atmospheres. The darkness is accentuated by some mysterious choirs, which you’ll notice running throughout some cuts. There also is a passage with delicate piano playing, which also empowers the spooky format of the album.
The opus features six tracks, but the digital- and CD formats both have a bonus of 3 more cuts. You will discover reworked edits of familiar tracks featuring the famous “Deadbeat”-track originally released on Desiderii Marginis’ second album (2001).
+ + + : Johan Levin is clearly getting back to the essence of dark-ambient music; an obscure sonic voyage elaborated with haunting atmospheres and multiple little noises and other details. Some cuts create an intimate, but morbid atmosphere. It totally matches with the concept of the album. “Through A Forest Of Empty Armors”, “An Immense Hardened Shadow” and the reworked version of “I Am Without Rule (Sum Sine Regno)” sound pretty grimly. The reworked version of “Deadbeat” is another attention grabber and I especially like the kind of trumpet sound, which has something icy and like predicting a nearby disaster.
– – – : It’s hard to find minus points, but I just want to mention the third track “The Silence Of A Thousand Years”, which couldn’t convince me. No reason to complain!
Conclusion: “Departed” sounds like back to basics; an album in the purest dark-ambient tradition and reminding us the genius of this Swedish Master in the genre.
Best songs: “Through A Forest Of Empty Armors”, “An Immense Hardened Shadow”, “I Am Without Rule (Sum Sine Regno)”, “Deadbeat – MMXIX”, “Departed”.
Rate: (8½).
Artist: www.facebook.com/Desiderii-Marginis-172940436056471
Label: www.cycliclaw.com / www.facebook.com/cycliclaw
About Desiderii Marginis
Desiderii Marginis is the dark ambient project of Swedish artist Johan Levin, formed in Mjölby in 1993. After three limited tape releases later assembled on the 2009 compilation “Years Lend A Golden Charm”, the project’s debut album, “Songs Over Ruins”, appeared on Cold Meat Industry in 1997, followed over the years by “Deadbeat” (2001), “Strife” (2004), “The Ever Green Tree” (2005) and “Vita Arkivet” (2018). “Departed” (2020), the tenth full length by Desiderii Marginis, arrived on Cyclic Law two years after “Vita Arkivet” as what Levin has described as a meditation on mortality.
Support Side-Line
More people read Side-Line than ever, and there is still no paywall and no advertising. Readers pay for it instead - from $5 a month.
Why we ask
Advertising revenues across the media are falling fast. Unlike many news organisations we have not put up a paywall, and we refuse to add annoying advertising, so we need to ask for your help. Side-Line’s independent journalism takes time, money and hard work to produce, and we do it to push the artists we like, who are equally fighting to survive.
Handled by PayPal.
I have been working for over 30 years with Side-line as the main reviewer. My taste is eclectic, uncoventional and I prefer to look for the pearls, even if the bands are completely unknown, thus staying loyal to the Side-Line philosophy of nurturing new talents.
