SENMUTH — Chambers

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SENMUTH - Chambers cover
2.23 | 3 ratings | 2 reviews
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Album · 2010

Filed under Industrial Metal
By SENMUTH

Tracklist

1. Davison's Chamber (7:25)
2. Wellington's Chamber (11:33)
3. Nelson's Chamber (8:28)
4. Lady Arbuthnot's Chamber (12:41)
5. Campbell's Chamber (9:57)

Total Time: 50:04

Line-up/Musicians

- Senmuth / Guitars, Programming

About this release

Self released.

Thanks to Any Colour You Like, progkidjoel for the updates

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SENMUTH CHAMBERS reviews

Specialists/collaborators reviews

Conor Fynes
'Chambers' - Senmuth (4/10)

While Senmuth has certainly grasped my imagination and attention even with some of his beautiful ambient work, it's unavoidable that some of many, many albums will turn out to be flops. Such may the case in Senmuth's dark ambient work 'Chambers,' a sprawling concept piece revolving around a handful of historical figures the man behind the music of Senmuth has obviously studied. Be sure to find a much darker tone here than usual for this project's music; Senmuth has rarely sounded so unsettling and morose. However, the unnerving vibe of the album aside, the fact remains that despite giving an atmosphere, very little else occurs here of mention, and as a result the album tends to be quite boring.

While this album 'Chambers' could certainly be seen as enjoyable if taken from the perfect perspective, it feels like there just ins't enough actually going on with the music to be worth an intent trip. A lack of melodic structure or conventional form is inherent in ambient music, but even listening to 'Chambers' simply for the sake of relaxation, there are very few discernible sounds and memorable qualities to make Senmuth's music really soar here.The dark feeling here resounds throughout, but the fact that the vibe remains the same throughout somewhat desensitizes the listener to the feeling after a ways into the work.

As for the concept of historical figures, I feel a lot more could have been done in the music to reflect the distinct personalities and feats of these people. With interesting stories behind each of these names, it would have been easy to find something really particular and engaging to drive the music with. To the album's misfortune, 'Chambers' just ends up sounding like another Egyptian-themed ethno-ambient album from Senmuth, and in the case I was hoping for something more than that, I've been a bit disappointed.
J-Man
Chambers has a lot of things that make for an interesting listen. The tribal percussion, ambient arrangements, and dark atmospheres are something that Senmuth has trademarked over the years, but this outing is even darker and more haunting than many other of the man's other ethno-ambient albums. This is the type of album that should immerse you, and simply allow yourself drift into the creepy ancient atmosphere that Senmuth has tried so hard to create. Although there are a few parts that are easy to lose yourself in, a good chunk of Chambers is a boring and repetitive attempt at trying to create a certain atmosphere without fully living up to its own expectations. Something here is missing - whether it is the often mediocre compositions or occasional lack of a human touch, the majority of this album doesn't exactly "grab" me like other Senmuth albums have. Unless you've heard most of the work from this prolific one-man-act, there are many better places to turn than Chambers.

The music here is self-described by Senmuth as "Ethno Ritual Dark Ambient", which is a good overall description. Although the often sterile sound can take away from an authentic experience in such a genre, it is generally portrayed rather well. The booming percussion gives of a tribal-like feeling, which is complimented by some ambient synths. The main problem in Chambers is the compositions, which often feel lifeless and uninspired. Although there are some nice moments in most of the songs, they are few and far between. Even right after an extremely focused listening session, it's difficult for me to recall more than two or three melodies from the entire album. The songwriting is simply not very memorable and not nearly as immersive as it should be. Although Senmuth does a pretty great job with the sound and arrangements here, the music that's backing it up isn't among his best. I hate to say this, but a good amount of Chambers sounds like background music to something much better.

The production is, as we're used to from Senmuth, excellent. The sound is spectacular and sounds great in every aspect. I have no complaints here.

Although Chambers isn't a terrible album, I don't think anyone aside from die-hard Senmuth fans would find much warrant here. There's some quality on this album, but the vast majority of the release falls into the "what could have been" category. I'll give Chambers 2 stars. If you're not a Senmuth veteran, I wouldn't recommend jumping into this one.

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