Conor Fynes
'Eternal Images' - Senmuth (4/10)
The seventeenth in what will inevitably become a discography sporting literally hundreds of albums, 'Eternal Images' is nothing new to the initiated Senmuth listener. As part of a growing trend for the Russian one man project, the metal-related strains in the music have generally been shed here, for a more ambient and reflective work of music. While all Senmuth albums (including this one) have merit, the tired, recycled styles used in the music, and the general lack of structure here make it a rather forgettable work, despite a generally atmospheric execution.
Instruments (or at least, the computer generated likenesses of such) from several distinct world cultures are used here, giving an exotic feel to the listener. For the sake of comparison, think of Peter Gabriel's soundtrack for 'Passion,' but less inspired and professional, and you have the sort of music that Senmuth has made on many albums, including 'Eternal Images.' While some pieces of work (such as 'Path of Satiam,' released less than a year before this record) have adopted this style and succeeded in creating an enjoyable experience, there is little here that ties the album together, or encourages the listener to go back for repeated listens.
For such a colourful album cover, it's someone surprising that the music itself is so bland. The tracks here can be divided either into a rhythmic, ethnic 'jam' of sorts, or wandering ambient soundscapes. Things here are executed well despite the feeling that alot of these instruments are fake-sounding, but the fault is in the compositions themselves.
The album is not necessarily unpleasant to listen to, but there is nothing here that makes it magnetic, or distinguishing in any way. With a little more concentration on creating concise, memorable pieces, Senmuth could easily have made this a much more engaging experience.