Conor Fynes
'Swadhisthana' - Senmuth (4/10)
Four albums into Senmuth's career, and already, this listener/reviewer was been taken to a wide range of vistas through the music. Although he releases albums very closely together, I can see a development of his sound; the man behind the music is certainly not afraid to leave the shackles of heavy metal behind and explore new ways of expressing himself musically. While the album before this may have had a firm basis in the culture of China and Japan, 'Swadhisthana' takes us to the sands of the Middle East, and the spiritual lands of India. While this album may have been the most professional-sounding work he had done to date, most of the music is incredibly derivative from age-old Arabic traditional music and Indian Bhangra; material that we have all heard before at some point, and certainly not a style of music I find a wealth of enjoyment in. While this is one of the less enjoyable albums by Senmuth I have explored, I can easily see anyone seeking to look into the genre of Indian popular music or Arabic traditional finding a good deal of interest with this album.
Despite the fact that the music here is all produced on what the man behind the music of Senmuth dubbed a 'home studio,' things sound very crisp and professional. Also, for the first time in Senmuth history, the vocals consistently fit well into the music, and contribute to the overall sound in a productive manner. What makes 'Swadhisthana' a comparatively poor release in the overall scope of the Senmuth library then, is it's lack of real melody or noticable composition structure. More often than not, this feels like the soundtrack to an educational film on the Middle-East, than an album you would put on the enjoy for the music itself.
While I am (as always) impressed by the sonic arrangements here and the introduction of some strong female vocal work, 'Swadhisthana' is certainly not my thing, and I am under the impression that many listeners that were hoping for an exercise in strong oriental metal here will come out dissapointed. On the other hand, the album makes for some listenable 'background' music, and shows that with each album, Senmuth's execution of his music becomes all the more professional and polished.