SENMUTH — Chambers (review)

SENMUTH — Chambers album cover Album · 2010 · Industrial Metal Buy this album from MMA partners
2/5 ·
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.
Share this review
more

Review Comments

Post a public comment below | Send private message to the reviewer
Please login to post a shout
No shouts posted yet. Be the first member to do so above!

Review Index

Member Zone

Username:
Password:
Stay signed in

Metal Subgenres

Artists Alpha-index

MMA TOP 5 Metal ALBUMS

Rating by members, ranked by custom algorithm
Albums with 30 ratings and more
Master of Puppets Thrash Metal
METALLICA
Buy this album from our partners
Paranoid Heavy Metal
BLACK SABBATH
Buy this album from our partners
Moving Pictures Hard Rock
RUSH
Buy this album from our partners
Powerslave NWoBHM
IRON MAIDEN
Buy this album from our partners
Rising Heavy Metal
RAINBOW
Buy this album from our partners

New Metal Artists

New Metal Releases

Deviance Deathcore
ASHES INTO BLOOD
Buy this album from MMA partners
Equilibrium Atmospheric Sludge Metal
BESRA
Buy this album from MMA partners
Tension Between Rot And Genesis Sludge Metal
ANTHESIS
Buy this album from MMA partners
Recycle Brain Crust Punk
C.P.G
Buy this album from MMA partners
Cartography Of The Mind Deathcore
TETHERED
Buy this album from MMA partners
More new releases

New Metal Online Videos

Besra – Unsullied (Music Video)
BESRA
Bosh66· 12 hours ago
Tethered - Breathe (Official Video)
TETHERED
Bosh66· 1 day ago
Saltwound - Walking The Blade (OFFICIAL VISUALIZER)
SALTWOUND
Bosh66· 1 day ago
Saltwound - The Negative (OFFICIAL MUSIC VIDEO)
SALTWOUND
Bosh66· 1 day ago
Saltwound - Drowning feat. Taylor Barber (OFFICIAL MUSIC VIDEO)
SALTWOUND
Bosh66· 1 day ago
More videos

New MMA Metal Forum Topics

More in the forums

New Site interactions

More...

Latest Metal News

members-submitted

More in the forums

Social Media

Follow us
Follow us on Twitter Become a Facebook fan RSS Feed