SENMUTH — Izoteri-Ka (review)

SENMUTH — Izoteri-Ka album cover Album · 2004 · Industrial Metal Buy this album from MMA partners
3.5/5 ·
Conor Fynes
'Izoteri-Ka' - Senmuth (7/10)

After an engaging, yet flawed debut with 'Cognitive Discord,' Senmuth took very little time to get a follow-up in the works. While many bands and artists take up to a few years to get a second album in the works, it only took a few months for 'Izoteri-Ka' to back it's predecessor up. As a relatively small part of an absolutely massive discography, this album seems to through in a more equal dose of his ethnic/avant and metal leanings than before, which certainly makes it a better demonstration of what the project is all about. While I may put 'Izoteri-Ka' on a similar echelon of quality that 'Cognitive Discord' rests in, the two albums are incredibly different, and they earn their common rating for very different reasons.

This second time around, there has been a definate development in the sound of Senmuth. Gone is the over-the-top, bombastic dance-craziness which defined the debut. 'Izoteri-Ka' is a much more challenging and complex listen, drawing much more heavily on his interest in classical and exotic instruments. With that being said however, there's no doubt that this album is the child of the debut. At it's core, there is still a hefty portion of industrial metal, and the same distorted vocals. While the unique vocal style of Senmuth may have worked for 'Cognitive Discord,' the added complexity and subtle flourishes in the music here give it an added sophistication; effectively making the Moscovite euro-dance pop inflections of the singing even more undesirable.

Instrumentally however, the music is very imaginative. A heavy collage of ethnic and ancient musical styles, the greatest strength of 'Izoteri-Ka' is it's ability to effectively transport the listener to other, exotic places. There are more than a few instrumental sections of the album where one is able to vividly imagine landscapes and surroundings, simply based on the suggestion of the music alone.

While I may enjoy 'Cognitive Discord' more for it's 'fun' nature and the album's catchiness, 'Izoteri-Ka' shows a much more progressive and experimental side of Senmuth's music that I am all the more willing to explore. With so many albums under his belt, the greatest thing I could hope for this early on is a sense of development and steady improvement, and I'm getting that impression from this music. 'Izoteri-Ka' certainly doesn't give the lasting impression that 'Cognitive Discord' gave, but I am positive that somewhere along his discography, Senmuth will have made an album that reaches this level of intricacy, and maintains the level of consistency and interest that drew me to the debut.
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

Hin helga kvöl Atmospheric Sludge Metal
SÓLSTAFIR
Buy this album from MMA partners
The Cycles of Suffering Black Metal
BURIAL OATH
Buy this album from MMA partners
The Suns of Perdition - Chapter IV: To Shadow Zion Black Metal
PANZERFAUST
Buy this album from MMA partners
Facilis Descensus Averno Death Metal
SAEVUS FINIS
Buy this album from MMA partners
Merciless Crossover Thrash
BODY COUNT
Buy this album from MMA partners
More new releases

New Metal Online Videos

DAWN OF REVENGE - Sanctuary [official music video]
DAWN OF REVENGE
Bosh66· 5 days ago
DAWN OF REVENGE - Farewell [official music video]
DAWN OF REVENGE
Bosh66· 5 days ago
DAWN OF REVENGE - Curtain of Death - [official music video]
DAWN OF REVENGE
Bosh66· 5 days ago
DAWN OF REVENGE - Vengeance [official music video]
DAWN OF REVENGE
Bosh66· 5 days ago
DAWN OF REVENGE - I Need You [official music video]
DAWN OF REVENGE
Bosh66· 5 days 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