ULVER — Themes From William Blake's The Marriage Of Heaven And Hell (review)

ULVER — Themes From William Blake's The Marriage Of Heaven And Hell album cover Album · 1998 · Avant-garde Metal Buy this album from MMA partners
3/5 ·
Xaxaar
This album is not the Ulver you've been used to hearing. It was definitely a risky project to attempt. It seems like 90% of the album is spoken word over a drum beat with some ambients. Given this, it does create the exact mood that they intended, I'm sure, which is probably the hi-light of the album. And you would think that an album that repeats the same philosophy on music in every song would get boring, especially because the album is so long, but it really doesn't. The calm and haunting feel is easy to get lost in; just sit back and soak it in. I enjoyed it from start to finish, even though the last song deceived me a bit. When I first saw it, I was excited for a 26 minute long epic at the end, but sadly it's just one of those 5 minute songs with silence at the end for a small bonus track. Admittedly, The Way of All Flesh fooled me too. But that being said, the 5 minute song at the end is one of the better songs on the album. But all in all, a very good interpretation of Blake's TMOHAH, if nothing else. It's a very difficult album to try and describe. Even though it is very simple, it does require all of your attention to really get the mood of it all (definitely not something you listen to in the background while working or something). It was a good experience, but not quite the masterpiece I heard others praise it as. Nonetheless, I would still recommend it if the concept sounds appealing to you. I surely don't fault people for praising this album so highly, but to me it falls short of being considered a legendary piece.
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