Arktau Eos: Ioh-Maera (CD only) and Unworeldes (Vinyl only)

Arktau Eos offers fans two new releases this month, one available only on CD and one only on vinyl. The vinyl recording is limited so interested parties may want to grab it while it's available. For those new to Arktau Eos, let me begin by suggesting that they're tough to categorize. Their Facebook page describes them as a "religion without a name." That's probably right, but the expression is a lot easier to say than it is to define. The point, I think, is that these guys see music as something capable of exploring the furthest reaches of our minds and emotions, something that always borders on the sacred, even the spiritual.

Listening to either of these albums is mostly a powerful experience, but audiences will want to understand that this music is unlike anything they've heard before. The instruments, largely self-constructed, create a variety of sounds that weave in and out of the mind much like the ambient music of someone like Brian Eno. What sets Arktau Eos apart from other ambient bands, though, is the way their music seems to address the unknown. At times, the music sounded like the beginning of a science fiction / horror soundtrack held out over 10 minutes. The music, in other words, is sometimes suspenseful, harrowing, mysterious.

The songs on both these recordings are different enough to warrant a listen; these guys don't seem the type to simply mine the same chord progressions or, more accurately, sounds, over and again. Fans new to Arktau Eos will want to know that the music develops slowly and that mood is probably more important than things like melody and so forth. Don't expect any guitar solos on this one. These releases aren't for everyone but they will certainly challenge, possibly even inspire those willing to give them a shot.

Track Listing:

Ioh-Maera
1. Unbinding Kaamos
2. Noxfaros
3. Sunken Luminaries
4. Ioh-Maera
5. Otherstone Refraction

Unworeldes
1. The Cypress Watcher
2. Cove of the Seven-Winged
3. Black Leaf Gaze
4. Geometry of Emptiness

Added: October 31st 2012
Reviewer: Carl Sederholm
Score:
Related Link: Band Facebook Page
Hits: 2254
Language: english

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