Where Life Springs Eternal is definitely not the type of music I often get to spin in my player. This is very far from blues and has little to do with black/folk metal. This act comes from Minnesota. It is the creation of Tanner Anderson, backed by Tim Glen (percussions) and bassist Jason Walter (Agalloch). Lasting nearly an hour, the five tracks are separated in two categories: opener/interlude/closer and two long lasting compositions. The three shorter numbers are instrumentals. The opener is a noisy/distortion galore tune ending with nature samplings (birds, water flows and thunder). The interlude also contains those nature sounds along with some acoustic stringed instrument. This same instrument is back on the closing track too. That leaves us with the bulk of this album: track #2 "Great Storm Carry My Sadness" (30 minutes plus) and track #4 "Offering in Cedar Smoke" (22 minutes plus). If I would mention that this is not slow, but very slow, you would know instantly that this is funeral doom isn't' it? Yes this is it and it has a nice edge to it. Now, I'm still trying to figure out how such a long composition containing repetitive/hypnotic and super slow patterns is not a painful listening experience. On the other hand, this is not the type of album I would gladly play anytime to fulfill musical needs. There is a certain amount of eerieness involved here, caused by those ghostly rasps, and the nature samplings are a real pleasure, greatly balancing things out with the heavier guitar tones. Personally, I found this album more interesting in the second half, starting it off with track #3 (From Elm Blossoms a Rose). "Offering in Cedar Smoke" still flows like molasses, but it also has more nuanced tones and a bit of keyboards/organ.
Well, this is, by no means, not an easy one to get into. Maybe, with repeated listens , you will fall under some of its charms.
Track listing:
1 – Spell Over Still Water
2 – Great Storms Carry my Sadness
3 – From Elm Blossom a Rose
4 – Offering in Cedar Smoke
5 – Songbirds Depart Through the Passing Near the Garden
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