[Reviewed by: stark]
There’s a creative chemistry between these two projects. And this chemistry is simply a derivative of their friendship. They’ve collaborating together in the past, so I think it was only a matter of time for these bands from Italy and Israel to join forces and record an album together. Four tracks by Albireon, five by Zeresh, but both Tamar and Davide appear on each other’s songs.
These first five songs by Albireon may suggest that Davide Borghi and the crew were at least partially influenced by earlier Zeresh recordings. These are still acoustic songs on guitar, voice and electronics, yet you can’t simply just say, that it is folk or neofolk, or whatever. I mean listen to the second song, “A Withered Kingdom” and try to imagine that instead of that acoustic loop which flows throughout the whole composition, there’s an electric guitar playing the same riff. So? You have an instant gothic/doom classic in the vein of My Dying Bride. Albireon has never been the most cheerful band in the world and they take another step into the heart of darkness, this time surrounded by an apocalyptic doom aura. More in the feeling rather than in the used means of expression.
Electric guitar riffs and drones can be found on Zeresh’s side though, so there’s this touch of decadence intensified by Tamar’s vocals, characteristic, often treated with a decent dose of reverb, sometimes reminding me of a shoegaze classics. She’s accompanied by other singers, like Davidavi Dolev whose haunting expression stands in opposition to the restrained singing by Tamar Singer. They really sound awesome together. And while the music is still driven by acoustic guitars, those heavy soundscapes in the background are like a radioactive cloud slowly embracing you and your loved ones.
“No Longer Mourn For Me” ends with a short coda painting pictures of a desolate wasteland where all the warmth is gone. These heartbreaking songs of love, loss and death will strike all the emotional souls out there. I mean really, if any music would be able to touch the bottom of your heart, this is it.
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Albireon Vs Zeresh – No Longer Mourn For Me
Toten Schwan, TSR 125
CD/Digital 2021
Santa Sangre 