Aarni - Bathos
Rating
RIYL
-Label
FiredoomTracklist
01. Ονειροσκόπος02. Squaring The Circle
03. Quinotaurus (Twelve Stars In Sight)
04. Kivijumala
05. V.I.T.R.I.O.L.
06. The Thunder, Perfect Mindfuck
07. Mental Fugue
08. Niut Net Meru
09. Kesäyö
Users RatingCreate an account or log in to rate this album |
Your RatingCreate an account or log in to rate this album |
Putting it simply, this is the weirdest album ever reviewed on this site. It's not metal, it's not rock, it's not indie, it's not jazz, it's not avantgarde, it's not new age, it's not folk -- but at the same time, it is. Putting into words that could adequately describe this band -- er, one guy with four distinctively different personalities -- is probably impossible. This is just the type of album you have to hear to know what's going on.
However, despite all that hodgepodge promise hinted at a few sentences ago, this album really isn't any good. Well, it might be to someone, but if someone like myself who appreciates the art of weirdness doesn't find this appealing, I'm not sure who will. There's just way too much going on for any one reaction to stick to anything, and there's not enough actual material to make this an album you'd want to reach for over and over.
But, if you must insist, this is essentially a doom metal album. With flutes. And tribal noises. And the sounds of waves crashing. And bad vocals. And more flutes. And Yanni. Well, wait, there's no Yanni. But there might as well be. Bathos is essentially a Yanni album with doom guitars.
The only really promising piece on here hits five tracks in, in the form of "VI.T.R.I.O.L." It's an atmospheric piece with more flutes and the sounds of hammers being put to large metal carts every five seconds in the background. It's creepy enough to warrant some repeat listens, but after a couple, unless you live for shit like this (as in stuff so pretentious even the pseudo-intellectual reading Freud sitting next to you will look up and comment about how pretentious it is), it'll just get boring.
There's no energy or excitement here. This is just a directionless mess that could have been so much more, but ended up being just a pile of ideas scattered across an hour's time. Aarni is nothing more than a good band name with some average guitar-playing and way too much time to waste.
--Timothy Golden
Comments