Ulver - Madrigal of the Night (Nattens Madrigal)
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Free Music Notes for Madrigal of the Night (Nattens Madrigal)
Free Music Review: Black Metal to Unleash the Beast of Destruction Within...
Hit: 5 Stars
Debated as Ulver's cheap shot parody of black metal, "Nattens Madrigal: Vatte Hymne til Ulven i Manden" (English translation: "The Madrigal of Night: Eight Hymns to the Wolf in Man") is a controversial release for the band and the genre of BM itself. Its origins are often argued about, and the vocals were said to have been recorded in the vast Norwegian forests. Moreover, song titles are not given anywhere on the jewel case or inside the booklet, (There are actual titles for the songs, but you'll have to look for them yourself!) so this record as a whole is very mysterious and possesses the same type of atmosphere, especially with the calming ambient pieces between each song. Opinions often sway on Ulver's 3rd album, some praising it as a quality piece of mid-90's Norse black metal, while others dismiss it as "a bunch of worthless earsplitting noise". (To quote my brother...)
As it has been said, the production job of this album is incredibly "grim" and "kvlt". The guitars lack any low end whatsoever, and though while the bass is audible, it also seems rather thin in tone. Sounding like screeching buzzsaws, the guitars rip away with light-speed yet brilliant (and surprisingly catchy in many places) tremolo melodies while the bass builds the foundation of the sound and the drums blast relentlessly. However, the band is technically proficient and skilled, and everything here is perfectly executed. The drums are pretty much blastbeats the whole way through the album, but with so much variety in the melodies, the drums are not the focus of the music and never become irritating or boring, serving as a background pulse to the music. Garm's throat-shredding shrieks are driven to the front of the sound mix, and have a terrifying quality to them of venom and hatred. All of these elements come together to form a 40-minute symphony of hatred, power, strength, majesty, and the darkest fears of mankind through the impeccable guitar melodies and the dark lyrics, written in an archaic European tongue, adding to the mystery of the album. (Though English translations are given in the booklet, telling the story of a man who makes a pact with the devil in exchange for indulgence in his desires and immortality as a werewolf, and the internal struggles he faces.)
My personal favorite tracks include I, with its intriguing and beautiful acoustic break at the 1-minute mark, and the powerful melodies found in the dual guitars; III with its blazing emotions of hatred and majesty; IV, for its amazing riffs; and VIII for its epic closing mood, bringing the album to an abrupt but cathartic end.
I would recommend this album to fans of old-school melodic Norse BM, mainly Satyricon and Immortal. But for the curious, the raw and primal production adds to the atmosphere, and if you can unravel the chaos, you won't regret this purchase. A highly reccommended CD.
Free Music Review: Dog Water
Hit: 1 Stars
Take your all time favorite album, play it on a $15 stereo with blown speakers and listen to it via a baby monitor and it still would sound better than this garbage. There's no excuse for a CD to sound this horrible. If the songs are any good at all then record them right. I get a thousand times better sound recording in my basement with an old $400 4 track cassette recorder. This is a complete waste of time. I'll NEVER listen to this stinker again.
It's not even worth debating whether or not the songs are any good. Even if they were great (which they aren't at all) you'd still hate this thing.
Free Music Review: Nattens Madrigal is essential to the true Black Metal fan
Hit: 5 Stars
I, like others who have reviewed this album, was shocked when I first heard the raw noise that was Hymn I..but yet intrigued at the same time. I took a chance (I was previewing at the local shop) and went ahead and shelled out the $$$ for it. I put it on in the stereo at home and started playing video games or reading or whatever and just kinda let it drift to background noise..thats until the chaotic raw noise gave way to a very nice acoustic interlude...so I stop whatever it was I was doing and just stared at the stereo in amazement...thats when I was utterly blown away by the melody that erupted from the speakers when the distortion kicked back in and I knew right at that moment in Hymn I that I had an amazing album in my collection!
as another few ppl have mentioned, the produiction is intentionally raw for the fact they recorded live in the woods with an 8 track recorder, hence accounting for the sudden stops at the end of songs. the more I got used to it, the more I realized that its actually better than alot of supposedly "kvlt" black metal in the fact you can hear all the instruments quite well..which is kinda rare for this genre of music, needless to say. Ulver is absolutly amazing, and you're really missing out if you dont have at least the first 3 albums in your collection!! Every album had something different to offer...but you cant really say that about the electronic recordings they have since released.
Free Music Review: This is black metal for the ears of the interested.
Hit: 5 Stars
What do I mean with the title of my piece on this album? Simply put, if you've been led to believe this album is a sure fire hit with anyone who digs black metal, I'm afraid you're mistaken. This one has turned off many ears, including the likes of black metal fans. Personally, I can't see why.
Upon getting the album spinning, the first thing you'll hear is a very noisy Hymn 1. This is the essence of old school BM, my friend, and it's been captured to a T. The following 7 Hymns are equally noisy, and chaotic.
Here's where my point comes in. For someone who hears this one with an unmatured ear, it's easy to associate it with the likes of... well, we all have our bands we dislike for their perceived lack of talent.
To make sure Ulver is one of those bands for you, start off at least sampling each song clip provided by Amazon.com. If you like what you hear, or are intrigued enough to shell out the cost of the album, good for you.
What can you expect when you get your hands on this gem? A very consistant sound, yes, but I guaruntee every song will shine with it's own distict features. I know, because whenever I pop it in, I make sure I have at least 50 minutes so I can listen to the album from beginning to end. I love every song for one reason or another, whether it's the dramatic way the album opens up (Hymn 1), or the catchy, never slowing Hymn 6. And wrapping things up, Hymn 8, a solid closer.
Speaking of Hymn 8, I thought I'd point out one aspect of genius about this album aside from the more popular, "The Production is bad on purpose, therefore makes the album." Most of the songs seem to be cut off, or will fade out, while the riffing is still at full speed. Some of it is the "Bad Production," and some of it is to keep the album rolling, I assume. But, unlike all the songs prior to it, that end abruptly, or even prematurely, Hymn 8 will have a very distict, metal worthy ending, that really solidifies the album as one big work of art.
So, in closing, whether you like it or not, that's up to you. Whether you fully embrace the album for what it's worth? Hey, that's still up to you.
Enjoy.
Free Music Review: TITLE OF REVIEW
Hit: 4 Stars
Well, this is the only vltra-trve cvlt black metal album I own, but I like it.(Overall my exposure to black metal is fairly minimal. 3 Emperor albums, 1 a piece by Bathory, Dimmu Borgir, Enslaved and Immortal, plus what I hear on a local metal show) I intend on getting some more stuff like this at some point, though I don't know how much more I'll really need. Due to my general ignorance on the subject matter, I don't know how useful my review will be, but I'll give it a shot. Nattens Madrigal has got a surprisingly strong melodic element to it, so if you haven't heard any ultra-extreme black metal before this is probably a good one to pick up if you're curious.(Though, as I said before, I don't really know much other than what I've read about) Of course, lots of people may not be able to hear it through all the static and howling and blast-beating, but it's definitely there. However, if you haven't heard any black metal at all you probably ought to listen to some early Emperor first. If you like that than you can move on to this.
Terrible though the production is, it isn't quite as bad as many make it out to be. The instruments are incredibly thin sounding, particularly the bass and drums, and there's a perpetual wall of static, but you can actually make them all out pretty well anyway.(Even the bass can be heard, which stands out far better than it does in most metal albums, as the guitars have no bass whatsoever) The guitar sound is just great. It's not really heavy, as they are so thin, they're just incredibly abrasive, hissing and shrieking horribly. Personally, I could never imagine why bands would insist on having such low production values before I heard some black metal, but it really does add to this album. Frankly, I'm not sure if this would work at all with decent production. The production here is so raw that it genuinely changes the nature of the sound, rather than just making it ill-defined or whatever. Even half decent production would completely change the atmosphere of this album, and the atmosphere is primarily what's enjoyalbe.
The songwriting here is quite simplistic. There is virtually no variety, just near perpetual blast beats with near perpetual simple trem-picked riffing, somewhat more subdued bass work capped off by distant, truly bestial vocals. Garm is really a great black-metal screecher, the best I've heard. Lots of BM guys come off utterly ridiculous with silly goblin voices, but Garm barely sounds human, and I mean that in the best possible way. Although there isn't any variation there really aren't any throw away tracks either. And the emphaisis on melodic guitar work makes this album not quite as monotonous as lots of DM and BM stuff, which while techinically more varied than this doesn't have anything for you to remember, and thus becomes a complete blur. The best tracks are 1,3, and 6. 1 and 3 each have a particularly effecting and melodic main riff, which really makes them standout.(That and track 1 has the lone acoustic break, which is quite nice) Track 6 is particularly notable as it is the most emotionally dynamic track. The beginning and part of the end even sound happy, if you can believe such things. Of course, it's pretty tough to compare the tracks. I will say that, overall, the second half isn't quite as strong as the first, but it doesn't falter too much. And the mood does change somewhat. The second half is somewhat more subdued, with more of an endless blur and fewer specific riffs standing out.(which is part of the reason this half is weaker)
Well, that's it. I'll admit that nothing on this album really blows me away, but it's all enjoyable enough, and I haven't heard anything else quite like it. Definitely a good purchase.