Endless Asylum - Danvers State Hospital - Beyond Mental Illness
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Madness. Such a rewarding subject for dark ambient compositions. Briefly, a paradise for ones creating dark, insane climates. A problem comes when one has to measure this madness, or rather it’s reflection, an overall waft of a romantic topos in inspired work. A great majority of albums floating in this matter is inspired by XIXth-century mental hospitals as well as horrid rudiments of modern psychiatry from lobotomy, through electroconvulsive shock up to all kinds of elaborate "healing" methods. Comparing the Endless Asylum album with albums by Bisclaveref and Midnight Syndicate, since the first tracks, a quality discords are evident, to the reviewed group’s disadvantage.
The album’s title holds a real story. Beyond Mental Illness is a title of a documentary about someone called Marie Balter who went down the hard way from mental illness to recovery. That’s the main inspiration and leitmotiv of the album.
No one expects to talk about madness in an arranged, logic way. Nay, chaos is desirable, almost essential. Endless Asylum serves chaos in a hefty dose. The first track tells a story introducing us to the world of imprisoned patients. Hoarse, spirit voice accompanied by metallic tappings, glitches and noises is trying to reach a horror level straight from stories by master Edgar. Inefficiently, unfortunately. The company of two synth chords drags down the composition all the way to the bottom, like concrete shoes. A hope appears in the next track. Dynamic, interesting musically with samples straight from decent dark electro works, it has a thing. Schizophrenia is a track quite original and with flair. It’s what one would expect from ambient music. A perfect background.
What’s next? Nothing to be crazy about, to put it mildly. Music box with Beethoven’s Fur Elise is an essence of kitsch, reminding of irritating postcards with small rubbish playing inside. Metallic banging, all of them sounding like one spoon tapping one pot. Very weak. Want more? Sample from St. Therese of The Roses has so much in common with lobotomy (appearing in track The Lobotomist) as Anna Varney Catodea with Bizon harvester. Even if it’s got something to do with heroine’s story, the effect is irritating. There is something for a change – there are voices of frightened patients and evil electronic sounds... accompanied by spoon and pot of course. A little more dynamic, with some choirs, quite a piece from second track. In other words, copy, paste, save. Further bullying is pointless. It should be mentioned that musicians themselves noticed that elements from second song are the strong point of the album and... copied them in track seven. Madness. That’s what it’s all about. But beware! There’s also a video. It’s quality matches the album. 7 minutes taken out of a lifetime, adorned with album’s best track. At first it’s funny but than it only annoys. Visual bottom. One can easily open a new tab in the browser and do something more interesting, leaving the sound on. As for the video’s outcome, I hope the tights were not used.
On the whole, the album is weak, mediocre at times. One good track worth remembering, maybe even mixing. Getting to know the article I recognize the story of Marie Balter as lame, although I must admit that I didn’t read her book, Nobody’s Child. Endless Asylum fell into the trap of her story and didn’t cope with the subject. I hope that the next album’s motive won’t be a book entitled About a dog who traveled by rail.
The brutal truth proves right here – you play a madman either when you can to nothing or when you’re the best in your profession. The nature of this madness I leave for every one to decide on their own.
Tracklist:
01. The journey of Marie Bartel
02. Schizophrenia
03. Chilhood in the asylum
04. The lobotomist
05. Into de deep silence and suffering
06. Beyond mental illness
07. The voice of Danvers / When the gates of oblivion was closed forever
08. Shizophrenia (official videoclip)
Video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7jpZ4A3zarg
The album’s title holds a real story. Beyond Mental Illness is a title of a documentary about someone called Marie Balter who went down the hard way from mental illness to recovery. That’s the main inspiration and leitmotiv of the album.
No one expects to talk about madness in an arranged, logic way. Nay, chaos is desirable, almost essential. Endless Asylum serves chaos in a hefty dose. The first track tells a story introducing us to the world of imprisoned patients. Hoarse, spirit voice accompanied by metallic tappings, glitches and noises is trying to reach a horror level straight from stories by master Edgar. Inefficiently, unfortunately. The company of two synth chords drags down the composition all the way to the bottom, like concrete shoes. A hope appears in the next track. Dynamic, interesting musically with samples straight from decent dark electro works, it has a thing. Schizophrenia is a track quite original and with flair. It’s what one would expect from ambient music. A perfect background.
What’s next? Nothing to be crazy about, to put it mildly. Music box with Beethoven’s Fur Elise is an essence of kitsch, reminding of irritating postcards with small rubbish playing inside. Metallic banging, all of them sounding like one spoon tapping one pot. Very weak. Want more? Sample from St. Therese of The Roses has so much in common with lobotomy (appearing in track The Lobotomist) as Anna Varney Catodea with Bizon harvester. Even if it’s got something to do with heroine’s story, the effect is irritating. There is something for a change – there are voices of frightened patients and evil electronic sounds... accompanied by spoon and pot of course. A little more dynamic, with some choirs, quite a piece from second track. In other words, copy, paste, save. Further bullying is pointless. It should be mentioned that musicians themselves noticed that elements from second song are the strong point of the album and... copied them in track seven. Madness. That’s what it’s all about. But beware! There’s also a video. It’s quality matches the album. 7 minutes taken out of a lifetime, adorned with album’s best track. At first it’s funny but than it only annoys. Visual bottom. One can easily open a new tab in the browser and do something more interesting, leaving the sound on. As for the video’s outcome, I hope the tights were not used.
On the whole, the album is weak, mediocre at times. One good track worth remembering, maybe even mixing. Getting to know the article I recognize the story of Marie Balter as lame, although I must admit that I didn’t read her book, Nobody’s Child. Endless Asylum fell into the trap of her story and didn’t cope with the subject. I hope that the next album’s motive won’t be a book entitled About a dog who traveled by rail.
The brutal truth proves right here – you play a madman either when you can to nothing or when you’re the best in your profession. The nature of this madness I leave for every one to decide on their own.
Tracklist:
01. The journey of Marie Bartel
02. Schizophrenia
03. Chilhood in the asylum
04. The lobotomist
05. Into de deep silence and suffering
06. Beyond mental illness
07. The voice of Danvers / When the gates of oblivion was closed forever
08. Shizophrenia (official videoclip)
Video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7jpZ4A3zarg
