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Music is motion, a journey, a dialogue between the listener and the artist—a dynamic exchange of energy and an invitation to explore the inner world that the musician wishes to share. Often, it entails a journey to the thresholds of pain, where the creator ventures, and we, in turn, experience their emotions without physically reaching that destination. Nicolas Van Meirhaeghe has consistently demonstrated mastery in crafting musical landscapes that enchant and captivate.
In his latest album, 'Pilgrimage to Ganriki,' he guides us on a sonic expedition, offering a musical reflection of the spiritual and mental pilgrimage to Mount Inari in Fushimi-ku, Kyoto. Fushimi Inari Taisha Shrine venerates Inari, a deity associated with bountiful harvests and business success. Serving as Japan's primary Inari temple, it distinguishes itself with an impressive pathway composed of countless vivid orange torii gates. The musical composition, woven from delicate, exquisitely beautiful sounds—mysterious and inscrutable, as heard in 'Ascending Mount Inari' or 'Romon Gate'—creates an extraordinary atmosphere infused with a profound emotional charge, subtle and not immediately apparent.

This musical narrative unfolds as a story of inner exploration, struggle, transformation, and liberation. The tones delicately evolve, sometimes vibrating and accelerating, at other times becoming sublime or focused, collectively forming an incredibly intricate, rich, and complex structure. Empusae consistently extends an invitation to engage in challenging confrontations, doing so with remarkable refinement and sublimity. The album serves as an expression of the artist's personal journey and epiphany, almost taking on a symbolic significance—especially considering its release date, which aligns with the ten-year mark since the diagnosis of retinitis pigmentosa. The graphic design was crafted by Christel Morvan (Nesisart)

Author: khocico
Translator: khocico
Add date: 2024-01-08 / Music reviews