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Mortiis - The Smell of Rain


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Haavard Elefsen, a 35-year-old musician from Norway. Once known as a bassist of Emperor, in 1992 he founded his own band – Mortiis. Along with his bandmates he commenced creating music entirely different from the one he had been occupied with earlier. They began with ambient sounds but eventually wound up playing industrial.

The Smell of Rain is a strictly industrial album. It is also a one step taken to get the band closer to musical changes. The earlier, dark ambient atmosphere is gently making way for brand new sounds and vocals of Mortiis himself.
The album opens with Scar Trek/Parasite God. A melodic beat can be heard from the very first moment. It is an immensely pleasant track with a catchy chorus and perfectly matching background vocals. After a subtle musical passage the first beats of Flux/Mental Maelstorm can be made out. Definitely more electronic and a bit harder track, yet also equipped with melodic fragments. In the next track Spirit in a Vacuum Mortiis managed to successfully combine his vocals with female singing. This piece of music with its melody and coherence does not differ from the others, but certainly is excellent to dance to. The fourth on the album – Monolith – shows how well distorted vocals, which one can listen to throughout the album, suits the music Mortiis plays. You Put a Hex On Me constitute a return to a bit faster sound, however, it does bear some resemblance to the other tracks. A very catchy chorus and dance melodies – this is how the track could be described in a nutshell. After a while the music slows down significantly. Everyone Leaves is one of the most interesting tracks on the album and the only ballad... The ballad in Mortiis' style – gentle, gloomy and undoubtedly really beautiful. At the end the song’s pace hastens and gets darker. Marshland treats us to uncompromising beat from the start. With fast, danceable and melodic sound it makes you get on your feet at once. Obviously the track was made to heat up every dance floor. Last but not least on the album, Antimental, is no match to the last one – Smell the Witch, which is one of my favorite three songs from the release.

The Smell of Rain is a musically subdued album. Everything matches everything in an impeccable way. Despite similarities among the tracks, the release is not boring. Each track is catchy. If one adopts as a determinant of success the fact that after the very first listen the tracks go through your head without your interference, The Smell of Rain is a success without any shadow of doubt.

Tracklist:
1. Scar Trek/Parasite God
2. Flux/Mental Maelstrom
3. Spirit In A Vacuum
4. Monolith
5. You Put A Hex On Me
6. Everyone Leaves
7. Marshland
8. Antimental
9. Smell The Witch
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Translator: murd
Add date: 2010-10-25 / Music reviews


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