Mesmur - Terrene (CD)

funeral doom metal, Solitude Productions, Solitude Productions
600.00 Р
Price in points: 900 points
SP. 149-19 x
In stock
+

The third album "Terrene" from international death/funeral doom act Mesmur is a colossal and moving sonic rendering of a dying world. Where their 2017 album S operated on a cosmic scale, Terrene explores similar themes of entropy and impending chaos in a more terrestrial context, and is rife with the suffocating dirges and toxic atmosphere the band is known for. Featuring guest flute and cello performances by Don Zaros of Evoken and the Russian Nadia Avanesova, and another stunning cover design by Ukranian painter Cadaversky, Terrene reaches new levels of scope and ambition for Mesmur in their objective to create a vast and immersive doom metal experience.

Tracklist:
1 Terra Ishtar 16:51
2 Babylon 11:52
3 Eschaton 12:59
4 Caverns Of Edimmu 13:11

Artist:
Mesmur
Artist Country:
International
Album Year:
2019
Title:
Terrene
Genre:
funeral doom metal
Format:
CD
Type:
CD Album
Package:
Jewel Case
Label:
Solitude Productions
Cat Num:
SP. 149-19
Release Year:
2019
Barcode:
4627080611702
Country Of Manufacture:
Russia
Review
Metal Wani
9.5/10

There is a tragic beauty in sorrow and grief, and all stories ultimately end in both. Neither can be avoided, all that can be done is to come to grips with them and find your way through life. There is beauty because there is beauty in life and its frailty; to feel sorrow and grief means to live a life that has had love; and to have that is to have a life worth living. It is in embracing and sharing the strange beauty of sorrow that the funeral doom genre finds its home. And the multinational band Mesmur has tapped into the essence of this with their new album ‘Terrene.’

Two years ago I reviewed their last album, ‘S’, which was a Lovecraftian look into the endless void of space. This new album finds the band firmly back on Earth, and with that a more human, and thus more a more sorrowful and beautiful, album has been created. Funeral doom often comes in two forms, the type this album is, and the type that seeks to suffocate the listener with despair and misery. I find more value in the type explored on this album. The band is made up of four members who have never met one another, from different parts of the world, Jeremy L – Guitars, and Synth, Michele M – Bass, John D – Drums, and vocalist Chris G. The lyrics are handled by both the vocalist and guitarist. As the album consists of only four songs, I’ll hit on each one.

The album begins with the longest track, “Terra Ishtar,” which clocks in at nearly 17 minutes in length. Ishtar was a Babylonian goddess who came into popularity around 4000 B.C., Babylonian mythology is hardly a point of knowledge of mine, so I can say little more that would be of value regarding the title. The music starts quietly with waves of synthesizers, before the slow heavy crush that funeral doom is known for comes in. After a slow buildup the deep, almost hollow, growls come in. Lyrically it deals much of sorrow and impending doom, in part built on the mythology, but they also work perfectly well as themes for normal life. The band takes advantage of the full amount of time, both by speeding up sections (it IS still funeral doom however, so we’re not talking hyper speed), but also slowing the music down even more. Besides the usual instruments, guitar, bass, and drums, a sampled mellotron effect on the synths are used extensively. Best known for their use in late 60s and early 70s progressive rock, there is a timeless quality and uniqueness to a mellotron that I absolutely love, so am perhaps a bit bias in my enjoyment of their inclusion throughout the album. A very prominent section of key use comes halfway through, when the metal stops entirely and we’re treated to a minute of so of quiet washes of keyboards, which double for strings. The effect is quite realistic, the result is sublimely beautiful, and one of my favorite moments on the album.

This is followed by “Babylon” which continues with the middle eastern themes explored throughout the disk. Once again the slowly crushing metal is augmented by quieter passages, including some guest flute by Don Zaros of funeral doom legends Evoken. The shortest track on the album, while not as sprawling, it remains effective in its pacing and use of dynamics.

The guest list continues on the following track “Eschaton” which features cellist Nadia Avanesova. This track wastes no time getting heavy from the very beginning, and the cello doesn’t wait for a quiet moment to begin, instead joining the slowly crushing guitars and bass. The result is a very effective combination of beauty and brutality, mirroring the lyrics which deal with the collapse and destruction of society and the world as we know it. At around the 7 minute mark the music changes and mirrors the sounds of sirens, or airhorns, as would be heard for an air raid or most apocalyptic scenario. This bleeds directly into a quiet section highlighting the cello and the spoken word vocals of Chris. The result is a haunting and achingly beautiful requiem for a dying world, suffering the wrath of a vengeful God, before the mayhem and heaviness comes back. The switch in sound simply serves to make the heaviness more effective.

The album closes with “Caverns Of Edimmu.” Edimmu are, according to my fairly brief reading, a type of vengeful demon or ghost in the ancient Summarian religion. I will admit, I don’t find the connection between this and the lyrics to be very clear, as they read more as a general account of punishment and hellish afterlife. They are effective, however, and the deliberate hollow nature of the vocals serve to remind one of a final reckoning in an eldritch abyss deep underground. The keys and mellotron once more make themselves known, and the deep bass and quicker handwork of the drums adds a sense of urgency as the song progresses. The guitar work, while, like much of the album, focuses on riffs, remains at times slightly floating above the rest, and small subtle bits of cleaner guitar can be heard, which adds more to the atmosphere of the whole. The instrumentation comes together to grieve at the end, and closes things out in a highly satisfactory manner.

Mesmur has managed to create an album of both crushing agony, and sublime beauty, of deep melancholy and sorrow. ‘Terrene’ is firmly planted on earth and frail humanity, and our shared experiences of sadness and grief. This type of funeral doom reminds me of a heavy blanket; it pushes firmly down on the listener, but there is comfort and security in it, comfort of a common understanding, and humanity. It is a work that fans of this lonely subgenre should take note of. Highly recommended.

Author: Jonathon Rose
Review
Metalfans.be
8/10
07.11.2019

Al sinds het gelijknamig debuut van de Amerikaanse (Noord Carolina) band Mesmur in 2014 was ik onder de indruk van hun sound. Bij hun tweede album S uit 2017 vond ik dat ze inzake songschrijven nog een stapje vooruit waren gegaan en nu is er hun derde plaat Terrene. Thematisch bouwen ze verder op wat ze met S deden. Met dit verschil dat ze nu eerder naar de aarde kijken dan naar de kosmos. Maar we krijgen hier terug een sonische weergave van een stervende wereld waar chaos en entropie dreigen. Zoals steeds is dit niet meteen geschikt voor gevoelige zieltjes. Op Terrene staan vier tracks die samen goed zijn voor bijna 50 minuten muziek. Gastbijdrages komen van o.a. de Russische celliste Nadia Avanesova (mooie bijdrage) en Don Zaros van Evoken.

Opener Terra Ishtar wordt, zoals steeds, langzaam opgebouwd. Ze bevat, vooral voordat de song zich naar de outro toe ontwikkelt, mooie synths op de achtergrond die de sfeer mee bepalen en ook een zekere emotionaliteit laten horen. De zang is terug heel donker en lijkt vanuit de ondergrond van de aarde te komen. Ook de bas is hier sterk bezig. Babylon is ook heel donker maar lijkt minder lagen te bevatten. De zang is sterk maar er zit toch iets minder spanning in de song dan bij hun majestueuze opener. Eschaton begint alleszins goed met terug boeiende synths onder de rest van de muziek. Hij laat ons een hele mooie opbouw horen die zwaar, donker, melodieus en emotievol is. Die opbouw opent uitstekend de weg voor de vocals. De bridge breekt mooi met het voorgaande en klinkt haast als progmetal om dan terug verder te gaan op hun voorgaande elan waarbij hier de drums een doorslaggevende rol spelen. Amai wat een track zeg. Er wordt afgesloten met Caverns of Edimmu en die is zeker even boeiend als de andere songs. We krijgen een sterke ritmesectie in een prominente rol te horen. Naar het einde toe komen de synths meer op het voorplan om ons naar de uitgang te begeleiden.

Ook ditmaal slaagt Mesmur erin om het boeiend en uitdagend te houden. Gedurende drie sterke songs en één, naar hun normen, gemiddelde song nemen ze je mee naar een duistere en donkere wereld waar er weinig lichtpunten te ontdekken zijn. Muzikaal zijn er gelukkig wel lichtpunten genoeg. Hun derde plaat is minstens even goed als hun voorgaande. Een topschijf in het genre. Vanaf heden verkrijgbaar op bandcamp.

Author: Wim Guillemyn
Review
The Grim Tower
8/10
12.11.2019

Mesmur have always created the kind of doom/death metal that sounds otherworldly, rather than grim and morose and I’ve championed that. There are enough Saturnus clones out there as it is and it’s good to see an artist lifting me up and throwing me into a strange world that builds with every piece on the album. In this case, there are four of those, which is more than enough when you consider the fact that all of these tracks pass the ten-minute mark. Opener “Terra Ishtar” encroaches to nearly twenty and I’m sure that if given more time, that might have just happened. Synths are a huge part of the act, as they build the universe we explore within these four movements, which I will briefly demonstrate.

The album begins with “Terra Ishtar” as I stated before, though it come with a spectral resonance, as it were. If you’ve ever seen a Nova documentary, I could describe the effect here as similar. It does no remain that way though, as thundering doom riffs and an a veritable feeling of unease makes itself present further into the listen. The vocal filter effect that I’m noticing here also bring sort of a cavernous feeling to the mix, which makes that part of this disc seem like it has been made up of transmissions from a being who may very well be trapped on one of these alien worlds that are being sonically described through the music. “Babylon” continues that feeling, though actually does enter slightly darker territory than the band’s previous recording. Orchestral sections do manage to make a statement here, though it is too minute to be understood and is largely forgotten up until the end of the piece. The same might be said of “Eschaton” which seems to murk about in the already grimy territory laid by “Babylon.” Obviously, this is a very different kind of album and seems to press hard on the doom elements, making for what can certainly be a frightening, yet enthralling performance. “Caverns Of Edimmu” brings in more synth action, adding to the dreary orchestral compositions laden within. Towards the end of the cut, they almost feel a bit proggy and actually seem to work in the band’s favor.

Ultimately, there’s quite a bit to like here as no one does it quite like Mesmur when it comes to exponentially atmospheric doom/death. Though Terrene is more gloomy than the band’s previous effort, it still remains true to what makes the band stand out and I’d recommend taking this journey in whatever form you desire, just so long as it is in a place where you’ll not be bothered. It is a very immersive experience that feels like the the death knell of an alien world that we can only grasp partially, in short musical glimpses. There is a very good chance that Terrene is referring to our planet and it’s downfall, but I doubt we are the only world that has seen great turmoil and eventual collapse.

Author: The Grim Lord
Review
Homo-Faber.net
04.11.2019

Третий альбом “Terrene” от международного funeral doom metal проекта Mesmur – это колоссальное и трогательное звуковое воплощение умирающего мира. Подхватывая идеи предыдущего альбома “S” 2017 года, охватывавшего космические масштабы, “Terrene” исследует схожие темы энтропии и надвигающегося хаоса в более приземленном контексте и изобилует удушающими потоками и токсичной атмосферой, характерной для группы.

Проект Mesmur объединил музыкантов не просто из разных стран, но и с разных континентов. Группа талантливых единомышленников объединили свои силы в 2013-ом году, чтобы нести флаг скорби в массы.

Новый альбом “Terrene” получился по канонам жанра медленным и апокалиптичным. Четыре надгробные плиты выстроились в ряд, образовав небольшое, но определенно мрачное кладбище. Четыре долгоиграющие песни – словно четыре крепчайших гвоздя, вбиваемые в крышку гроба. Крайне низкий гроул вкупе с жирным гитарным саундом, диссонансами и тягучими элементами будоражат все рецепторы восприятия, погружая в непроглядную тьму. Ты смотришь в адскую бездну, пока бездна внимательно изучает тебя. Ты, словно ослепший пророк, мечешься из стороны в сторону, терзаемый нескончаемым потоком видений на библейские сюжеты.

Клавишные/виолончельные репризы ненадолго дарят успокоение, чтобы затем суровые гитарные пласты с минимальной долей мелодизма вновь отобрали надежду. Горечь и красота идут в один ряд, переплетаясь в волшебную мистерию. Mesmur не делают кардинально новое, но прекрасно демонстрируют понимание выбранного жанра. Филигранно и изящно, они грамотно используют возможности стиля, не переступая запретную грань. Работа над звуком вызывает в целом положительные впечатления. Что-то среднее между олдовой атмосферой и современным качеством. Уместно и канонично.

Отдельного внимания заслуживает лирика, наполненная религиозными и экзистенциальными вопросами.
На альбоме использованы партии флейты Дона Зароса из Evoken и виолончели русской музыкантки Надии Аванесовой.
Примечателен также кавер-арт/оформление от украинского художника Кадаверского.

Если попытаться выбрать самую топовую композицию, то выбор будет мучителен и непрост. На свой субъективный вкус отмечу “Eschaton”. Но в целом же, треки монолитны и слушаются практически как единое полотно.

Подводя небольшой итог, хочется отметить, что работа получилась крепкой как с технической стороны, так и в вопросах атмосферности. Видно, что музыканты опытные и страстные фанаты своего дела. Ценителям Funeralium, Comatose Vigil, Bell Witch, Evoken, Skepticism придется по вкусу. Пожелаем удачи банде и будем ждать новых работ!

Author: глав.ред
Review
Head-Banger Reviews
26.10.2019

There’s something about the unfathomable heaviness of funeral doom that will always allure me to its depths. Whether it’s simply the heaviness itself or the cavernous deeps with which is effortlessly carves out with every band that utilizes it, I’ll never know as I just find immense joy at falling into its reaches. Mesmur was one of the first bands that I heard of the style when I first started to foray into the unforgiving realm of funeral doom, and it’s with their follow-up that they stay very much in line with their last record but with a few tweaks here and there to show us that they have certainly improved as a unit.

I’ve always enjoyed seeing people who aren’t familiar with the style start to complain when they see an album of the style has “only” four tracks to call its own without even seeing the godly length of each of the songs that show where the style really shines when put together with everything else. Mesmur holds true to such a staple of funeral doom with only four songs that “Terrene” claims, and it’s with the same impressive stretches that each song takes over that we see this band work the magic that they’ve been honing for a good few years now. There isn’t much with the reaches of this album that can be considered wildly different from what we’ve seen in the style before, but where Mesmur doesn’t display a whole lot of change they, instead, display a grand understanding of the style such that it wouldn’t be far off to consider their grip over the style close to that of masters. Each of the tracks are as wide as they are deep, heavy as they are toxic in nature, monolithic as they are gripping, and as grand as they are punishing! Mesmur hit every nail right on the head when crafting “Terrene” as it hits all the vital notes that a funeral doom work should, and they provide the overall quality of this album is absolute heaps that just keep on giving until that final note!

I still hold true to the idea that I don’t listen to as much funeral doom as I would like, and it’s because of bands like Mesmur that I’ll always find myself crawling back to the style because of how truly exquisite the style can become when put in the right hands. Each moment of “Terrene” seems catered for every fan of the style, and I will definitely be returning to this work time and again because there’s some dark magic at work here that makes what’s on display nigh on irresistible.
Review
Metal Imperium
8.1/10

Quem seja conhecedor do estilo musical destes senhores sabe que eles tocam algo que se enquadra no Funeral Doom Metal. Foi assim com os seus dois primeiros álbuns e é assim também com “Terrene”, que será lançado no próximo dia 29 de novembro e que sendo um álbum conceptual, pretende dar continuidade ao que havia sido iniciado com o antecessor, “S”, de 2017.

Neste novo trabalho, no entanto, os Mesmur apresentam-nos algo de diferente em relação aos anteriores, sobretudo ao primeiro. Esta banda que conta com elementos oriundos dos Estados Unidos, Austrália e ainda Itália, continua a praticar um som “sujo”, fazendo uso de uma voz “cavernosa” também. O ritmo, esse, consegue ser ainda mais mórbido, lento em grande parte dos temas, mas sem nunca se tornar monótono. As 4 faixas que compõem o álbum são longas, não havendo nenhuma com menos de 11 minutos.

A novidade surge nos contrastes que conseguem proporcionar. Logo no primeiro tema, “Terra Ishtar”, conseguimos ouvir propositadamente os dedos de Jeremy L, percorrendo as cordas da sua guitarra na mudança de acordes, transmitindo-nos a sensação de um som cru. Porém, a meio dessa mesma faixa, somos transportados para um ambiente celestial, onde podemos escutar a violoncelista convidada Nadia Avanesova, para logo de seguida sermos empurrados de novo para a escuridão inicial.

Na segunda faixa, “Babylon”, somos surpreendidos por uns teclados hipnotizantes, que são progressivamente substituídos pela obscuridade característica desta banda, para voltarem a surgir no final, completando o ciclo.

Nas restantes faixas estes contrastes mantêm-se. Podem surgir através de um trabalho de bateria que pode parecer estar paralelo à música, fora dela, ou dos sintetizadores, rompendo momentaneamente com aquele arrastar pesado que o som da guitarra oferece, quando acompanhado por aquela batida lenta. São como nesgas de luz que nos são dadas no timing certo para nos tirarem momentaneamente da mais completa escuridão, mas que rapidamente fogem, deixando-nos novamente mergulhados na bruma.

Os Mesmur esforçaram-se para nos oferecerem um digno sucessor de “S”. A participação, neste álbum de Don Zaros, teclista dos Evoken é disso exemplo. Também o cuidado com a apresentação visual é demonstrativo desse objetivo, para isso, recrutaram o pintor ucraniano Cadaversky que fez um fantástico trabalho para a capa do álbum.

Os conhecedores dos anteriores trabalhos dos Mesmur vão certamente verificar que a tentativa feita em “S”, para se distanciarem do som que caracterizou o primeiro álbum, foi agora completamente conseguida. “Terrene” é um digno sucessor de “S” e embora possa não surpreender os apreciadores de Doom Metal, não deixa por isso de ser consistente e não irá desiludir ninguém certamente.

Author: António Rodrigues
Write a review