VIDNAOBMANA (Spore) CD
At first, everyone who only digs hard and loud guitars can switch over to the next review. VIDNAOBMANA is a Belgian one-man project, who creates an individual hypnotic psychedelic post-industrial atmosphere with the use of different instruments as the Slovakian overtone flute Fujara, electric guitars and keyboards f.e. In the past VIDNAOBMANA has released over 40 (!) albums and commissioned works for Japanese TV documentaries or MTV USA f.e. Here at "Spore" are appearing two guest musicians, named Mark Verhaegen of Klinik and Joris De Backer. After the first chapter "Tremor", "Spore" is the second chapter in his reowned Dante trilogy, so let's talk about the presented music here. Sometimes the songs are laid under with rhythm patterns ("Skin Strip") and a very few vocal fragments are heighten this sinister atmosphere. Others of the included nine songs are more ethno-ambient-like. Because of the flutes and the tabla-like sounds, there's is an Eastern vibe in the album, and while listening I got the smell of incense in my nose.
But some of the song-titles are sounding as the total opposite of inner balance and titles like the 18 minutes long "Resonant Gore", or "The Nihilist", "Creep-Isolation Trip" or "Through the Collective Pain" are speaking for the philosphical comprehension of VIDNAOBMANA. In opposite to Merzbow or Masonna, this soundscapes aren't hard to swallow, although a few dissonant harmonies or different high and low frequencies have found their way into the music. Instead of straining your nerves, this album draws the listener into a surreal dream and in spite of its threatening it's good music to relax. It's a perfect soundtrack for the personal inner movie. Although this kind of music will never reach any bigger popularity, I like to recommend "Spore" to every open-minded listener, because it's an excellent Ambient album. This album has been released in March 2003 on Release Entertainment, the experimental sub-label of Relapse Records. If you like to get more informations about VIDNAOBMANA, check out his homepage.
(KK)