Atrium Carceri - Reliquiae

After a long time of silence, the Sweden based label Cold Mead Industry became very active in past three to four months, releasing few solid records which placed it back onto the map of industrial scene. One of those releases is an album from the well-know resident Simon Health, the frontman of again Sweden origin formation Atrium Carceri, under the name 'Reliquiae'. I am sure that no introduction needed for this project, because it became one of the most recognizable names for those of us that are into dark ambient music. Being very active during six-seven years from 2003 with a portfolio of 6 albums, mister Simon disappeared for a while for some reason. But here he is, back with the new creation, and with this statement he proves, that our expectation was for purpose.

While most of the material that is released under the banner of dark ambient is frequently based on long tracks of 10 minutes and more, the Atrium Carceri's works follow the concept of being relatively short, without continuous looping and sampling, and 'Reliquiae' is not an exception containing 19 tracks of more or less 4 minutes run for each track. Sometimes it sounds really good, because the tracks do not get monotonous and too loopy. But there are few that are cut suddenly before I got fully entertained by them.

In general, the music that is brought through 'Reliquiae' is not complicated and complex, but it presents the special mood, some kind of a mental impulse which is that significant to all the albums of Atrium Carceri. The cinematic mix of technological apocalypse and mystical, sometimes even hypnotizing feeling, brings the picture of the world in ruins, where the fractions of civilization create new bloody cults based on the mixture of technology and spirituality. Dark and gloomy catacombs are unveiled, full of dawn and destruction, where only blinking shadows rule the show, like on "Approaching the Coven", "Portal Key" , "The Long Walk" or "Through the Tunnels". Few parts of the album become more rhythmic from time to time, strengthened by electronic pulsations and scratches, ritualistic drums and distant chants, like can be heard on "Injection", "Manufactured Minds" or "Acolyte", opening the gates of sonic hell and chaos. And of course, there are some impregnations of melancholy which dilute the structure in order to bring sorrowful visions full of loss and deprivation, like on "Unveiled", "Her Blessing" and "Rusty Red Memory", where the accent is put on slight piano passages and deeper sound processing, expressing the depth of oblivion.

With his seventh album Simon doesn't discover any new boundaries in the field of dark ambient genre, bringing a straight material, without any specific highlights. While the music is still massive and the structure is entertaining enough, on the other hand it is sometimes too predictable, because most of the presented "gadgets" are very similar to what I had already heard from Atrium Carceri in the past. As a conclusion, a solid work based on the rich experience in sound exploration, - I didn't expect less then this from the Swedish comrade when I decided whether to buy this CD or not. And of course, a great hope for all Cold Meat fans that the label is back from the break not for sudden, but to prove the quality and diversity once again.
Jun 06 2012