First Law - A Future So Bright

There are few moments here and there in my life, when I come across something that outstands from the regular experience of the everyday life. It can be some occasion, and it can be something that I hear or see. I am sure that each of us has that moment from time to time, when he can say "Hey, this is something very special, something to remember and try to experience again and again". I could wish that those moments can be more frequent, but their rarity makes them much more precious for sure.

Today I hold in my hands a new creation from the dominating legion of releases that come out of Loki Foundation label - a nicely packaged special addition of a new double cd from the well-known German based formation called First Law. It had been quite a long time that I've heard from them last time, but there are some albums that have to be cooked on a low fire to receive their special flavor. Their last one was released four years ago under the code name Terrorforming, and I thought that this record was already close enough to be an important milestone for the experimental music scene. I don't know exactly where Andreas Wahnmann gets his inspiration from, but what I hear on 'A Future So Bright' is simply breaks all the boundaries and produces the material that without any doubt will be inspiring by itself for many bands to come in the future.

It is simply impossible to define the exact genre that the album falls into, but I am convinced that there is no need in that. It is far beyond any specific definition, mixing the elements from industrial, dark ambient, tribal and even post rock genres, Andreas creates one solid piece of diverse music. The opening track "The Mother of All Storms" drags the listener into the very depth of psychedelic dreams, sawn with fibers of airy electronics, ritualistic drumming, guitar passages and mysterious background voice; - all the instrumentation works together in a perfect harmony. The same mysticism is transferred into the "Low Spirits Meme", full of complex layers of the same instruments powdered with industrial special effects. I begin to lose myself slowly between the images, granting the music a full control of my body and soul that throws me into the depth of "To The Heart" composition. Guitars are a very significant part of Andreas' craftsmanship and according to his official page they appear on every track, being veiled beneath electronic manipulations.

A totally massive track "Doubt" hits hard with its gloomy ritualistic feeling, erasing borders between spiritual and material worlds. Complex insanity continues with "Regulate" composition, drawing pictures of mechanical generation controlled by one super-brain, a massive hymn to human degradation led by ruthless machines. In "Sewers" Andreas invites me to dive into the very depth of underground world, where hateful cults grow from a fertile soil of strange species imagination. The atmosphere transforms to be more space oriented with the next track "Whole", carrying me away to the journey between the stars, and the same feeling is projected also through "Confederacy of Dunces" and to the last composition "Fortune Frowns on You".

With 'A Fortune So Bright' Andreas succeeds in capturing my imagination with a breathtaking masterpiece. The personal emotions sometimes are very abstract and don't fit into the format of this review, but I strongly suggest to everybody that seeks for an intelligent and sophisticated musical experience to grab this script wrapped in a piece of plastic with a beautifully designed booklet and to give it a huge hug. I am sure that what we witness here is a birth of a true state of art.

I feel myself lucky because my journey was not finished with the end of 'A Future So Bright'. The special and strictly limited edition comes with a second cd that contains five tracks that can extend the pleasure for additional forty minutes! Those compositions are different from what is presented on a master release and could exist as a separate release; and this fact makes the candy much sweeter.

The soul rests on less dark and dreamier tunes that balance on the edge of psychedelic rock, shoegaze, soft ambience and deep atmosphere. I can hear a lot of references inside the music, that don't steal the show though, but make it even more colorful, like Phallus Dei, Young Gods old material and production that comes out of the gates of Beta-Lactam Ring Records and sometimes even Pink Floyd. The vocal sessions are simply perfect, touched by a gentle electronic distortion. Every sound has its own place and meaning inside the whole picture creating a great complex of musical soundscape.

Meanwhile, I cannot stop playing this set for a week already and I keep discovering the different facets of this gem with each and every run. The year 2012 was worth living to receive this masterpiece during December. I hope that all of you were able to grab the copy of this release before it becomes a classics and rarity. Dec 06 2012