Audio CD review:
Ulver - Shadows of the Sun

Ulver - Shadows of the Sun

Band: Ulver Title: Shadows of the Sun Rating: Release Date: 09 October, 2007 Media: Audio CD Tracks: 1: EOS 2: ALL THE LOVE 3: LIKE MUSIC 4: VIGIL 5: SHADOWS OF THE SUN 6: LET THE CHILDREN GO 7: SOLITUDE 8: FUNEBRAE 9: WHAT HAPPENED?

Customer Reviews Audio Perfection Beginning with a folk inspired Black Metal style, Ulver have gone through so many genres and musical styles over the year. Ulver's musical career is so diverse that its hard to imagine that each one of their releases were created by the same group of artists. Most bands are too afraid to stray from their comfortable niche to even realize that they have vast potential (and some bands in truth have no other talent other than their initial offerings). The ability to change genres, styles and overall moods is the the true mark of an artist, and evolution. Ulver have, over many releases proven that they cannot be pigeon-holed into one category or style, and they most definitely have proven that they are truly talented without being pretentious or snobbish. "Shadows of the Sun" is the latest LP by Ulver, and it is so far removed from everything they have done. It is also one of THE most beautiful and atmospheric albums I have ever heard since Anathema's "A Natural Disaster". Like with most Ulver albums, the most dominant emotions are melancholy, the divine mysticism of humanity, and in some ways love; all blended together to form one of 2007's musical masterpieces. Like previous Ulver albums there is a plethora of musical instruments and programming involved. Some tracks feature Violins, Cello, String Quartets, Acoustic Guitar, Electric Guitar, a Theremin (a really funky instrument that requires no physical touch to "play"), and other various electronic manipulations and keyboards. The instruments are so diverse, and the sounds are so well crafted with solid production; Shadows of the Sun will completely engulf you into its universe of ambiance. Kristoffer Rygg's vocals are so diverse and soothing, ranging from straight vocals to chanting, and his vocals are deep yet accessible: a feat most elusive with many modern vocalists. Kristoffer may very well be one of the best vocalists alive. The music on "Shadows. . . " follows the same pace throughout the whole record; a slow, dream-like rhythm that rarely lets up to intensity or speed. But in regards to Ulver, that's a good thing. They know how to do slow just right. The best thing about Ulver is that they know when to incorporate a certain sound and when to use silence. To me this album doesn't even seem slow because it captures my total attention every time I listen to it. Most of the music has no drums or percussion at all, further adding to the dream-like feel, and the record is better because of this. Electronic manipulation is kept to a minimum, making "Shadows of the Sun" seem very organic, yet make no mistake, Ulver will take you on a mystical journey through the Ethereal. "Shadows of the Sun" is a very complete album, each track artfully blends into the other in such a perfect way. Its definitely an album that should be consumed whole rather than in parts ( "Eos" the album opener seems to fit rather nicely with the ending track "What Happened?"). 'Shadows of the Sun" could certainly be a concept album where each song is part of a story (it definitely has that feel to it), but just like other Ulver albums, each song has enough strength and depth to stand alone. There is even a Black Sabbath cover on here ("Solitude"), but to the Sabbath uninitiate it will sound like an Ulver song; yeah, it is that great of a cover, complete with minimalistic trumpets and melancholic atmosphere, no drums. I didn't even know it was a cover until I heard the Sabbath version and read the lyrics. Ulver fans (those that have grown accustomed to their ever shifting sound) will embrace "Shadows of the Sun" with open arms, but I think even the casual music lover with find much to enjoy here. Those who favor true ambient music will certainly find affinity with this. a shadow over this album I gave it a 3 star rating because 95% vocals dont do it for me one bit. I am a newer listener to Ulver and this is my first and only album from these guys-for now. Its like Fields of Nephilim. Too much spoken word sorta thing. But the music itself is vary beautiful and lush. 10 stars in my book. I could listen to the music all day long its just awesome. Unfortunately the vocals bring it down. I have a couple of other CD of theirs coming in so I cant really judge the band truly correctly. For now this is all I got to go by. I cant wait for Blood inside to come in the mail!. If You Care About This Album Because It's By Ulver, Buy It. It's not my favorite thing they've done, but it is definitely worth hearing, and good enough to bear out several replays (more than I can say for a lot of music!). This is required for fans of the band that are reading this review because it's an Ulver album. Put another way, I'm really glad I didn't miss this album. If you're not already familiar with the band, this is as good a place to start as any, but bear in mind that this is much less edgy than most of their stuff. If you're looking for something shocking or aggressive, this isn't it (unless the only other Ulver album you've heard by them is Nattens Madrigal). The only real drawback is the lyrics. Holy wow. They suck. My advice, ignore the fact that you understand the language they are in and listen to the notes. There are some interesting techniques and some special moments on this album that fans of the band won't want to miss. All in all, it's a slow, dark, reasonably quiet record, very thoughtfully done and rather sparse. And it drags a little towards the end. Shadows of the Sun is a good CD by a really good band. . You can see a complete list of all Ulver discography, or go back to the Ulver tabs