ONTARIO BLUE "Shine"
/
Fluttering Dragon 004
THRASH'EM ALL (paper magazine)
ONTARIO BLUE to solowy projekt Stephena Pennicka
z ENDURY . (Nawiasem wydawcą na cały świat jest nasza warszawska
Fluttering Dragon, więc chyba w końcu za Obuhem podążyli inni.)
Mimo, iż materiały jasno podkreślają, iż album jest emocjonalnie
odsunięty od działań głównego zespołu, wszyscy znawcy i koneserzy
angielskiego duetu bez trudu rozpoznają znajome motywy, takie
jak charakterystyczne niby-etniczne bębenki i zaśpiewy znane
z "Black Eden". Z drugiej strony błędem byłoby potraktować
"Shine" jako wydany pod inną nazwą odprysk w dyskografii.
ONTARIO BLUE jest mniej tajemniczy, okultyczny i mroczny, ale
bardziej nastrojowy, miękki i nostalgiczny. O ile albumy ENDURY
wprowadzają podniosło-złowróżbny nastrój, solowa produkcja Pennicka
jest rozklejająca i melancholijna, zaś jego głos momentami przywodzi
na myśl Brandona Perry z DEAD CAN DANCE - posłuchajcie chociażby
czwartego "Lost City". Piękny album, piękna muzyka,
no i tym razem bez zbytnich ceregieli możecie je kupić w Polsce.
[Paweł Frelik]
SYNTH
MUSIC DIRECT
Behind on your devil worship? Well, help is at hand. Just play
this CD whist performing your next sacrifice and all will be
forgiven. Ontario Blue is the name taken by Stephen Pennick
who is half of the group Endura. Endura really are the masters
of no-way-out dark desperation. All the classic Endura trade
marks are here - satanic and half heard vocals set against a
tapestry of atmospherics and sound effects. This album is not
quite as dark as Endura and contains more in the way of melody
which will make it more accessible but if anything the menace
is even more than before. "New Beginnings" sets the
scene with wonderfully dark atmospheric synth forming a blanket
for a satanic poem. After a couple of minutes the poem ominously
dies away and a haunting piano melody pulls you down but then
lifts you up again as it is joined by a sympathetic rhythm.
"Chant of the Forgiven" moans along with laid back
tribal drumming providing structure until some heavy string
stabs up the anti. "Mara's Daughters", with its almost
angelic chords, forms a bridge to the next track "Lost
City" with what sounds like a prayer in a strange language.
Washes of synth and strange mutterings form underneath. More
angelic sounding chords can be found at the beginning of "Change",
a quiet rhythm from a deep cavern then takes over. Another dark
poem is centre stage though I hardly think it is a sonnet. The
sound of a lone bell can be heard at the beginning of "Shadows"
then we get what could only be the song of some poor tormented
sole complete with a melancholy piano melody. "Don't Weep
for Me" uses a sweet acoustic guitar melody accompanied
initially by some mad, almost childish, vocals. Proper words
are chanted over the top but they are not exactly encouraging.
"Memories of Tomorrow" is another atmospheric bridge
leading us to "This Mortal Coil". With its beautiful
plucked melody and the vocal passage saying "living is
easy, dying is hard" it is my favourite track on the album.
A sequence runs along and then an aggressive rhythm comes in
as the singer cries "I want to live!". What is this,
optimism? Surely not! "Kali in Mine Eyes" even sounds
as though it is a poem from someone who has left the dark side
behind and has painfully worked himself to the light, but no
- he gets dragged down to the depths again. "Rise"
is an orchestral sounding number that rounds off the album.
So to sum up, a wonderful album for all those who have a wide
definition of EM. Sort of Endura without the impaled virgins.
[DL]
FLUXEUROPA
Shine (1998 Dragon 004) is a reworking of the above demo with
the inclusion of new tracks. Not quite as dark as Endura and
contains more in the way of melody, which makes it more accessible.
However, if anything the menace is even more than before. "New
Beginnings" sets the scene with wonderfully dark atmospheric
synth forming a blanket for a one of Stephen's poems. After
a couple of minutes the speech ominously dies away and a haunting
piano melody pulls you down but then lifts you up again as it
is joined by a sympathetic rhythm. "Chant of the Forgiven"
moans along with laid back tribal drumming providing structure
until some heavy string stabs up the anti. "Mara's Daughters",
with its almost angelic chords, forms a bridge to the next track.
"Lost City" with what sounds like a prayer in a strange
language. Washes of synth and strange mutterings form underneath.
More angelic sounding chords can be found at the beginning of
"Change", a quiet rhythm from a deep cavern then takes
over. Another dark poem is centre stage though I hardly think
it is a sonnet. The sound of a lone bell can be heard at the
beginning of "Shadows" then we get what could only
be the song of some poor tormented sole complete with a melancholy
piano melody. "Don't Weep for Me" uses a sweet acoustic
guitar melody accompanied initially by some mad, almost childish,
vocals. Proper words are chanted over the top but they are not
exactly encouraging. "Memories of Tomorrow" is another
atmospheric bridge leading us to "This Mortal Coil".
With its beautiful plucked melody and the vocal passage saying
"living is easy, dying is hard" it is my favourite
track on the album. A sequence runs along and then an aggressive
rhythm comes in as the singer cries "I want to live!".
What is this, optimism? Surely not! "Kali in Mine Eyes"
even sounds as though it is a poem from someone who has left
the dark side behind and has painfully worked himself to the
light, but no - he gets dragged down to the depths again. "Rise"
is an orchestral sounding number that rounds off the album.
So to sum up, a wonderful album. Sort of Endura without the
impaled virgins.
