Lord Wind - Ales Stenar [2012]

Ambient music of any kind is not an area I've paid much attention to, for no better reason than the simple fact that I prefer the immediate thrill and satisfaction of something more structured when it comes to hectic, day-to-day life. Rarely in my free time do I consider listening to mellow, hour long (or more) affairs of instrumental music just for personal enjoyment, and that's a truth I've become disappointed in myself about as of late. Well, I'm delighted to say that Lord Wind's new effort Ales Stenar might just be my spiritual awakening to this sprawling and intoxicating genre of cerebral tones.

To be fair, however, Lord Wind isn't your typical ambient soundscape creator, and it's certainly not even close to the metal realm; no intensity or distortion is at play here. Ales Stenar is simply comprised of ten medieval marches through a calm and inviting setting, with no modern interference or electronic elements to be found. The contents could be a video game or film's soundtrack, and I mean that in the best way possible. Imagine the most epic scene in your favorite movie; that's where this music belongs. It conjures up images of ancient glories. Vikings marching in blizzards, Scandinavian gods ascending the skies, Egyptians treading across wide expanses  of burning sand, etc. You'll close your eyes and see it all under the influence of Lord Wind.

Ales Stenar is a very cohesive, consistent effort, however, so don't expect much variety in terms of pacing or overall sound here. Most of the songs, which are just about equally concise in length, progress in congruent fashion. The formula? Take one simple, rich melody and repeat it in slightly varying ways as faint female voices chant above the caressing cello and violin and slow tribal drums beat below. What may sound like a repetitive, overly bare sound actually creates quite an intoxicating and overwhelming musical embrace, at least for me, anyway. Not one minute after hitting play (and I've pressed play a lot) do I find myself unconsciously swaying back and forth, transfixed by the rhythmic push and pull of these ancient concoctions.

There's just this irresistible atmosphere of royal joy and wonder that never fades for the 58 regal minutes in question. I might have liked to see a more harrowing, tear-jerking moment or two among all the subtle emotional highs, but I can't reasonably fault Ales Stenar for what it is. I'm continually surprised by how functional and relistenable this album is. Doing homework? Check. Reading? Check. Going to bed? Let's just say that if I'm listening to this during the nighttime hours, I always fall asleep with a smile on my face and bright dreams behind my tired eyes. Lord Wind is a vision many will understandably find unappealing and boring (and it should absolutely not be confused with metal in any way), but those looking for an arresting escape from the modern day definitely need to look into this shiny, medieval gem. A treasure as good as gold.

   Overall: 8.75/10 (Great)

X Japan - Symphonic Silent Jealousy [1992]

First of all, the title of this release is prone to cause confusion: the album from which this material comes from is titled Jealousy, yet it's title sans the "Symphonic" is Silent Jealousy, which was a song on the aforementioned Jealousy album. Bleh, wrap your head around that. Anyhow, on with the review. I sort of expected the charm to wear off after already hearing Symphonic Blue Blood, but I may actually like this rendition more. For people not familiar with that release let me give you a recap. This is a full orchestra version of most songs from Jealousy in a seemingly random order. It's masterfully performed and written, portraying the material in ways you wouldn't expect. It is neither an exact emulation nor a liberal reworking.

The material here is all really great, and there are no unnecessary repeats like "Eternal Rain" in Symphonic Blue Blood. "Say Anything" is as all-encompassing and emotionally versatile as I've ever heard instrumental music. If I made a movie, this song would be playing over the final credits. Two of the brief instrumental pieces ("White Wind from Mr. Martin" and "Es Dur No Piano-sen") and from Jealousy have been expanded into full-fledged five minute songs, which seems questionable, but they actually became a couple of the best songs on the CD. "Joker" is so faithful to the original, it's dirty glam undertones actually sound amusing in an orchestral setting. "Stab Me in the Back" is as chaotic as before, but in a more subtle way. There's a feeling that something could strike at any moment. It all ends with the epic closer "Silent Jealousy," a ten minute finale that covers all necessary ground.

The song not included? "Desperate Angel" was mercifully left out of the fold, but so was "Voiceless Sreaming." C'mon, guys! I could understand the "Week End" situation because of the wide expanse of material available to cover, but this is ridiculous. Okay, so maybe it's not that bad and I'm just getting nitpicky. This really is another dazzling display of orchestral music that could live on its own without the X Japan name. I'm not sure the word "kickass" applies here, but I'm using it anyway; this is a kickass album that's pretty much just as good as the source material, if not technically better. Once again, it's only for a few select groups of music fans (instrumental/orchestra/X Japan), but its truly pro execution should go a long way. I wish more bands had stuff like this.

   Overall: 7.5/10 (Cool, But Be Wary)

X Japan - Symphonic Blue Blood [1991]

X Japan released this rarity in succession with their third full-length, Jealousy. For the time, it was rather unheard of for metal bands to produce orchestral instrumental albums such as this, so consider it an innovation. Symphonic Blue Blood is exactly what you think it is: several selections from X Japan's 1989 sophomore release given the full orchestra treatment. What you might not expect is how amazingly it all comes together. This is a painstakingly performed symphony of beautiful stature. It's not a simply a carbon copy of the source material, as several parts have been refined, added, or cut entirely, but it is also a not a great departure from the music the band itself wrote. Therefore, there are enough similarities to connect to and enough new things to notice. I honestly wasn't bored once while listening to it.

Some of these versions best their official counterparts. "Rose of Pain," the opener this time around, shows the most improvement. It's been cut from eleven minutes down to nine, a wise move the band should have taken in the first place. There's this feeling of massive scale the entire time, drawing you into it's epic passages that both haunt and excite for the full duration. The verses of "Eternal Rain No. 1" are strangely ominous, but the chorus is so well-executed, who could care? "Eternal Rain No. 2" plays it closer to the original mood of the song. I'm not sure how, but they made some of the heaviest outings (such as "Orgasm" and "X") sound like the ideal companions to a romantic film. That may seem like an insult to some fans, but I can't get over how great it sounds. Then there's some tracks like "Easy Fight Rambling" where you'd have no idea it came from an X Japan song unless you'd just heard it. "Kurenai" is barely recognisable beyond that familiar rhythm. "Unfinished" is given its third different incarnation here, and the tune still doesn't sound used up. Of all of them, "Blue Blood" is most reminiscent of it's source song.

If I have one disappointment about Symphonic Blue Blood, it's the snubbing of "Week End," my favorite song from the original album; but considering the quality of the material given and the other great choices, that doesn't seem like too big of a deal. I guaruntee that you could let someone listen to this who has never heard X Japan and they would reasonably believe this is an original piece of classical music, or at least a modern movie soundtrack. Obviously, you must understand what it is to properly enjoy it. This is strictly for (open-minded) fans of X Japan, fans of orchestral/classical compositions, and lovers of instrumental music. No one else would get it. I belong only to the first camp and was surprised by how much I got out of it. This is truly worthy of the X Japan brand.

   Overall: 7.5/10 (Cool, But Be Wary)