Nottingham-based international collective Illuminatus return with ‘The Rising Tide’, a four track EP. In fact they never went away, as their album ‘The Wrath of the Lambs’ was released last year, since when they’ve been busy touring. ‘The Wrath of the Lambs’ was a classic rock/metal affair which was high on technical quality. In concert they brought life into their songs, doing it in a dark and atmospheric way. Comparison has been made with Cult of Luna.
Apart from the first few bars, ‘The Rising Tide’ doesn’t sound like Cult of Luna. Anathema, maybe. The EP does retain the qualities of the live performance, which featured some of this work including the excellent ‘Red’. The pace on each track is deliberate. ‘Cave In’, the opener, is typical of the rest. A bright rhythm acts as the glue while serving as the backdrop as all hell breaks loose. The mixture of calm and violence is treated sensitively, and works very well. The one criticism I have is that there is a noticeable ‘formula’ – a quiet beginning in which we familiarize ourselves with the underlying rhythm, an explosion into anguished screams, then a heavy section with that rhythm being subtly reworked. It’s skillfully done though and each track has a powerful and appealing quality. The acoustic version of ‘Wargasm’, a track off ‘The Wrath of the Lambs’, serves as a bonus track and breaks the mould slightly by being acoustic and softer in tone than the others. It’s expertly delivered, and features a Mediterranean guitar section as well as some interesting samples. It made me wonder why more bands don’t interpret their own songs more. Mind you, the last time I heard an acoustic version of an original was ‘July Afternoon’ by April Ethereal and I’ve never heard of them since. I can’t see that being the case with Illuminatus. They clearly have the motivation and talent to progress.
‘The Rising Tide’ is a good listen, even if all the tracks are structured in a similar way. I’m pleased they’ve moved on from being classic, although it is hard to seeing them taking the world by storm and headlining concerts. They just don’t seem to have the power or originality of say, Anathema, Cult of Luna or Opeth. Nevertheless I believe their sound is more defined now, and as a consequence we can enjoy an engaging mix of subtle rhythm and power. I sense Work in Progress here …
http://www.myspace.com/illuminatusuk
http://www.illuminatus.uk.com
