With curiosity almost killing this cat, I typed Arthemesia into Wikipedia and discovered the name is derived from the Latin word for wormwood, which is a herbaceous perennial plant thought to have spiritual qualities. Most commonly it is used as a herbal remedy to cure stomach ailments, and is also one of the main ingredients of Absinthe, but let’s not go there. There is something about this album that oozes a kind of aural verdancy that is as pine scented as the rich green cover it comes in, and so I suppose this all fits together rather nicely.
The album builds up slowly and with a very natural element of suspense that you are quite content to wait for, as more elements gradually enter the mix. Opener ‘Of the Owls, of the Wolves and of the Nature; Revisiting the Microcosm (pt.3)’ is over and done with by the time you have finished reading out that tongue twister of a title. There is a real Arcadian feel to this that brings the mind-set deep into the wilderness which is where you stay for the following track ‘Dalkolnen Susi’ as it builds upon the ambience that has already been established with the opener. There are shades of Moonsorrow that come across in the solemn nature of this track, as a fierce stomp emerges through the resplendent, yet charring melody that carries along a rich, doom laden flavour.
There is something about the guitars that is just incredibly hypnotic; the suppressed production of the jangling melodies aids it to maintain a subtle distance that isolates them from the rest of the music. The intense splendour swallows me up more and more with each listen, and it must be noted that it grows on me in a most unusual way. ‘A.O.A’ just leaps out at me instantly, and as the fourth track of six, for me, it almost seems as though the album builds up to this climatic crux before descending down the other side of the mountain. The devastating and ferocious swagger is built upon with short burst of crepuscular keyboard flourishes that bring the album to its most mystical pinnacle. The simple blending of the incredibly organic and natural, with the supernatural spectres that suddenly creep into the mix makes this track sound stunning.
On repeat listens it seems that each time a different track begins to manifest, as my attention becomes drawn to the beauty of ‘Patheme’ which brings in more of a doomish sound to the mix with its dragging guitars that lend themselves to a sluggish melody. With its bucolic tranquillity it feels as though all of the elements coalesce seamlessly, until a tornado of destruction sweeps through laying waste across the landscape. Although there is a hypnotic pace to ‘The Noble Elements’ that I find myself entranced by, I feel the last two tracks are weak in comparison to the rest of the album; the down side to having a great album is that the weaker tracks can seem more noticeable. Perhaps if have more time to devote to this album they would eventually win me over, and once things quieten down around here I will be sure to persevere. A fine album.
http://arthemesia.blackmetal.fi/
http://www.myspace.com/patheme
