Peaceville Records have re-released another of the Dark Sanctuary collection in “L’Etre Las – L’Envers du Miroir” (roughly “The Tired Soul – the Other Side of the Mirror). I must confess that when I looked at the CD box, the track titles and put it onto play, I thought I’d reviewed it before and had to check. The fact is that Dark Sanctuary are not going to suddenly burst into Thrash Metal, or for that matter into The Sound of Music. This one is typical. It’s set in a gloomy Gothic atmosphere with angelic voices and orchestral sounds. It’s the music of the cathedral rather than the parish church. It’s marked with softness and delicacy. To put it into context, “L’Etre Las – L’Envers du Miroir” is the third out of six releases from Dark Sanctuary, and was first put out in 2003.
To single out highlights on this 73 minute work is not so easy and perhaps not appropriate as it seems to be more about the overall environment we are invited to share and experience than a series of individual explosive statements. Yet there is a sad story to be told both lyrically and musically within the 14 tracks. “L’Arrogance”, the opener, has the tone of a state funeral, and takes on another level upon the interjection of the angelic female voice of Dame Pandora. I liked “Malveillance” (Evil) with its mediaeval air. “L’Assombrissement de l’Ame” (The Darkening of the Soul) epitomises the album. The quiet tinkling of the piano sets the mood. There is something grandiose about it but it’s never overstated. The singing is majestic and seems to be floating on the clouds. There’s a sense of something tragic going on. The lyrics juxtapose life and death – “It’s the shadow of death which gives relief to life”. There’s the sound of the bells. The drums meanwhile maintain constancy. “L’Etre Las – L’Envers du Miroir” is like a series of Classical Gothic hymns. The tracks are designated as “chapters” and there’s an interesting trilogy from “Vie Ephémère” (Ephemeral Life), which is unusually light, featuring the pleasant pattering of the Mediterranean guitar, accompanied by Lady Pandora’s haunting voice. By contrast the next track “Face à une Mort Rassasiée” (Facing a Satiated Death) signals the funeral. “Loin des Mortels” (Far from Mortal Beings) reflects the feeling after the event after the realisation that in spite of the purity of the flames, the heart has stopped beating and the experience being recounted is that of post-death. It’s all in the first person, and so personal. The piano and orchestra signal the sadness, loneliness and reflection.
Maybe I haven’t “got” Dark Sanctuary, but I can’t work out the context in which you might listen to such a series of sad, classical pieces. It’s altogether too sombre to be background music, and the style and theme do not lend themselves to being uplifting. At the same time, state funerals to which I compare “L’Etre Las – L’Envers du Miroir” only happen once in a while, yet it’s also very personal, without doubt beautiful and extremely evocative. As an art work it’s very good but I’d say you need to have a particular mindset to want to listen to this.
http://www.dark-sanctuary.com
http://www.myspace.com/mydarksanctuary
http://www.peaceville.com
