'Exosphere VI'
If there’s one thing
that Artaud Seth does well, that's thematic continuity. From Garden
Of Delight, through Lutherion and now with Merciful Nuns he gets his
teeth right into the arcane subjects of his studies and crafts around
it. Previously looking at subjects like the megalithic cultures of
pre-history, ancient astronauts and the apocalyptic Nibiru theory,
the Nuns go far beyond the confines of the occult as explored by a
lot of other bands. His latest outing with the Merciful Nuns is no
exception.
The third full-length
Merciful Nuns album in the space of twelve months, 'Exosphere VI'
leaves the ambient progressiveness of it's predecessors behind in
favour of the band's heavier rock side. In fact this is the heaviest
output Seth has put out since the last Lutherion album. Opening with
the title track 'Exosphere' the band revisit the foundations of their
sound as laid out on 'Liber I'. 'Blackbody' and lead single
'Supernovae' then continue the heavy riffs and rasping baritone
combination before the band slow things down with the slow groove of
'Astral Plane'.
'Ultraviolet' slowly
builds from a long ambient intro into a heavy rhythmically orientated
track before fading into the light piano of the considerably shorter
'The Core'. 'Vimana Machine' then breaks out the middle eastern
influenced strings and rhythms for a brilliant track that musically
sounds like a cross between Kula Shakr and The Sisters Of Mercy. The
album is then rounded off with the eleven-minute long epic that is
'The Passing Bell'. Full of smooth bass grooves and haunting jangling
guitar it, more than any other track here, feels like a musical
continuation from the previous Nuns albums.
Seth and his cohorts
have once again, despite their frequent output, come back with a new
take on their sound. The heaviness of the first few tracks resonates
through the album, giving 'Exosphere VI' a much different atmosphere
to the rest of the band's discography. Comparable to the heavier end
of the Garden Of Delight albums as well as the Lutherion output it
revitalises the the band's sound, turning it on its head and proving
that they still have plenty of tricks up their sleeves yet.