Customer Reviews

Amor Fati

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Ihsahn's talent is just mind blowing , this cd proves it again.

Discord, disorder, and strife are staples of the black metal genre. Music in this vein tends to be chaotic and aggressive. Composure, harmony, and cohesion are staples of the classical genre. Music in this vein tends to be unified and subdued. When classically minded musicians decide that black metal will be their chosen form of artistic expression, bands like Emperor are born. They produce disturbingly chaotic and insanely aggressive music that is bound together by an overall cohesive unity that is not always immediately apparent, but that clearly comes into view as the music is explored more fully. When bands like Emperor tire of catering to their fans expectations and being as minimally mainstream as they are; when they decide to cast aside all preconceived notions of what genre or type of music they should be creating; when their only goal becomes to rip their desires, emotions, and fears directly out of their souls and display them in all their ugly glory through the medium of music, then bands like Peccatum are born.

Peccatum is composed of Emperor front man Ihsahn and his wife Ihriel, and it is clear that neither of them at any point contemplated whether anyone else would enjoy this album, or play it's tracks on the radio, or if they should have added or removed certain elements to make it more popular to sell more copies. Amor Fati successfully marries the technical and complicated guitar work that Ihshan tried to integrate into Emperor, much to the fans consternation and general hatred of Emperor's final album, with Ihriel's disturbingly beautiful shrieks and purposefully off-key singing that also would have never been accepted in a standard black metal album. People who despise black metal and other forms of non-mainstream music will likewise be united with adherents to traditional black and death metal in absolutely hating Peccatum for its unique sound, and that is most definitely a sign that this band is at the forefront of advancing music into the next era.

Amor Fati is in no way concerned with sticking to one typified genre of music throughout its 44 minute and 30 second auditory experience. What may start as a hauntingly lovely violin piece, the very height of heavenly sound for the higher class listener, will suddenly descend into unknowable screams and growls or perhaps a maddeningly complex guitar arrangement, or even an unbelievable combination of all three elements. The guitar work never ties itself down to any one style either, frequently moving smoothly from heavily distorted thrash riffs to more benign and soothing song structures. The whole thing is really carried by Ihriel's vocals, which usually punctuate important moments during each song and serve to draw the listener further into the music.

Taking the journey into Amor Fati is an exploration in the deeper regions of experience. It will be considered angelic to some, and demonic to others. Those who will truly appreciate this music will understand that the two labels are really one and the same, and that it is only the listener's point of view that will determine whether they choose to label it the former or the latter.

This a noticable improvement from their first album. The opening blows away anything they'd done previously, and the next two full-length songs were equally as great. It starts to dwindle down near the end, but the first three full songs and the instrumentals are more than worth the price of the CD. And though Iriel sings offkey, it fits the music perfectly. And Insahn...what can be said that hasn't been said before? Great Cd.

god....Ihshan just keeps getting better and better.....*sighs* i guess i can live without Emperor...but this Album is GREAT!! I soooooo can't wait to get the new one! :)

Even though Emperor is gone (too bad, too bad), their charismatic front man Ihsahn is still going strong. Like his work with Emperor, Ihsahn provides great black and operatic clean vocals in addition to brilliant guitar work, but it sounds so much better without Trym pounding away at the kit, and you can actually hear the guitar intricacies! Per Erikson provides the percussion, which is simple in comparison to Emperor's work, but fits Peccatum's music much better. Ihsahn's lovely wife Ihriel provides some great soprano vocals, in addition to most of the lyrics and compositions (talent seems to attract talent) as well as the keyboards. Lord PZ (that has to be the dumbest BM pseudonym I've ever heard) is the third member of the band and contributes practically nothing. I guess it's just a family thing that he's in there. The best song is the opener, but each song is well-produced and played out beautifully. Peccatum takes the power and rawness of Emperor and combines it with the melodic and less-intrusive fluency that is exemplified by bands like Sirenia and Trail of Tears. If you liked Emperor's albums and also like a drop of gothic in your metal, then you're going to like Peccatum's Amor Fati. I've gotta get their other works now.

Slightly operatic hard hitting rock and roll. The Diffrence is big.

I'm truely enjoying this album. Peccatum has undergone a change since "Strangling From Within". The maturation has made them sound much more solid. Peccatum came as being extremely artsy-neuvou if you will and yet it was artsy in a very progressive way, now with thier follow up you get to hear the psuedo-metal art/rock band become alot more of a rock band. The Double bass rumbling of your standard black metal has much more become fills and rolls on this album and the altogether accesibility of this album could fit easier with people, being that its much more organic and hard hitting then thier other work to date.

Ihsahn and Ihriel compliment eachother's vocals better then before and you get to see Ihsahn continueing to work on vocal diffrences as he did with every Emperor album. Ihriel herself has become better with her vocal work... and as you could easily have expected Ihsahn continues to employ his unique guitar work and structures.

All together a much more solid and attention grabbing album then "Strangling from Within". If you should happen to enjoy this album I would still however quickly buy "Strangling From Within" because it really does rock nearly as good and in a much diffrent way.

This third release from Peccatum is definiteley their best. Once a side project of Ihsahn, ex of Emperor, Peccatum basically lays an opera on top of a black metal orchestra. Lots of synth, violins, and odd sounds shake up the mix. Vocals are traded off between Ihriel (Ihsahn's wife, clean, great soprano) Lord PZ (Ihriel's brother, harsh vocals), and Ihsahn (ex Emperor) who provides just about everything else.
Unlike their previous releases, they use real instruments for backup and the warm tone really helps draw you into an entire atmosphere of chaos, especially offbeat songs like "One Play. No Script." and "Murder" that between verse and chorus change their feel from turbulent to uplifting-- there really is no so-called rock opera that's as good as this. "Rise, Ye Humans" is probably the highlight as far as tunes that are easy to listen to; the best, however is "A Game Divine?", downright haunting, playing Ihsahn's frantic rhythm and menacing vocals off Ihriel's siren wail.
It's an odd treat for fans of either Emperor, Tartaros, or even fans of Wagner and Tchaikovshy. As well this album bridges the dramatic shift in Ihsahn's guitar and songwriting styles between Emperor's IX: Equilibrium album and final album Prometheus...
This in my top 10 out of over 400 albums, seriously.

ANYTHING that has the name Ihsahn is going 2 be a masterpiece, a work of art. This album shines like NO OTHER. Sounds a bit like what the Smashing Pumkins would do if Billy got HEAVIER...Like way heavier, more talented and deeper....The guitar work is a expected from IHsaHn, nice lyrics vocals etc...WOTH EVERY CENT!

Seriously, this piece is without a doubt the best composition to have ever been concieved! Well, without bias, I could say "since Mozart." But, screw that man, this is it. Not that Ihsahn had not already broken the proverbial mold, but this has set a new standard in brilliance, period. I won't break apart what it meant to me and my opinions of this song and that, because one should have no pre-requisites for listening to it. One should make it their own experience for reflections of the "I"

What I will mention is what I have heard... some trash-talking by some folks who say "What are you thinking, Ihsahn? You are the Black Wizards." I say he's thinking, "What a tool you are." I am sick of these kids who have it out for anything with depth or unique soundscapes. They are but mere sheep, who feel they have a place in society as purveyors of "True Black Metal" in bashing all things that they think, or are told, are not.

Which is okay, simply for the deed of getting the word out about Black Metal, I guess. But, I'm afraid this may warp future legions' minds to this conformity of these self-important and supposed "professed musicians" who play sh*t that a retard could play given time, (and non-musicians alike) becoming more dominant in giving not a [...]about True Music.

Some might say "True Music" is something they can relate to...
Well, jacka$$, I'm here to tell you that corporations are working their brain-washing methods upon your weak minds to their avail, because Eminem and whoever the bleedin' 5-minute splooge is this week are all cashing in on your ignorance. They are phonies, personified. And, there is proof of this, they just keep it concealed so not to tarnish their image. Image is all they give spit about, certainly not the average douchebag.

Anyway, It's not like most (if any) of those fools will ever make their way to Peccatum's reviews, but all I'm saying is to preach the word, through forum or through art. Join me in the eradication of such ignorance, please. Negating to do so may bring an end to the world... either because someone is fed up with it, like me, or because of this mass hypnosis corroding this fair Earth. This Earth is full of things for future man to experience, let's not ruin it collectively.

"Oh, but God doesn't care, why should I?" Shut the f*ck up, God is a myth that was spawned to keep trash like you in line, go graze! Metal is a beautiful thing man, so embrace it. But, remember evaluate first, then ponder, not the other way around jacka$$!

I have not yet heard the other records by Peccatum so I cannot review them, but I soon will... Black Power.

EVERY ONE'S SAYING THIS IS GROUND BREAKING, ORIGIONAL AND SO UNDER GROUND. WELL IT'S A TOTAL RIP OFF OF ANOTHER BAND, WHO'S NAME IS OXIPLEGATZ FROM SWEDEN. THE MAIN MAN IN OXIPLEGATZ IS ALF SVENSSON, WHO I THINK HELPED OUT AT THE GATES YEARS AGO. OXIPLEGATZ HAS BEEN AROUND SINCE 1994 OR 95. SO NO, PECCATUM IS NOT ORIGIONAL AND PECCATUM IS NOT UNDER GROUND BECAUSE YOU CAN READ ABOUT THEM AT BORDERS.COM. YOU WON'T FIND OXIPLEGATZ AT BORDERS. IF YOU LIKE PECCATUM THEN TRY TO TRACK DOWN OXIPLEGATZ AND HEAR HOW THIS KIND OF MUSIC IS SUPPOSED TO SOUND. OXIPLEGATZ IS DISTRIBUTED BY SEASON OF MIST.