Customer Reviews

Dead Lovers Sarabande Face I

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

How should one describe Germany's Sopor Aeternus while still giving this outfit the credit they deserve? There is no real answer because there exists no (...) genre to place these artists into...

With the first phase of their eventual dual release "Dead Lover's Sarabande", SA have captured the purity of sadness and the melancholy. The essence of of the darker, imposing nature of humanity has been beautifuly constructed using some of the more archaic instruments. There are no distorted guitars found here- much less any synthesized bleeps. It can be said that the music is a somewhat dark classical-medieval-baroque creation...

Anna-Varney and Co. blend a myriad of violins, harps, flutes, pizzicatos, etc (very ecclectic mix indeed) to create atmospheric and captivating soundscapes. Using her vocal dynamics to full effect, Varney emotionally sings and narrates her poems- often taking on different characters through vocal manipulation. The final product is effective and beautifully haunting...

The one track that tops the rest is the entrancing "Hades Pluton"... a sign of true musicianship. Another great song is the melancholy "Inschrift/Epitaph." Wether or not Varney owes her inspiration to the 'Ensemble of Shadows', it is clear that Sopor Aeternus surpasses music itself and becomes a true artist. Anna-Varney embodies the idea of Sopor Aeternus through philosophy and dogma. It is sad to see that few artists (and fewer still with signs of intellect) have molded a forte for themselves and have created a genre of itself such as Anna Varney's Sopor Aeternus has done!

Anna-Varney Cantodea is one of the very few artists who, through exquisite storytelling, many different and unique voices, darkly beautiful musical scores, and photographed Ankoku Butoh sessions, can transport the listener to a realm of her own design. With each new release, Sopor Aeternus albums are more and more becoming "mini-operettas" which weave a sad tale, but always leave just a ray of hope at the end. This was the first of a new musical direction for Sopor, featuring expert musicians and classical songwriting. One of the things I most respect about Sopor Aeternus is the complete lack of commercialism in their recordings. I simply cannot give this CD enough praise, or recommend it enough to anyone who prefers the music they listen to be created not for money or success but for art, and comes directly from the heart of the performer.

First of all, if you don't own any records by this particulur artist, than this is an excellent place to start. As far as gothic music is conscerned...Sopor Aeternus are quite possibly the gothest of them all! This is some truly occultic, truly dark, and ultra surreal music that will evoke powerful emotion and enchant the listener into a forbidden realm that only Sopor Aeternus is able to capture. About %50 of this record is in german, and those tracks are all verry good. The absolute best tracks on the record are "Hades Pluton" and "The Sleeper". One thing a person should know of this album, ...this isn't really the kinda album that was made with a dancefloor in mind. If your looking for something clubby...this isn't your band. If your looking for something powerful and dark...this is it!

When an artist can sing about the darkest tremors of his (or her) soul, when somebody can make music that gets underneath your skin, and yet still, he can make you listen and, at the end, make you beg for more, then one can speak of something quite unique.

(Dark) ambient artists like Lustmord, Raison d'Etre or Biosphere can evoke and provoke quite positive emotions even though on the surface their music is ice cold, chilly, dark and, sometimes, goes to deep inside your body. But they get away with it, because their music offers so much more then just that surface-based dark mood.

Sopor Aeternus is among those artists who produces art that is of the most astonishing beauty one can ever imagine, while, at the same time, the listener is covered in lyrics like: "I dreamt that I was lying on the bottom / of the dark and never-ending sea, / on a bed that my dead lover was preparing / with his own skeleton for me... (the song `Hades Pluton').
One of the first persons of the past that come to mind while listening to Sopor, and going through the booklet with grim photographs of the singer in forced, alost cramped positions, is Edgar Allan Poe. And not so coincidentally, one of the songs on the album is called "The Sleeper", which is inspired by a Poe text.
(Another Edgar Poe poem, by the way, "Eldorado", can be heard on the album "Songs of the inverted womb", getting a typical Soporlike treatment.)

The subtitle of this album is "(face one)"; and yes, there is a sequel, "Dead lover's sarabande (face two)", released in 1999, with, as opener of this ongoing hellish opera, a cover from the late female vocalist Nico, called "Abschied". All that follows is in the same vein and bloodflow as part 1. More of the same, yes, but not repetitive in a negative way.
Just again hyper-stylish, off-beat, and uncompromisingly dark again.

Some reviewer called Sopor's musical efforts insane, or at least music to create insanity - I have to disagree, for I would call it, in all it's brooding and gloomy atmosphere, cleansing and purifying.
It's music for depressed, lonely and confused people, people with anxiety for everything mortal, for whom there is no earthly cure other than this methaphorical, mystifying audio-medicine.

Just do yourself a favor and buy this now. This is the only "real" dark music I have ever heard. Sopor continue to release great music and this is no exception. Dead Lovers Sarabande (Face Two) is just as awesome.

An experience that will totally fill your soul. Pure darkness althrough the CD, like a black rose...Don't miss it.

Anna Varney (the transevestite lead singer and primary composer of Sopor Aeternus And THe Ensemble Of Shadows) brings dark, dark....really, really dark music to the Gothic underground. The music is ultra melodic, covered in sulfer, slightly folk (for lack of a better word) add symphony, and dark ambient experimental who knows what...avant garde. Lyrics in both german and english. All I can say is that this is the most GOTHIClY GOTH THING EVER!!! Super spooky and truly weird. Kinda like taking Current 93, Dead Can Dance, Death In June, and Delerium and than making them all tree times more evil and strange. Creepy stuff here people.

Among all the albums that sopor aeternus has done,this is not the best,but if you are new with it,and can't find any of his previous works,just by it,it is just not as strange and medieval as the others.If you know it already you might be a bit disappointed.Sopor aeternus still remains one of the best artist(the best to me)in the gothic scene.A suggestion to averyone:buy 'the inexperienced spiral traveller' if you can(the 4th album).

Sopor needs a hug. Or a puppy.

Only for the insane, or to induce insanity. The only ways to describe the music is as depressing minstrel music, or as circus music from hell. I took away one star because this is not a CD that I can listen to all the time. It's definitely something I have to be in the mood for. It is great, though.

Sopor Aeternus is probably the only band that I consider to have a true artist, and that artist is Anna Varney Cantodea. Her voice is so variable and never fails to entrance me. Hades Pluton is by far the best song that I think Sopor ever created, although there are many more that ooze with Anna's dark genius. Honestly, the only thing that I hate about Sopor Aeternus is that they have not produced more music!