Customer Reviews

Sever

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I doubt I'll touch on anything that *mavjb* didn't, but let's make sure. "Sever" is the fruition of everything This Ascension did on their prior releases, and features some pleasant surprises. I'd gotten used to their sound, so "Sever" has a WHOA! factor of 8+. I didn't really enjoy it when I got it a couple of years ago, and I honestly don't remember why not...

A brief recap: This Ascension has put out three previous albums of "gothereal" power-pop. This latest CD stands out for the variety among the songs and for its high production quality. You can tell they spent some money in the studio. Dru Allen's vocals are better than ever, and the band is airtight. "Sever" has the most muscular, indie-rock sound to date.

OK - highlights:
"Mysterium" showcases Allen's control in the soprano range, and a tribal percussion style that recurs on the CD. "Forever Shaken" harkens to their classic sound, reminiscent of 1988's "Just Assassin." "Dorado" sounds like a 40-yard dash if you've just been doused in kerosine and set aflame. The Middle Eastern "I Wish" would fit right in on any Dead Can Dance album from "The Serpent's Egg" onward. "Love Lost Years" is a good cool-down after the intensity of the other songs. I'm not a remix fan, but John A. Rivers does a good job with "I Wish" to close the album. I'd call it "desert boogie."

"Sever" proves that This Ascension can rock as hard as any indie band, and set as strong a mood as any goth band. This is the album they were closing in on for a decade. Now where's the next one?

After a 5 year departure, Santa Barbara's This Ascension return to the throne with a rejuvenated spirit. With the help of producer John A. Rivers (Love and Rockets) and engineer Chad Blinman (Ichor, Das Ich) This Ascension set out to explore new territory both lyrically and musically. The first thing you'll notice is how the guitars are mixed more up front for a harsher sound. Also new on this release is the addition of percussionist Paul Sutherland. The musical scheme on this release changes from one song to the next. At times, the band sounds similiar to Love Sprials Downwards, Faith and the Muse and Mors Syphilitica. Don't worry though, the trademark This Ascension sound shines through on every song and with Sever they tend to wear their influences more openly on their sleeves. Die hard fans will agree that this release surpasses "Walk Slowly..." and that This Ascension will always remain one of the most well rounded Dark bands out there.

First of all, you have to admire a darkwave band--or any rock band for that matter--that has the guts to sing in Latin now and then. This band has obviously listened to some very early classical music; ensembles like Joculatores Upsalienses for instance. Whether you know the music I'm speaking of or not though, doesn't matter. This Ascension has a sound that is not only beautiful, but also--and this should interest the listener even more--original. If you're looking for a CD that goes way beyond the usual Siouxsie and the Banshees ripoff sound that so many bands throw at you, give these guys a try.

I honestly can't get enough of this CD. When I first heard This Ascension years ago, I thought they were very good, and indeed, they have been a staple of the gothic/darkwave scene for a long time. One of the pioneers of the sound today and featuring one of the leading women of the scene, This Ascension has taken their sound to a new level with this disc. There is not one song on this album that I don't like. A couple of my favorites are "Serpent's Serenade" which is dark and brooding, a classic goth rock song while "Forever Shaken" is melodic and lilting. This is what gothic music is all about. The entire album is honest and revealing without resorting to pathetic cliche lyrics and tired guitar riffs. Perhaps one of the best tracks is the incredibly beautiful "I Wish" in which Dru pours her heart out to the listener. The song almost brings me to tears with the raw emotion it invokes. These are true artists that have written a collection of amazing songs. The album is imaculately produced without that bubble gum overproduced pop sound. All in all, easily the best album of 1999 and one of the best gothic/darkwave CDs ever released.

I'm so happy I finally got a hold of this CD. They are definitely the coolest band in the underground. The female vocals are angelic beyond belief. The guitars & drums creep through your veins and make you crave more. The music lifts you up and guides you through a tremendous dose of energy and mystifying imagination. "Sever" compares in sound to Dead Can Dance mixed with The Smashing Pumpkins and of course the fact it was recorded in England by John Rivers makes it all the sweeter. (two words: mind blowing!)

This cd is excellent! I absolutely love This Ascension... just wish they weren't so hard to find around here. But anyhow, it totally rules!

A great album. Dru is a great vocalist and the rest of the band is great. There are elements of a Cocteau Twins and a Dead Can Dance influence while the band still retains their own sound.If you are a fan of dark and melodic music that is not cliched or cheesy you can't go wrong with this album.

CD: Sever
Band: This Ascension
Reviewed by: Mike Ventarola

Firstly, I must thank Mistress McCutchan for introducing this band to me during one of her DJ gigs in NYC. I was so taken with the music that weeks after hearing it, I had to hunt down this CD because the music just would not get out of my head.
For those still not familiar with this awesome California based band, one must inform you that you are clearly missing out on a group of the hottest rising performers to have come from the gothic underground in quite some time. Dru is the enchanted goddess, spider women, jilted lover, tumultuous gypsy vixen and saint of the pit. As front woman and vocalist, she encapsulates the many moods and transitions to create a legendary body of work that is a testament to all that is good about Goth music.

With Dru on vocals, Paul Sutherland on percussion, Matt Ballesteros on drums, Tim Tuttle on keyboards, Charlie Dennis on bass, and Kevin Serra on guitar, there is such a cohesive tone to the CD that one cannot help but be mesmerized by the beauty and ease with which they are able to transport the variegated styles with which they weave. Each of the band member's shines with the skillful excellence of their musicianship. They have all created a sound that seems as if they rehearsed this work even in their sleep, until every nuance was discovered to make sure that this would be a lasting and enduring classic for years to come. In today's jaded music scene, instant classics do not usually come along that frequently. Sever is a classic however, that will be the litmus test for all bands to compare themselves to in the future.

"Fuego Cayendo" opens with a simple guitar lick that then opens with a wave of crescent shaped energy. Dru takes her vocals to many octave ranges and harmonizes with herself flawlessly and effortlessly. When the guitars kick in to create a more rock tone, the band clearly is shining in their element.

"Mysterium" takes a Middle Eastern style percussion and wraps it around Latin lyrics similar to early medieval church music. With the span of a breath, the song encapsulates a new sound for the modern era and goes into a rock refrain that clearly makes this an embodiment of gorgeous music to cross the time barrier.

"Forever Shaken" is a somewhat dreamy song with rock elements. Dru sings the background with pitch perfect operatic chords while the foreground maintains the modern rock element.

"Serpent's Serenade" has been receiving quite a bit of air play on WFDU. It is a moody and biting song that pays homage to the jilted. " You think your time is now/ well, wait/ you think your innocence is lost/ that's funny/ all the treasures you've given to me/ I can't believe I even loved your apathy"

"Dorado" is an instrumental track of swirling guitars, rapid drumming and an excellent showcase for all the musicians on the CD.

"Fatal Dawn" brings Dru back to the jilted lover characterization. The song begins with an introspective spoken word piece. She unleashes this persona and seems to give off a magnetic aura through her voice that reaches out and pulls in anyone within a 10 foot perimeter. The percussion is absolutely heavenly with this track and manages to ground and round out the tone rather well.

"Columbia Aspexit" is another Latin language song which utilizes an opening drone and hand cymbal during the intro while Dru sounds as if she is in a medieval church. The percussion and drums gently add a rising intensity that is similar to those from the studio of Loreena McKennitt or Dead Can Dance. You must hear this just for the orchestrated finale that takes on an electricity and life all their own.

"Interlude" is a short piece of electronic sounds that breaks the disc in half.

" I Wish" brings a medieval flavored rising energy from the depths of creativity. This song is also remixed by John A. Rivers and that version is on this disc as well as on Resistor, the number one voted compilation from Nilaihah Records. It is a heavenly song that combines such great elements that have not been heard since Dead Can Dance were last in the studio. Many clubs are playing the remix of this song at this time, so chances are you may have heard it already if you are a club creature of the night.

"Amapola" is another instrumental showcase for the band. These interludes of music between the sung tracks really embraces the listener so that one can fully comprehend and realize the stylized beauty of this work.

"Here Alone Again" takes somber lyrics to almost operatic heights. It quells with self recrimination and self forgiveness for things one has no control over.

"Love Lost Years" has a brooding intro like a macabre stage production. Dru becomes the spider woman, wicked temptress and dark goddess all rolled into one. " Death rock me gently to sleep/ wrap `round me like a lover/and cling to me my mother/ Goddess, mistress you have come to take me home/ at last I wait"

This Ascension clearly lives up to the band name by rising to new heights in the gothic underground. The band has amassed expertly delivered vocals and coupled them with some of the strongest musicians to be heard on an independent label. Bands such as this keep the scene alive with new and inspiring music that just does not sound like anyone else, thereby carving their own niche to which others will compare themselves to. To listen to this CD, one would assume a lot of studio production money went into this recording. This is the band in their pure form, demarcating a place of excellence and undeniable talent that deserves to be heard. Get this CD in your collection. You won't be disappointed!

along with their other albums, this band has improved with age... dru's seductive vocals on "here alone again" will have you listening to the song over and over again! "mysterium" is another one to look out for on this album, a song sang in latin... it gives off a really haunting vibe... if you dug this album, check out another album off of the tess label, autumn's THE HATING TREE

'Sever' by This Ascension is a masterpiece unto itself. It draws on so many musical influences when it comes to the Gothic-darkwave genre, it's no wonder there is nothing but glowing reviews here. The album holds a dream-like quality throughout that's very ethereal and pretty sounding with Dru Allen's heavenly vocals, bringing to mind groups like Chandeen, Dreamside, Love Spirals Downwards and Rhea's Obsession. But there's also a more alternative front, as if they're paying homage to old school Goth bands from the 80s, and even a touch of world/classical when the singing turns to Latin.

This is nothing short of stunning and I recommend it, especially, if you have a penchant for beautiful melodies with much originality.