Customer Reviews

The Umbersun

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Elend, masters of neo-classic music, show their superb musical and literary intellectuality with this, the third and darkest volume in the Officium Tenebrarum Triology, ranging from furious (Du Tréfonds Des Ténebres) to soft songs filled with sorrow and melancholy (The Wake of the Angel).

This is, in my opinion, music not for everyone, but just for a few special souls who are able to see the beauty behind and in the music. Trust me, if you listen to it in public, either you will get surprised (and sometimes frightened) stares or new converts to the genre.

Truly a masterpiece (The whole Triology, in fact). If you love yourself, music and a taste of literacy in music, this is for you.

How can something be so frightening and yet so beautiful at the same time? This CD almost defies classification, unfortunately living in the US, it is near impossible to track these CDs down, however it is worth the effort. The CD opens with chaos which is really so controlled and yet so unpredictable. The soaring voices, the beautiful orchestration and the "demonic" voices meld together into a sound that cannot be adequately described. This music is not for everyone, it is very intelligent, very complex music that transcends all labels. If you are looking for soemhing different that can be ambient and then transform into something that will make you throw your headphones off (as I did when I first heard this band) then give this CD a chance.

This album is absolutely incredible. I wasn't given but a sample and had to have all of Elend's work. It is quite possibly the saddest classical music ever, and yet has elements of great emotional release (screaming, suffering). It is, in the end, absolutely stunning.

This album ends Elend's trilogy and what a great ending it is! It's mandatory to read the lyrics while listening because the music's impact is a lot more intense. I think elend has put down a symphony of unprecedented darkness and such complex instrumentation that every new listen takes a new hold on the listener and lingers long after the music's over. malicious and enchanting, this music is a most fitting soundtrack to the fall of the angel of light.

Elend belong to another Universe, to a universe of infinite pleasure of magical sounds. This CD terminate whit "Officium Tenebrarum" Trilogy, perfect end. Whit a rage and sweetest majesty. All Elend's releases must be Six Stars... or more!

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Elend pertenece a otro Universo, a un Universo de placer infinito de sonidos magicos. Este CD cierra la trilogia llamada "Officium Tenebrarum", final perfecto. Con una dulzura y una majestuosa rabia. Todos los Cd's de Elend merecen Seis Estrellas... o mas!

One of the best things I heard. Heavy metal turned into unexpected masterpiece.

This is the unofficial soundtrack to the Apocalypse! Neo-classic maestros Elend has created the most horridly sinister album imaginable, yet at the same time one of the most staggering beautiful... (That is, if you are a darkened spirit..) Even a Beethoven or a Berlioz in their most gloomy mood would have had difficulty in creating such a orchestrated descent into absolute darkness as "The Umbersun". The band is augmented on this CD by an actual choir of 30 sopranos, altos and basses, which gives Elend's music the last notch of orchestral grandeur, and results in an imposing, larger-than-life, organic tone, which most other so-called "Neo-classical" acts sorely miss. Lyrically the CD is depicting Lucifer's loosing struggle on "the last day", and thus "The Umbersum" brings to a close Elend's Officium Tenebrarum Trilogy that was started with "Lecon des Tenebres" and followed up by "Les Tenebres du Dehors". After the ultimate Luciferian statement that was "The Umbersun", Elend sadly called it quits... Elend were Primus Inter Pares and will be sorely missed... R.I.P. "The Umbersum" is a worthy monument to a truely genious band.

If I can have only one CD, it is Umbersun.

After the "sadness" theme played in the first mass Leçons des ténèbres, and the "desperation" which was the metaphorical motive of Les ténèbres du dehors, Elend comes back with THE MASTERPIECE. With the only streght of their inventions they portray the third mass, based on the death of Lucifer, who discovers to be the other face of Christ. The most elaborated album of the trilogy, at least musically. Indeed THE Elend masterpiece. The chorus is based on sopranos, baritons and basses. The orchestra is arranged for deep, soft and violent sounds.

This CD was my first exposure to Elend. The CD jacket booklet contains the lyrics to all the songs, and it's more than a couple pages in length. It's a little surprising, then, after listening through the CD, to realize that I didn't notice the vocals very much at all; most of the lyrics were whispered, muttered, or spoken "sotto voce." The real body of the CD is the music. Using a symphony orchestra and a choir of about a dozen sopranos, this is strong, gutsy, music to rival Wagner at his most bellicose. As I noted in the summary, this CD makes me think that it would be well-suited to a movie soundtrack. If "The Inferno" is ever made into a movie ... at any rate, I liked the CD very much, and I intend to check out the rest of Elend's work.