Ulver

Blood Inside
The End Records

9 tracks; 45:51

To begin with, let's just clarify: this is not a metal album. I suppose that may be why many of the metal webzines out there have vastly underrated this release. Some of them have struggled to narrow down a description of its sound too. Luckily, I survived a brief binge in the 90s of Art Rock and Vintage Prog, so I think I can pretty much pin it down. Imagine a cross between: Ummagumma-era Pink Floyd (but less sloppy and doped up); Robert Fripp (King Crimson); David Byrne (Talking Heads); William Orbit (you know, the one-man-band, possibly best known for his production work with U2); and, Brian Eno. Notwithstanding, ULVER is far more interesting than any of the above-noted contrived yuppie shit. And if you're already familiar with ULVER's discography, you'll find only a slight departure in sound from their work over the past decade, with less of a leaning toward that electronica beat-box flavor.

Blood Inside gets rolling with some haunting, droning synths coupled with tons of evocative, layered vocals and processed guitars, all framed by an extensive array of percussion instruments. Within 15 minutes, the ambient approach swerves into more of an Art Rock sound with the additional emphasis of a traditional drumkit. This bends into a more minimalist style with "Blinded by Blood", which is composed simply of silky layered vocals and some throbbing synths. But the progressions are exquisite and the overall sound quality is incredibly lush and resonant. Moving on, there are some cuts that are more groove-oriented and discordant while a violin is introduced to the mix. Some frenzied acid jazz even crops up momentarily during "In the Red". Finally, the last track acts as a sort of crescendo to the album, being the most aggressive sounding of the bunch. Heavier drumming is densely interwoven here with some samples and pulsing synths through a freakishly amorphic arrangement.

I love this stuff. Blood Inside is a biomechanical symphony. It resonates with emotion and captures the imagination. Stunning!

Regan Perlett