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Remote Induction website /
USA (Chris Z.) 2000
"Well,
hmmm. Our friends at the Tesco Organisation seem
to be taking a hiatus from their normally scheduled power electronics,
experimental, and industrial and have been putting out some very
interesting records: Skalp, Nocturne, Erinys, and
now Apoptose. This is, if you were not aware, a
very good thing. Hailing from the frozen tundra they call Iceland, Apoptose
splendidly blend somber ambience with orchestral elements and martial
percussion. Not bad for a newcomer!
When
I first heard about this record, I was very excited about it, since it's a
new Tesco release and I hold them to the highest
of standards. So I had real high expectations for this album going in. I
know, I know... I really need to stop doing that. Most of the time, I just
end up being disappointed, but I've learned to trust Tesco
- and they have come through again. Apoptose is one of the most stunning
new arrivals I've heard in a while.
The
artwork, I think, does a very good job at conveying the overall "mood"
of the album. The shadow of wood on the cover (and the beautiful closeup
of moss on the back!) as well as the monolith inside convey a very
mystical, atavistic atmosphere. This shows through in the music, which
transports you to the windy fields of Iceland... (hey, looks a little like
California!)
Okay,
okay, I'll get to the music. A friend of mine described it as "a
combination of Raison d'Etre and Les
Joyaux de la Princesse" and I'd have to say this is very
accurate. They manage to effortlessly combine ambience with martial
elements, while "overdosing" on neither. The last song, however,
gets a little repetitive (it's eleven minutes long and doesn't change much).
Regardless, Apoptose are rather unique, and they
pull it off wonderfully. Definitely something to check out if you enjoy Turbund
Sturmwerk.
The
one fault I can find is that the album's only fifty minutes. I really want
more. That's the advantage of the CD format.. you have up to 80 minutes to
play with! Make it count! *grin* But, I'd much rather have a fifty minute
long awesome album than an eighty minute long piece of crap. So, once
again, the Tesco Organisation pulls through. If
we're lucky, maybe we will hear something else from Apoptose
soon, too!"
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