Dark Awake - Soil,Blood...And The Reaping Of Light

Dark Awake is a neoclassic, martial, ritual, neofolk and dark ambient act headed by Shelmerdine VI. Based in Athens, Greece, this act has released three albums so far, starting with 2008's Meseonas, followed by Epi Thanaton, and lastly with the album I shall be dissecting, Soil,Blood...And The Reaping Of Light.

This latest album jumps from topics dealing with cults in pre-war Germany, to mysterious northern witchcraft, and all other topics. Though a solo project, an additional member named Sekte was brought forth for this album, to bring out narrations, choirs, and vocals. With all that said, I would also like to say that the album art is fairly astounding; a simple black and white picture that seems Biblical or Mythical is presented, and I spent quite some time looking over it.

And, to go with such an epic image comes epic music. Starting with Luminous Vril, the sounds of war, planes diving to the earth and bombs dropping, exploding on impact is heard over the sounds of a light synth note. The sounds of death and destruction fade, but an everlasting rumble is kept in the background. Drums soon enough kick in about the half way mark, martial in essence, and then we are left off on a dark ambient note.

More dramatic music is attained with Babylon (The Scarlet Whore). Combining sounds that would be expected from an old black and white mystery film and classical instrumentation, along with extremely epic choir effects made for a great track. The vocals within were fittingly sung, but somber as well. Two final, echoing thuds sent me on my way into the next song.

Including acoustic guitar instrumentation, Seidr And Runes included more vocals and a whistling sound. It seemed as if quality took a bit of a down turn here, but I think that was purposeful. You won't find much electronic work here at all; harmonicas even come in to take their place, with even more martial drum work, but this was more marching-like work.

The first pure dark ambient/drone piece came into play with Lusjafura, utilizing the darker elements the act has to offer. Whispers are echoed on the walls of a cavern, mixing up and mingling so that not a peep can be fully understood; and I think that whatever malignant force present in this song intended it to be that way. Alas, there is hope in the muddy dark. Strips of lighter sounds and brighter futures pop up every so often, destroying the evil, but eventually curves straight back into bleak and hopeless fields.

More dark ambient work comes in with 120 Days Of Sodom, and if you've ever seen the movie or read the book that the name comes from, you would understand why the tone of this track is so ominous. With plenty of samples etched within, and noise to be found, and the final stretch of it garnishing the audience with lovely piano work, this song was great.

Le Conte Du Graal had a very Holy sound to it, at times sounding like nothing but noise crashing through the barriers, but at other times, religious chants came through with chimes and background choral chanting. All in all, it was another fascinating track.

Lux Et Tenebris was a fantastic piano piece that rendered me in a relaxed, but focused state. If I could get more music as enchanting as this, I think I'd never have a worry in my life again. The slow moving pace of Lapsit Exillis was filled with more martial drums and even an alarm, once more sounding off as a military tune; it was something to get ready for war with.

I absolutely loved the brilliant classical music tied in with deep pitched ambient music that came forth in Meine Nacht Ist Licht. Movie soundtrack quality, epic sounding, and perhaps the best track on the album thus far. It's heart stopping, blood boiling, and can only make one think of an epic struggle between light and dark.

The last and final track on the album is the title track, and is a simple track that showcases more sounds of war with sounds of explosions and machine gun fire. Melodic and hypnotic in a sense, the overcast of a drone like line combined with other slight effects turned out to be pretty good.

And, that's where the end of the album comes. I would say that I am impressed with this album through and through. Every time they mixed in neoclassical elements with their songs, my heart turned with joy. I think the overuse of war samples, as tied as it may have been to the album's overall theme, kind of got boring here and there. But, that wasn't too much to worry about. And, hell, the vocal work brought out by Sekte was absolutely fantastic, so that's a huge plus to this album.

And, what's more is that I found out a new album by this act called ANUNNAKI shall be releasing in November. So, I'll be checking that out when I get the chance. However, for now, listen to this album and get a taste of what these guys can give you. Nov 21 2014