Horologium - The Fire Sermon

Horologium is an intriguing project which I have been following in acute detail for some time now. Taken from Latin, the project name quite literally translates as "Clock" this is reflected fantastically in the CD design - the disc is just one beautiful, ancient looking clock.

Covering subjects such as the fate of humanity, and heavily borrowing inspiration from T.S Eliot's "The Wasteland", Horologium look likely to deliver us some educated and well scripted industrial chaos.

"Primordium" opens the album with an absolutely perfectly rendered Elizabethan sounding Organic track, although indirect, a real theme of time echoes throughout the beautiful Harpsichord progressions. I actually rate this as one of the best intros to an album ever.

If like me, you are wondering why this album is entitled "The Fire Sermon", the first proper track on here will explain this to you, with vehement passion. It sounds like a raging inferno, constant crashing sounds, reminiscent of beams and ceilings crashing to the ground, as the track builds up to almost Martial-like beats, before slowing down again.

Horologium is a name thrown around often, and until recently, I hadn't bothered to really indulge my curiosity, but this only reiterates that the Polish Industrial scene is just sensational. Only 2 tracks into an album, and this already has got a foothole on my favourites list, and so far I haven't had one moment of disdain. How often can I say that? (Probably often if you read my reviews, but that is beside the point).

What kind of poetic genius can write a title such as "Magic for the Hyacinth Garden", and then manage to make the music back it up?

Horologium can. Sweeping wind instrument sounds, crows cawing, Martial drums, and a sped up electronic sound like a synthesized formula one car changing gears. Proper Industrial.

The utter highlight here falls to "To Carthage". A tribute to Phoenician Eras, starting with beautiful female chanting, and singing, before a wonderful Martial beat kicks in.

Almost echoing H.E.R.R.'s "Winter of Constantinople", this wonderful track just links the female chorus, with Arabic string instruments and Persian- esque speeches.. What a fitting track, and a real atmospheric era-inspired number.

By far, one of the best civilisation-related tracks out there, and nothing any band can really follow up to and improve on.

Anyway, when a project releases a masterful album, with fantastic Imagery and concept, and a beautiful looking disc, how can they go one better?

By putting a picture of Sophia on the album cover. Sophia is one of the most beautiful women I have ever seen in my life, and this album cover is nothing short of divine. It also echoes the concept of time, candle-lit studies, Grandfather clocks, and quills and ink with scrolls being etched. Oct 13 2006