Worms of the Earth - Azal'ucel

I really don't know how to describe just what I have found myself listening to today. This is the first time I find myself at a loss of words, and I think that's a very hard thing to accomplish. I am always full of rants and what not, yet this album left my jaw hanging and my state of self in pure clemency. I really never knew I could find something so astoundingly beautiful, yet, rather then just continue on saying that this album is amazing, let me continue on to explain why.

When I first took my voyage into this album, I really didn't know what to expect. And when I started listening to it, I was met with an ambient soundscape that pours this deep, ritual flavored music into your mind. As much as I tried to escape it, it kept dragging me back, and I willingly came crawling. The feeling was bliss, the sounds in my ear were harmonic and graceful, and my body just felt less tense than it normally is.

There is always a light synth present within each of the songs, and it works to high Heaven. It always feels as if there is someone, some being whispering in each song, even if there are no vocals accompanying the already beautiful sounds.

And combined within these songs with synths and ritual spiced lyrics are the sounds of nature. Sometimes, you will hear water trickling into a stream, or just a rain storm silently raging in the back drop of the rest of the music. Other times, you will get the feeling that you are in deserted ruins, and that the wind is blowing through the song as if it belongs well within the realm of everything else you are hearing.

Even the song titles describe some sort of story, give some sort of meaning behind the song. Such as "Tearing Down the Christian Pantheon". The ritualistic flavoring still accompanies the song, but drums take the main stage. However, there is also a sort of war going on, as the sounds of swords clashing and men screaming take over the background. The title of the song suggests a great schism, at least in a religious sense, that breaks apart the Christian theocracy. It was powerful to listen to.

I suppose, however, that the greatest thing to come out of this album would not necessarily be the actual instruments that bring the songs to life, but the female vocals that chant rites throughout the songs. Their voices are extremely beautiful, and fade in and out, coming by to haunt you with their talent every so often. When the vocals come, you wish they would go, but when they go, you wish for them to come back. It is a real curse to listen to such beautiful, and yet tainted voices.

When it comes down to combining all of these flavorful elements together, Worms of the Earth does a fantastic job at rendering ambient, ritualistic music. Maybe they were touched by the Gods themselves, but this is a fucking masterpiece. I have found myself listening to it since this morning, and cannot stop. Maybe I am spell bound, but it is not something that bothers me. This is something that I have found to love quite well, and what is love but not the most powerful emotion in the human spectrum? Apr 03 2013