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Mortiis
Keiser av en Dimensjon Ukjent

Projekt

Posted: Friday, February 02, 2007
By: Ilker Yücel
Editor

Mortiis is an interesting figure in the modern electronic scene. Having started as the bassist and lyricist for the black metal group Emperor, Mortiis soon began a career making dark electronic music. Beginning with a series of ambient soundscapes that reached their pinnacle with 1998's The Stargate, Mortiis soon branched out into darker, more industrial-driven forms of music, at first with The Smell of Rain in 2001, and then with The Grudge in 2005. Today, many of the early releases (affectionately referred to as Era I) have been out-of-print. Now signed with Projekt Records, these early releases can be found yet again, such as Mortiis' third album, 1995's Keiser av en Dimensjon Ukjent. While comprised of only two tracks, whose titles translate to "Journeys to Deserts and Dungeons" and "Emperor of a Dimension Unknown," each track spans an excess of 20 minutes, demonstrating Mortiis' skills as a craftsman of dark sonic moods that are as majestic as they are dismal. Looped motifs of symphonic grandeur progress like imperial marches, filled with bursts of recurring melodies that will take the listener back to a time when knights roamed the land and kings ruled vast domains. Choruses of haunting voices with only hints of actual lyrics appear amidst the dungeonesque atmospheres, enhancing the quality of the music. This music would not be out of place at a Renaissance Festival or as background music to a lengthy reading of a medieval fantasy novel. The only downside is the lack of any real direction or buildup, no climax or crescendo to bring the pieces to a level of excitement, and they both end just as quietly. However, as ambient music, Keiser av en Dimensjon Ukjent fits the bill quite nicely. Fans of Mortiis' more recent industrial rock output might be put off a bit by the softer nature of this earlier material, while fans of old will be gratified to find it available in print once more.