lista zespołów Symphonic Black Cronian Erathems

Cronian is of course the experimental side-project of Borknagar's Øystein G. Brun and Vintersorg – but then I'm sure you already knew that. Borknagar have had many Extreme Metal guises over the years and they aren't too tardy with the experimentation themselves...plus Vintersorg's solo stuff is totally barking, so where do Cronian fit in?

On their previous two releases (2006 and 2008 respectively) the rule seemed to be “Hell, we like it, we think it works, so bung it in there” (or the Norwegian equivalent...). And they did. Avant-garde, Experimental, Progressive. This latest offering is no exception, but personally I've noticed another angle which I'm rather chuffed about; Realizing that certain eras of Borknagar are now in the past, it seems like the duo have decided Cronian is the ideal vehicle to revisit some of those former glories. “Erathems” ultimately reminds me of their 2001 release “Empiricism”. OK, there are other influences, but I think that this album sounds much more like the natural follow-up to “Empiricism” rather than it's actual successor “Epic”. At times “Erathems” is like the bridge between the two...but with plenty of unexpected experimental parts thrown in to keep Cronian devotees more than happy. Musically, it's an approach that only time, experience and hindsight could display.

Like “Empiricism”, “Erathems” includes moments that quite possibly can be categorized as catchy! Certainly memorable. For instance 'Ecocracy' has intricate time signatures and styles all over the place, but the song cleverly keeps leading back to a quirky, chiming twin guitar ditty that continually shines through. Excellent song-writing and arrangements that are a pleasure to witness litter “Erathems”. There is always something that you hear for the first time on each and every listen – the string-section plucking sounds on the main riff to 'Drifting Station' for example. These are even more apparent on the orchestral epic 'Monuments and Madness' that almost sounds like classic Blind Guardian! Both are fine examples of being cut from the same cloth as “Empiricism”. I love to hear a band like Cronian who are free from genre constraints and able to just play what they like. 'Blackwater Horizon' is probably the most all-encompassing Borknagar style track on evidence here. There are elements of it that would sit just as well on “The Archaic Course” as they would on “Urd”, yet 'Core Resiliency' and 'Chemical Dawn' have a much more typical Cronian feel (if there is such a thing...). Closing with a damn fine instrumental seems brave too...but then you remember that this is Cronian so it's completely natural. Incidentally, the Ltd Edition includes a bonus track which is well worth the extra couple of quid too, believe me.

If I have a tiny criticism it's the lack of a real drummer. Picky I know, but as convincing as the programming is - and it really is – I just feel a drummer can add yet another dimension to the song arrangements. Don't Laugh! Guitarists think like guitarists and their rhythms follow a similar style to their ideal, but usually a really competent drummer (something that Norway must have tons of!) can throw something into the mix that a guitarist would not have thought of (whether a guitarist's ego will allow it's inclusion is another matter – I speak from experience..). Probably irrelevant though, as Cronian on the whole seem to have thought of everything, and I have to admit that this is by far my favourite album of theirs to date.

But it's all about personal taste, and a band like Cronian invite this more than most. For me, this is a truly progressive, Metal album – you just don't know what's coming next in a particular song! The first listen is a total blur – and even now it seems unfair to review it even after just a week and 7 or 8 plays, because I'm sure in a few months new parts of this intriguing opus will continue unveiling themselves and change the way I view it once more...and that's how it should be!