I’ve heard enough of Persefone to know that they don’t operate in half measures. I go back with them to “Core” (2006), their second album which exuded heavily complex patterns, which are clearly their trademark. So it was too with “Shin-ken” (2010), another album of epic proportions.
“Spiritual Migrations” is massive. We’re enticed in with technical virtuosity, and for 70 minutes we stand inside an all-out maelstrom. What is remarkable and impressive about Persefone is that they leave simply nothing on the table. There’s no messing about with formulae. This album is an exercise in self-expression. “Mind as Universe” has all the turbulence and symphonic metal elements of Dimmu Borgir that I first recognised in “Core”, but the movement and death metal fury subtly develop into melodic passages, briefly transforming harsh and desperate landscapes into harmonies which in delivery but not in theme are reminiscent of Soilwork and other Scandinavian melo death bands. This album comes from a higher place and from the artistic perspective of someone battling to work it out and be in it. The dark storms subside here and there with sections of great delicacy and beauty. Birds sing and we hear the melancholic whistling of flutes on “Zazen Meditation”. Orchestral passages emerge. “Spiritual Migration” is mixed by the ubiquitous Jacob Hansen, and it is therefore no surprise that every drop, every emotion and every season is extracted and distinguished in the kaleidoscope of sound.
From the orchestral moments, we return to the ferocious technical death metal style of “The Majestic of Gaia”. This excellent track contains the twists and turns that constitute the speciality of this album, which shook me, rattled me and injected itself into every bone of my body. Through the overriding blackened death metal shine the harmonies, briefly industrial sounds and adrenaline-inducing moments. At times “The Majestic of Gaia” is like charging down a motorway. Sinister spoken words mix with breathtaking guitar work to make this utterly irresistible. Exhilarating drum work and fluttering keyboards take us still further on this huge adventure. The birds tweet as if we have returned to the dawn but we’re far from through. A nerve-wrenchingly epic metal chorus reinforces the self-proclaimed majesty of this track and album in general. Moments of quiet reflection follow. Exotic guitar and drum work combine with keyboards to create another ethereal mood. There are no boundaries. The majesty of the two part “Consciousness” has an air of Opeth, not for the first time on the album, but here an orchestra comes in. The drum patters out a complex pattern. Melancholy is present, but the dark clouds gather again and the track builds up. Even with its progressive tendencies and uncompromising heaviness and aggression, this album flows and is hypnotising. How do Persefone put this wealth of ideas together so seamlessly and cohesively? The instrumental skill is consummate, and complex as the mix of layers is, there’s a natural progression as if the vagaries of life and a world beyond are being represented on a musical scale.
“Spiritual Migration” seems to get bigger and bigger. It is intense but ultimately there’s more balance than intensity. The guitar work is exquisite. Cascading piano gives “Consciousness (part 2), A Path to Enlightenment” a classical air. The assault returns. The singer growls again. Stormy metal clouds are all around. But in the fury, the growls and harmonies play off each other. Pulsating death metal ensues. “Inner Fullness” is probably the purest track in terms of musical genre, but even that develops. The guitarists are producing magic. Virtuosity is central to this epic work. The harmonies come back and the orchestral movement reinforce the lofty structure. It’s time for a delicate breather. Tap-tap-tap-tap. Which way will it go? Beauty and delicacy stay with us as the mellow guitar work of “Metta Meditation” sublimely takes us into dreamland. Excitement then takes on a cosmic edge on the thrilling “Upward Explosion”. Orchestral vibes supplement the pulsating frantic metal. It is a journey whose power is transfixing. The title is appropriate. “Upward Explosion” is the most epic of all on this most epic of albums. Loftiness and aggression mix again on the following title track, another action-packed adventure with fire, fury, progressive touches and harmonies. It’s left being swept across the top of a wave. Virtuoso guitar blends into keyboard work as the mood transforms like changing weather patterns. If only the weather could be as gripping as this. The album ends with a calming piece of classical majesty. I guess after all this struggle the source of life has been found, and the spiritual migration is complete.
This album blew me away and continues to blow me away. There is a great deal of dark but there is light too. It’s like fantasy metal as this collection of highly gifted musicians from Andorra indulge themselves and allow us to reach for the skies and the stars. “I open my thick floodgates” is a line from this album – how true. One of the many things I like about the concept of “Spiritual Migration” is not only represented in the lyrics but in the fullness and expansiveness of the music. The instrumental work is supreme. There is an abundance of creative ideas. Nothing is left out. Somehow Persefone pull it all together. Make no mistake: “Spiritual Migration” is absorbing, exciting and nothing short of a total experience.
(9.5/10 Andrew Doherty)
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