Finnish for ‘human’, ‘Ihminen’ is the sophomore effort from psych rock quintet Seremonia (Finnish for ‘ceremony’). Any guesses to where these guys are from yet? This opus is a musical exploration into the evil that men do, however, if you’re not fluent in the band’s home language this album will prove tough going, as the entire thing is sang in their native tongue.
While each track is a jarring, tumbling chaotic jump from one tempo to another, it clear that the band are firmly rooted in doom due to the retro synths and sprinklings of esoteric effects – it crackles away like a well-loved 40-year-old vinyl despite its 2013 release date. Despite this, however, opener ‘Noitamestari’ possesses a punk energy rhythmically that makes it one of the (sadly, few) album highlights.
Vocalist Nora Federley sings with cold detachment that frankly makes her sound bored against the often frantic pace of the music. Furthermore, the language barrier makes the music that much harder to relate to and teamed with Federley’s flat delivery makes this record a less enjoyable experience as it’s difficult to determine what her vocal prowess actually is.
While this album does boast some genuine psych rock gems, ultimately the disharmonious juxtaposition of the varying paces of instruments and songs provides an unsatisfying listen and is paired with a voice that fails to live up to enormity of the instrumentals.
(5/10 Angela Davey)
25/10/2013 at 3:31 pm
Sounds just like their first album, which sits on my shelf gathering dust in splendid retro obscurity.