Yodok III is a collaboration between Norwegians Tomas Järmyr (Zu, Barchan), Kristoffer Lo and Belgian minimal ambient artist Dirk Serries (Microphonics, Fear Falls Burning, VidnaObmana, etc). This album was recorded live and is set for release to coincide with their appearance on the Roadburn Festival.
It is unrushed and unhurried: a slow organic process moving toward a critical point. As each element comes into focus, at times imperceptibly and others in a noticeable way, the listener is held by the way in which the piece develops – bordering, eventually, on a tune rather than the beginnings of a melody. These possibilities of a tune start to make an appearance towards the twenty seven minute mark but are left incomplete and unformed. This passage is held for a few minutes heralding a completed state where all the instrumentation is active in a swirling, churning crescendo of the first peak or movement within the performance. The sounds drop away gracefully – drums and guitars diminish and disappear into the background leaving the sonorous, sombre and almost Gregorian tones of a tuba. Thus starts the second movement, a transformation of mesmerising and hypnotic solitude into the softly increasing cries of the returning guitar along with gentle and light splashes of percussion. The drone guitar is like a blast echoing through a mountainscape and suddenly becomes full bodied as the percussion punctuates the details adding drama and assurance that something is, again, being built up to. This last half hour brings the entire piece into context as the various strands slowly pull together weaving around each other toward a simple melody. It is as if you’ve reached the shore and are staring out over the undulating ocean with clouds drifting at an achingly slow pace across the sky as your heart beats with the rhythm of what you see before you. A perfect resolution to a journey started so long ago. AA split second you realise this was all recorded live as the crowd applaud Yodok III‘s accomplished performance.
This is a one track album of approximately sixty eight minutes duration which was recorded live and to many people this will sound like a tune that nearly happened but gave up before getting anywhere. For those of you who find a wealth of creativity within the outer limits of music (with a Rock/Metal bias) this will be as worthy a release as the recent Nadja album (Sievert). It has a subtlety and drama which Yodok III are well known for and will be a welcome addition for fans of the project as well as those who enjoy this type of extreme music. If you are a newcomer to this area of music this is an excellent entry point to start from.
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