Search - Ulver :: Perdition City

A midsummer's night rain.

Raymond Mode | Minneapolis, Minnesota | 09/25/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"One night two summer's ago I wanted to go for a ride in the middle of the night. It was raining and that was perfect. I grabbed Perdition City. I turned my car on and put the album in. I left. I drove around downtown and let the rain accumulate before wiping it away with my wipers each time and with the music playing it gave it this sort of surreal feel. I didn't feel like I was apart of the world. It was odd. The lights had a different meaning as they were skewed both by the droplets of water on my windows, but also with my aural senses. It was a night I won't soon forget. I drove around and around and around, the greens the reds the yellows all filtering in so bright so alive. Ulver _Perdition City_ is the album to listen to while driving on a rainy night. It's epic and dark. Evil and uplifting. Free and concise. Everything is meticulously placed yet not forced. Imaginative. This is a masterpiece of modern music and highly recommended."

Moody Electronica

Tom Chase | London | 04/07/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"To clear up any possibly confusion this is not a metal album, such as Ulver's earlier works ("Bergtatt", "Nattens Madrigal"). "Perdition City" is one of Ulver's electronic based albums, such as the most recent piece of work, "Blood Inside".



Ulver are simply a great band. Whether they are playing metal, folk or electronica, they create some wonderful music, and this is no exception. Even if you were directed to Ulver by their metal fame, I recommend trying this, as they create the same dark and menacing atmospheres found in their earlier releases, just without the instrumentation of metal.



Unlike most electronic music I have heard, "Perdition City" is not repetitive, monotonous, and doesn't contain silly robotic noises that become ultimately annoying. This album is something wholly different. With its dark and creepy atmospheres it is instantly engulfing and a thoroughly pleasurable experience (especially when following the instructions on the cover to listen with `darkness and headphones'). Generally the music is slow to mid-tempo, often minimalist, washing over the listener with a trance-like quality, only to be hit by perfectly executed climaxes. "Lost In Moments" is a fine opener, mostly consisting of soothing drum and saxophone playing. The song weaves in and out of solos and calming atmospherics until it breaks down into an eerie spoken section by singer Garm, followed by a huge climax with tasteful operatic vocals and crashing drums. "Porn Piece or the Scars of Cold Kisses" follows a similar pattern, its highlight being a wonderful vocal section in which Garm soothingly describes a cold, dark city. Such vocal style is visited again, but at its pinnacle with "We Are the Dead", a chilling piece consisting of Garm whispering about spirits and voices in dark desolation.



Most of the songs follow the progressive styling I mentioned earlier, and other solid album tracks include the somewhat trippy "Future Sound of Music" and the ethereal "Hallways of Always", both evolving around piano/synth themes that are constantly varied and progressed, eventually reaching climatic finishes full of lush drum loops and seemingly endless texturing.



This is not the usual electronic piece of work. For those that are new to Ulver, and were unaware of their electronic works, I strongly recommend this. Ulver can play many types of music sprawling various genres, but every album they put out contains their crucial atmosphere.

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What can be Said?

Mick V. Nicholas | Allentown, PA | 05/20/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This CD is an ambiant, trance-like journey that will absolutely put you under a spell. The melodies are so capturing, especially when put with the haunting vocals that seem to season this album. If you like Industrial type rock music, this CD is for you. Please, be advised, there is nothing Black Metal about this album (I think that is what makes it, you know, good)."