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Post by St. Mark on Jan 12, 2009 21:59:08 GMT
"Heaving Salvation" IS my favourite Axis track, so I find these comments extremely tantalising. Almost sexually. My copy is due on the weekend/Monday by the way, for those keeping score.
I actually wrote a little reply based on necro's post, but it was too long and could easily be summarised thus: If I am instantly comfortable with Urfe, I'll be disappointed.
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Post by Darkcrawl on Jan 13, 2009 11:52:56 GMT
"Heaving Salvation" IS my favourite Axis track, so I find these comments extremely tantalising. Almost sexually. My copy is due on the weekend/Monday by the way, for those keeping score. I actually wrote a little reply based on necro's post, but it was too long and could easily be summarised thus: If I am instantly comfortable with Urfe, I'll be disappointed. I'm still getting to grips with it musically. It's a grower all right which is why I know it'll be even better in a few months time. I'm getting used to the narrative but there are bits that are difficult to hear so that's another challenge. I'm really looking forward to interviews with the band in the music mags. I feel as if I know barely anything about the recording process or the planning behind it. Such is the mystery of the Axis. |
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Post by Tyranor on Jan 19, 2009 14:42:13 GMT
I'm not sure if mine is on the way but I got album in mp3 format until it arrives. And it i have a horrible desire for it to happen it as soon as it is possible.
Gosh, i even don't know where to start from. "Do not have any certain expectations toward The Axis" - is something i realized quite early though i miss terrifying fury of the EP a bit on later works. The new album is very subtle in many ways.
The first time i was through Urfe i just sat and listened to it. Leslie did tremendous job for his part. He was so immersed in that. His narratives made the whole thing more leaner and theatrical.
I suppose no one expected that the whole first cd will contain dark ambient only (with exception the second - Badalementique track). The first part i view as more psychologically intense than second. The tension build up and the sense of unknown. Cinematic aspect is vivid as never before.
And so the second part. There lurked something i was looking forwards to hear. Yes, the metal parts. Something i really did not expect is that those will be very few. The track IV is what i love about The Axis. Those minor second runs are like swarm of parasites besetting some kind of abomination. It gave me impression like Urfe is facing the Final Boss or something of that sort.
Also Brooke's vocals progressed a lot...
Another surprise is the ending. Unlike Urfe all albums got one common i'd say even orthodox trait. The last song always was the longest, the most oppressing, shutting all the lights in the tunnel. And now it seems like Urfe enters intensively white lightened room and doors closes after him, leaving you (listener) behind. And the only thing you can do is to guess what happens there.
Now as The Axis of Perdition is a lot more dark ambient than metal i wonder how it will avoid conflict with Pulsefear...
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Post by Darkcrawl on Jan 19, 2009 19:59:35 GMT
I wonder if the character of Urfe, and indeed Leslie, will return in 'Tenaments...' as we have been told it is a follow-on, a part-3 of sorts?
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Post by njord on Jan 21, 2009 16:30:20 GMT
Hi guys, i was shocked as i heard on another forum about www.beherit.fi go to that site and build your own opinion. Seems that DJ Gamma is ripping of The Axis Of Perdition |
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Post by Chammadai on Jan 22, 2009 0:26:31 GMT
I rather enjoyed listening to that, it's quite calming.
On Topic, I hope Amazon (yeah, I'm unTRVE) hurry up with my fucking CD, I want Urfe!
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Post by Darkcrawl on Feb 5, 2009 1:01:36 GMT
Having been listening to Urfe now at least 4 times a week since late December, I can honestly say that (as I found with 'Deleted Scenes...') it's a real grower. The more I listen to it, the more I hear and 'understand'. It's actually rather a pleasant experience, if horrible pain can be pleasant of course! Mind you, I think that since 'Deleted....' the riffs are so meandering that the full catchiness of them actually only becomes obvious with patience. Does any of this make sense or am I just a bit confused? Heheh...
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Post by ljosalfur on Feb 5, 2009 20:56:03 GMT
Having been listening to Urfe now at least 4 times a week since late December, I can honestly say that (as I found with 'Deleted Scenes...') it's a real grower. The more I listen to it, the more I hear and 'understand'. It's actually rather a pleasant experience, if horrible pain can be pleasant of course! Mind you, I think that since 'Deleted....' the riffs are so meandering that the full catchiness of them actually only becomes obvious with patience. Does any of this make sense or am I just a bit confused? Heheh... I agree 100% This thing is growing on me loads, and it's almost a treat to listen to. Parts of it fill me with a real uplifting vibe. Strange! It really is great stuff. There are some negative reviews about, mostly because they are saying the don't like listening to lyrics. The story is obviously VERY important to 'Urfe', it should not be judged without them. |
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Post by Darkcrawl on Feb 5, 2009 21:37:04 GMT
Agreed. The work Leslie put in to it also becomes clearer. I am also still hearing new things, whether they be bits of narrative I couldn't previously decipher, bits of lead guitar previously unnoticed or underlying ambience/effects.
Another thing I want to mention, is the bass fleshed out with drones because it sounds absolutely awesome and makes the atmosphere particularly harrowing from track 2 of 'The Great Unwashed'?
The first CD has grown on me a lot more, I particularly unjoy the strung up deformed beasty of track 4 and the whole of tracks 1 and 6. The final bit of hope with the re-emergence of the keyboard melody from the first track just for it all to go sour again is particularly fear-ridden.
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Post by Chammadai on Feb 6, 2009 17:12:09 GMT
Finally got the fucker a couple of days ago, so far only listened to CD1 but I'll change that in short order. It gives me exactly the same feeling I got from listening to Jeff Wayne's War of the Worlds as a child, that record used to sh*t me up a treat, Urfe has the same cinematic intimacy & cloying atmosphere taken to a completely different level. I'm sure I heard 'Jupiter' from Les (but can't be certain without listening to it again), which prodded the thought into this polluted bonce. Better get on with it, it won't listen to itself, will it? Will it? Hmm *worries*
On an entirely unrelated note, about a month ago I brought the subject of Urfe up with a chap in the owd boozer, he mentioned he had the record already & asked me if I'd *dripping scorn* downloaded it. Cheeky bastard.
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Post by thanatos on Feb 6, 2009 21:48:03 GMT
I've completely fallen in love with Urfe. At first I thought it was quite different from the preceding albums, but after a few listens it seems like a natural progression to me.
Alot of the criticism seems to be coming from the fact that there are less metal sections but personally I think it only makes them hit harder, as if Urfe has finally reached and given into The Axis.
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Post by Darkcrawl on Feb 6, 2009 23:22:42 GMT
I've completely fallen in love with Urfe. At first I thought it was quite different from the preceding albums, but after a few listens it seems like a natural progression to me. Alot of the criticism seems to be coming from the fact that there are less metal sections but personally I think it only makes them hit harder, as if Urfe has finally reached and given into The Axis. I agree totally. Nothing is ever simple in the world of The Axis. The moment I 'get' an Axis production immediately is the moment I decide they're shite....to put it bluntly. |
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Post by Darkcrawl on Feb 15, 2009 23:10:23 GMT
Just noticed today the first 'Urfe' interview in Metal Hammer. This will probably be the only time I buy MH this year! I thought the interview was very good although there's still a lot I#d like to know. It's interesting that Urfe started out as a half-hour long EP. Are you able to divulge which bits of Urfe this was?
Looking forward to the (expected) interview and review in the big T this coming month. You should have asked to review it yourself Mike!
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Mike
Tarpaulin Skin
Transition Engineer
I will cure the world of this plague of hope...
Posts: 247
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Post by Mike on Feb 27, 2009 23:09:04 GMT
Wow, taken me a long time to reply to anything. Too busy doing interviews and job-hunting. "Urfe" seems to be getting an extremely hostile reception from the wider fanbase and media. No skin off my nose, it's what we wanted to do and the label liked it too, which is a bonus. By the way, I got thinking the other day. It'd be great if in the future, you guys did a continuation of where the lift goes at the end of 'Deleted Scenes...' or alternatively, after an absolute nightmare of an album, have a character bewildered asking where they are and make the last sound on the album the elevator from that disc. I think about these things way too much.  At the moment, I don’t feel like we’d reuse that specific lift sample. One of the basic physical laws of the Axis as an environment is that it’s psychoreactive and fundamentally shaped by the perceptions of each protagonist. Hence each experiences the transition hospital in different ways; Urfe’s experience of it over the second half of “The Great Unwashed” manifests and concludes in his own way. We originally devised the “Tenements” album as a means of exploring what happens after the hospital, so while it will be the third and final part of “Urfe”, it will also be a sort of sequel to “Deleted Scenes” as well. Who are what are these 'Kalifoths' that keep being mentioned. Is it just a made up mythical character? If so congratulations on an awesomely cool word that creates some perfect imagery.! I've looked it up on the net and all I get is the PulseFear song called 'Mass Of The Kalifoth'. The Kelifoth (with an ‘e’) are the humans and near-humans ekeing out an existence in the bizarre borderlands between the world of normality and the Axis. It's a name Les came up with, as I recall deriving in part from Kali and Qliphoth. "Heaving Salvation" IS my favourite Axis track, so I find these comments extremely tantalising. I think “Urfe” is ultimately quite like the first two thirds of “Heaving Salvation”, but zoomed in a lot. That’s quite conceptually literal, too; where the protagonist of “Heaving Salvation” bursts out onto a roof and beholds the panorama of Locus Eyrie below, he/she could be unknowingly looking down upon Urfe’s progress. Now as The Axis of Perdition is a lot more dark ambient than metal i wonder how it will avoid conflict with Pulsefear... Pulsefear is guitar-based and improvisation-based so compositionally it's quite easy for us to keep things separate. I wonder if the character of Urfe, and indeed Leslie, will return in 'Tenaments...' as we have been told it is a follow-on, a part-3 of sorts? Oui-oui. Another thing I want to mention, is the bass fleshed out with drones because it sounds absolutely awesome and makes the atmosphere particularly harrowing from track 2 of 'The Great Unwashed'? The first CD has grown on me a lot more, I particularly unjoy the strung up deformed beasty of track 4 and the whole of tracks 1 and 6. The final bit of hope with the re-emergence of the keyboard melody from the first track just for it all to go sour again is particularly fear-ridden. Yes, we’ve always had drones fleshing out the bass from “Ichneumon” onwards, on “Corridors” we just had drones and “forgot” the bass. That’s exactly the impression we wanted with the souring of the choirs on track six. A kind of “Yaaaaaayyyyy….awwwwwwwww….” It gives me exactly the same feeling I got from listening to Jeff Wayne's War of the Worlds as a child. Job done. Just noticed today the first 'Urfe' interview in Metal Hammer. This will probably be the only time I buy MH this year! I thought the interview was very good although there's still a lot I#d like to know. It's interesting that Urfe started out as a half-hour long EP. Are you able to divulge which bits of Urfe this was? Looking forward to the (expected) interview and review in the big T this coming month. You should have asked to review it yourself Mike! Our printed interviews are always heavily edited. We tend to give people between 2000 and 3000 words of copy on average (which is why, Necrogeddon, yours is taking a while; they’re also very good questions) and they tend to get chopped a lot. MH was no exception. The “Grief Of The Unclean” EP we started with was basically tracks 3-5 of “The Great Unwashed”, edited into one continuous track. Then we wrote track 2 while the creative momentum was still going, plus the two melodic tracks, making an album’s worth of material, 45 minutes or so. It wasn’t what we were planning to do to follow “Deleted Scenes”, but were really happy with it so we thought we’d go with it anyway. We asked Les to come up with a bit of vocals for it and he came back with a ninety-minute narrative. After a little editing, we thought there was way too much good material to waste so wrote a load of ambient to complete it. So the full story of “Urfe” will now be 1: Grief Of The Unclean, 2: The Great Unwashed and 3: Tenements. There was the possibility of releasing all three CDs in one package but that would’ve probably bankrupted the label. We could also have released them one by one, but thought (quite realistically I think) that only you guys on here would buy the purely ambient one and everyone else would miss out on a lot of story. The compromise we came to is “Urfe”, but it’s important to remember that the “Triptych” is not complete yet. |
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Post by ljosalfur on Feb 28, 2009 1:57:35 GMT
VERY VERY interesting stuff. I cannot WAIT for the 3rd part. I am totally in love with Urfe. Terrorizer gave it 9/10 apparently! I haven't read the review yet.. good to hear it is positive. I am waiting to read all these interviews you speak of!
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