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 Amber Asylum - Frozen In Amber [Elfenblut - 1996]Noone in their right mind would call this release new anymore, in fact it's five years old and Amber Asylum's first album. But I'm still reviewing it. Because, frankly, it deserves it. So who are Amber Asylum? The band has a bit of a "heard about it but not sure what it is" status in the metal genre, though the music is far from metal. The comparisons probably come from the people they've worked with, for example Neurosis whose music some of the Amber Asylum members have contributed to. The outfit is a girls-only quartet playing neoclassical/ambient music (at least on this album) with considerable weight put on violins and piano."Frozen In Amber" is dark. Most of the music is played in minors, but even parts that aren't will still have quite an unnerving effect on you. This is music for evenings and nights. At one time you're enjoying a waltz, played with a sick twist that reminds you of the ominous renaissance party portrayed in Poe's "The Masque Of The Red Death"... the next minute you're surrounded by a subtle organ dulling your senses before insane flutes echo out from nowhere, growing in intensity and chaotic nature, leading your thoughts to corridors deep within old castles and the horrors the may contain.I've had this album for a considerable amount of time and each listening experience just makes the music better. This is really creepy, not from the first listen, but when you get to know the CD... And this is, obviously, a characteristic of good music.I don't have any other Amber Asylum albums. Yet. But if this was their first attempt, I am most certainly going to investigate deeper. If it doesn't kill me first.  Jacob Avlund
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|  | | Amber Asylum - Frozen In Amber | Noone in their right mind would call this release new anymore, in fact it's five years old and Amber Asylum's first album. But I'm still reviewing it. Becaus...
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| | | The Spectral Sounds of The Projec... | As music obsessives know, what makes a label fascinating is not just the sounds they release. The most intriguing labels offer a conceptual framework and con...
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