Arcturus — Sideshow Symphonies

Three years is a long time in music and three years for Arcturus seems to have been long enough for some pretty fundamental changes to occur. Most notably being the departure of star man Kris "Garm" Rygg and the re-emergence of the band in the live arena. Here they present their long awaited new album with the question being which direction will they turn without the G. man at the helm.

From the opening bars of Hibernation Sickness Complete you can instantly tell it’s Arcturus. Sverds keyboards and electronics provide entry to a soundworld rich in layers and harmony a la La Masquerade Infernale. Simen Hestnæs now takes full control of vocal duties and provides a great sonorous accompaniment to the pummelling midpace rhythms and synthetic swells. The hints at heavy metal that infected Sham Mirrors are all but gone and are replaced with more complex lead guitar and emphasis on the Keys.

Shipwrecked Frontier Pioneer is a classic in the making, it’s the longest of the nine tracks and features a multi faceted attack where Von Blombergs drums drive melodic riff and soaring vocals to harmonious effect. There’s a gorgeous break midway through where dreamy synths and female vocals (A first for Arcturus I believe) push the boundaries of the music into almost filmic territory. They never quite let go of the reins though as the bass and epic vocals grab you by the throat once again. The track twists and turns through several different melody and tempo changes before ending, leaving you wishing it went on for another eight minutes. This matches any of their previous best work.
The third track Deamonpainter is another superbly orchestrated and composed piece of dark metal that builds slowly with hulking riffs and delicate solo work. The use of light and shade in the songs is an aspect that Sham Mirrors sorely lacked. Again Simen's vocals are given a central role and he rises to the task, despite the occasional ham fisted howl.

It’s not all instant classics though, Nocturnal Vision Revisited runs on a very lightweight and thin electronic drum loop that sounds desperately rushed and the composition is very loose and incoherent.
Fortunately Evacuation Code Deciphered is back in the same class as the first three tracks. After a neat synth intro Simen's vocals leap in with a curiously fitting harpsichord and guitar backing, that provide backbone to a track that includes much demented laughter and keyboard wizardry. The guitar solos are spot on and provide an epic quality to the songs. Like the second track there is a perfect dreamy electronic break after which Simen Hestnæs is joined by the female voice for a beautiful sounding duo.

Moonshine Delirium and White Noise Monster are both faster paced songs that provide Von Blomberg with an opportunity to hammer hell, and more black metalish guitar work.
Things become interesting again with Reflections. The prog metal solo, undulating waves of dissonant guitar, synth and massed voice are a new approach and unlike Nocturnal Vision Revisited actually hold together very well. This track provides a excellent interval before the final curtain of Hufsa. A slow creeping track that builds anticipation but never quite hit’s the button like some of the albums other highlights. It does however feature lyrics sung in Norwegian, which from my perspective doesn’t quite work as well as when Simen's singing in English. The track also ends abruptly leaving me a bit unsatisfied, but this is a minor gripe.

It is important to note that despite all this talk of complexity and layers that there are several errors in the mix in the form of the occasional glitch or badly mixed bass or synth part. The band have said they hope to re-mix the album before the second pressing, but they need to find time away from touring first.
I for one hope they can as this album is one symphony that deserves to be far more than just a sideshow.