Maeror Tri — Sensuum Mendacia/Somnia

Legendary, defunct, German artists, Maeror Tri, are once again given the pleasure of having their older cassette releases reissued from Zoharum. This newest re-issue sees 1991's Sensuum Mendacia and Maeror Tri's side of 1990's split Somnia remastered and given the limited edition treatment. With much of Maeror Tri's catalog out of print, Zoharum is doing the music world a favor by bringing these older albums back into the light.

Although Maeror Tri is defunct, its members have carried on and continue to make music with new projects (Troum and Tausendschoen), and follow a similar path that was set up in their Maeror Tri heyday. Having been exposed to less Maeror Tri than I would have liked, hearing lots of Troum helped me to fill a void in my experimental ambient side. However, while similar in some ways, the later projects definitely tread different turf than earlier works. The long, wavering, mingling drones of "Antrum" start off Sensuum Mendacia on a simple, but deep and evocative note. This ten minute track allows the throbbing of layers to intermingle and create new sounds out of the constructive interference. Perfect for meditation and self-analysis, "Antrum" gets the album off to a great start. "Soma 2" brings on a more grandiose air and will sound a bit more familiar to those who know Maeror Tri via Troum. Again making the most of oscillations and waves, "Soma 2" is both airy and grounded, and carries an almost cinematic vibe with it. And, almost like they're trying to appease Goldilocks, the following song, "Choir of Transcendence" feels like a complete mix of the two preceding it. Drony and wavy, grandiose and airy, "Choir" ambles forward until the constructive interference brings it to a surprising (but delightful) crescendo before pulling away the pieces and letting it fade out. With those before uplifting and transcendent, "Mental Electricity" brings the tone down and descends into something a bit more chthonic and dark. "Aegritudo" follows suit, and low, heavy strings add to the earthy, subterranean vibe. Cementing the journey from the sky to the core, "Animorum Post Mortem Ab Aliis Ad Alios Transitio" ends the album well on the track that the latter have had set forth. My hack Latin translation about death and the soul definitely fits the vibe here, and is a fitting conclusion to the trip that Maeror Tri has taken the listener on with Sensuum Mendacia. Somnia, while following a similar, flowing approach, takes less of a journey than Sensuum. The eponymous track, "Somnia," is airy and gorgeous, and carries the listener along on a sonic cloud. Dropping down a bit, ocean sounds begin the aptly named "Vox Sirenum." Shimmering tones fill the middle of an oceanic void, much like baleful oasis that Odysseus and his crew would have faced on their trek back home. Like a lower version of "Soma 2," "Soma 1" slowly moves and shimmers like the surface of a reflecting pool. The most sparse track to be had on this compilation, "Onyx" works on a low, distant rumbling and a teasing in the foreground. Using similar sounds as "Somnia", "Indagatio" closes out the album in classic bookend fashion. With this last round of drifting, meditative sounds complete, Sensuum Mendacia/Somnia comes to a close, leaving the listener to contemplate the breath of sounds that have just unfolded.

Maeror Tri is a name that is well known and well respected in the experimental community. Spending years honing their craft and treating audiences to glorious, sonic displays, Maeror Tri have established quite a catalog to be enjoyed. While a lot of it is out of print, labels like Zoharum are making sure that today's fans have the same chance to hear this music as those 20+ years ago.