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A promising demo that puts it's best foot forward later on.-
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| Midnight Odyssey: Firmament (2010 Reissue) |
Ambient Black Metal
I, Voidhanger Records
February, 2010
- From Forest to Firmament - 9:30
- Nocturnal Prey - 7:27
- Departing Flesh and Bone - 5:14
- A Host for Ghosts - 5:16
- As Dark and Ominous As Stormclouds - 9:42
- Salvation Denied - 8:18
- Storms of Fire and Ice - 5:14
- From Firmament to Forest - 9:19
- Beyond the Eighth Sphere - 8:33
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| Review Information |
Release length: 1:08:36
Review posted on June 14th, 2010
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| | Overall Score: 7.5/10 |
 
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| Review |
Originally a demo back in 2009, Firmament by Midnight Odyssey was picked up by I, Voidhanger Records for an early 2010 release. It's odd to see a demo be picked up by a label, small or otherwise, and marketed as a full-length release by a band, but in the world of Black Metal, where bands consist of just one member sometimes, it's not all that shocking. However, when you sit down and listen to the demo, it becomes quite clear why it was picked for release, but at the same time it leaves you wishing that it were re-recorded to a better quality so some of the issues behind the release were worked out.
Firmament is a pretty good demo that extends well past the one hour mark. The music on this release isn't anything too astonishing in it's self, being mostly simple, typical Black Metal riffs and drumming and a somewhat slower pace with vocals heavily distorted and echoed. What you get would actually be considered a rather boring and very raw quality piece of metal, and it honestly would be something to just completely dismiss if it weren't for some of the keyboard-based ambient elements thrown into the mix that really makes the overly distorted guitars and vocals work together. The openning track "From Forest to Firmament" may leave the listener confused as to what exactly is going on thanks to the quality of the music, but by the time "Departing Flesh and Bone" is reached, the way the music works together becomes clear, as the latter is far heavier on the ambience side then the actual Black Metal, which is really where this release shines for more then just one reason.
While the ambience heavy tracks on this release really pushes the whole thing along nicely and let's you just lay back and drift away to the album, much like the aforementioned track "Departing Flesh and Bone", as well as "A Host for Ghosts", manage to do so easily, they are also the easiest to listen to, and can often sooth your headache from the not-so-ambience heavy tracks. The only real drawback to this release is the production quality on the vocals and the guitars. Both of these are just heavily distorted, and with the vocals there is even an echo effect thrown in. While they work nicely in the final mix amidst the ambience, the high distortion simply makes both aspects sound insanely over modulated, and after a short while, such as after "From Forest to Firmament" and "Nocturnal Prey" in a row, the static from the higher volume can really just give you wicked migraine. This isn't to say the entire album suffers heavily from this, but perhaps if there was a re-recording done for the official release of this demo, at least with the vocals and guitars, and the distortion were held back a bit, this entire release would have made for a very well composed release that would take you to places many Black Metal albums simply cannot.
Aside the clear ambient aspect of the music, there is also a strong Doom/Trance musical composition behind some of the songs should have been expressed a little more on this release. "Salvation Denied" is really the first track that you will take note of this, as it's the slowest song on here with music, ambience, and even chanting that just brings in a cold and grim atmosphere to the mix with drumming that can lull you into a deep trance quite easily. These tracks actually work well with the overmodulated vocals and make them sound quite enjoyable, mostly because the guitars aren't really utilized that much with the vocals, and if they are, they actually come off through a lower volume that sounds more like it's deeper into the mix then they were during the start of the release. However, "From Firmament to Forest" winds up being the track that this rule does not apply to, as this song is right up there with the start of the album, utilizing higher pitched guitar chords that are simple and clearly Doom inspired, but in the end are just downright piercing from the distortion and hike in volume compared to the lower guitars being played in the background.
With the only tracks on here that seem like overkill, as far as distortion and overmodulation go, being the two that start the album off, as well as "From Firmament to Forest", it's safe to say that a good majority of the album is well done and makes for a great album to just relax to. If you're looking for something different in the lines of Black Metal, not so much experimental or Post-Black Metal, but just something that isn't too intense or even dominated by blast beats, then Firmament is an album you really should take the time to experience. This production may have been helpful with a slightly better quality on the vocals and guitars, or at least the volume toned down a bit, but that still doesn't make the second release from Midnight Odyssey an obnoxious release, it just makes those few songs themselves sound obnoxious. Sure, chances are you will skip past the openning of the album on future listens, but the rest of this release is simply solid Black Metal.
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