Azure Emote
Chronicles Of An Aging Mammal

The common man, kicked in the backside every blessed day, possesses, among his numerous inherent traits, the desire to escape... or at least sensitive and dreamy people like me do. For example, in one of the many philosophical dissertations I devour daily, I read the following question: "Why do we always desire those who are far from us, and not try to attract those who are near?" ("Oh well - you might say - you want to compare Portman against the brunette from my class with a barrel butt?") Anyway, I am like Bovary: everything is always below my expectations, I am a chronic malcontent. However, given my despotic Superego, the only way I can soar elsewhere is through music; and hallucinatory and hallucinogenic records, like this "Chronicles Of An Aging Mammal" by Azure Emote, are my panacea.

First of all, I believe that counting among your muses a band like Ulver is never evil. Agreed, perhaps Mike Hrubovcak's project (established with bands such as Vile and Monstrosity) doesn’t reach the astral heights of the Norwegians, but there’s no doubt that many valid ideas circulate in his hot head, which translate into various talented cues we can grasp in a work like this. Describing the album in a definitive way is an arduous, if not impossible, enterprise: operating through extreme generalization (something I dislike doing), we could say it is an intricate Avantgarde-Industrial-Death metal that unfolds in the most disparate directions. Thus, we go from the honey-sweet voice of Laurie Hause in a granitic piece like "Justified End" to the strokes of genius in "Complex 25" (where it’s also possible to glimpse a Brutal passage, besides the acoustic guitar), from the Beast's gurgles alternating with Beauty's choirs in "Behind These Speechless Eyes" to the quiet chaos of "Procreation Abnegation". All mixed into a concoction that also incorporates noise and electronic elements, and encompasses the most bizarre samples you've heard in a long time.

We have at hand a varied and complex album, a sort of Janus that in the first part lets the more aggressive face speak, in the second the more mystical and introspective one. But two flaws must be highlighted. The first, obvious one: for some, "Chronicles" might simply turn out to be the product of a monk seal amusing itself with creating awe for its own sake (in short: the good old "too much is too much"). Secondly, in the humble opinion of the writer, the album loses, and not a little, in the second part, despite the evocative and at times almost religious atmosphere ("Cosmic Tear") that could be very interesting (personal tastes, mind you, it’s just that if I don’t hear a machine gun burst I’m not satisfied). In short, some will go crazy over it, some will flunk it: I remain suspended between these two extremes. Because something is still missing for it to be a masterpiece, but the group from the city of brotherly love showcases the glimmers of real talent. And it's always better than your average Rebecca Bleah.

In conclusion? 3.5. Rounded up to 4, because I’m kind.