•
Rating: Wildhoney is the fourth album, dating back to 1994, of this Norwegian gothic metal band: Tiamat. I discovered this group during an evening with metalhead friends, one of those nights where everyone tried to astonish and convince the others with the records from their favorite bands (resulting in listening to only a few seconds of each track, creating a nice mixed musical salad...). I, not being much of a metalhead, tried to stay afloat in that stormy ocean. Then, suddenly, the notes of Wildhoney, the title track, unexpectedly cradled me... a guitar with light chords, some tapping notes reminiscent of a xylophone, vaguely haunting, chirping and crickets in the background, an atmosphere that brought to mind epic landscapes, made of castles and moors... and then... just as I imagined myself on horseback, clad in my armor, a guitar as heavy as Thor's hammer hurled me into a whirlwind of notes that enveloped me like flames spewed from the mouth of a gigantic dragon... then again light sounds... then... Then the track was interrupted by the friend of the moment who insisted, "Come on, listen to this... feel how hard they hit!!!" and with the sounds of yet another track blasted at full volume from the stereo, I found myself back in the reality of the room.
I absolutely wanted to purchase this album to enjoy its continuation, also made of music that would perfectly accompany the darker and harder passages of The Lord of the Rings. Johan Edlund's voice is torn, sometimes morbid, but never excessive, managing to alternate parts with more "angelic" singing to others that are hoarse and raw, all upon musical backgrounds where the guitars and bass deepen the sound, both in the more distorted and in the more melodic parts, and the drums accompany heavily like the steps of a giant. As if that weren't enough, in some passages of the various tracks, samplings are used which still do not deviate from the group's metal sound. Besides the aforementioned title track, one should listen to the wonderful Visionaire or the ethereal Kaleidoscope.
Dedicated to those who want to let their imagination run wild with music, especially towards epically spectral worlds...
Tracklist Lyrics and Videos
02 Whatever That Hurts (05:48)
Decoction of Jimsonweed
Slimy trailing plants distil
Claustrophobia and blood mixed seed
Cursed downstairs against my will
Cobweb sticks to molten years
Cockroaches served with cream
I wipe the silver bullet tears
And with every tear a dream
With every tear a dream..
Honey tea, psilocybe larvae
Honeymoon, silver spoon
Psilocybe tea
Energy trickles with the tide
Masterminds and the suicide squad
Drink acid water by my side
Stake the saviour of thier daily fraud
Overfilled toothpaste tubes
Sleepless and timeless faces
Drippety drop on sugarcubes
The one eyed's eye twinkles and gazes
Twinkles and gazes...
Honey tea, psilocybe larvae
Honeymoon, silver spoon
Psilocybe tea
03 The Ar (05:04)
Within the heart of every man
This symbol is its deep
A truly all-descending power
But unfortunately still asleep
You may put your hands before your eyes
But its gleam it's neverending
How much you turn it inside oout
It conceals just understanding
"The five pointed grey star carven
The sign of the Aryan Race
The five pointed grey star carven
On the forehand of an evil face"
04 25th Floor (01:50)
A new serum eradicates the illness
An old man rises from his wheelchair
When suffering unknown attacks the painless
And common animals are becoming rare
As water spins in circles twice
Spiders, snakes and the little mice
Get twisted around and tumble down
When Nature calls we all shall drown
If the earth is dying of a growing thirst
Rain shall fall on dried out soil
And every kind of bud shall burst
A sough of relief to insects - turmoil
As water spins in circles twice
Spiders, snakes and the little mice
Get twisted around and tumble down
05 Gaia (06:27)
A new serum eradicates the illness
An old man rises from his wheelchair
When suffering unknown attacks the painless
And common animal's are becoming rare
As water spins in circles twice
Spiders, snakes und the little mice
Get twisted around and tumble down
When Nature calls we all shall drown
If the earth is dying of the growing thirst
Rain shall fall on dried out soil
And every kind of bud shall burst
A sough of relief to insects - turmoil
As water spins in circles twice
Spiders, snakes und the little mice
Get twisted around and tumble down
When Nature calls we all shall drown
06 Visionaire (04:19)
With a solar knife I split the sky
And walk right in between
To search the answers to every "why?"
Where I have seen the unseen
I stole the colour of the night
To get out of your sight
I am the Visionaire
Follow me if you dare...
I count the stars in my hands
And dream myself strong
To watch them twinkle on my command
As once a year in midwinter songs
I stole the colour of the night
To get out of your sight
I am the Visionaire
Follow me if you dare...
Loading comments slowly
Other reviews
By OzzyRotten
If Gothic has ever had a meaning, this album represents the pinnacle and the unreachable summit.
This album certainly deserves the fame and prestige it has built over the past years and in the present ones.
By stargazer
We can see the work as a single majestic suite, in which every "movement" becomes indispensable for the overall structure of the work.
"Whatever That Hurts" is a majestic gothic/doom piece where growled chorus contrasts with whispered vocals in a psychedelic and dark atmosphere.
