Ulver
Messe I.X-VI.X

We are defined by our blood.

It is blood that determines the boundaries of our existence. But is it really so?

Are we truly condemned to the perpetual atonement of the Original Sin, an unbearable burden of the human race, or is it merely a miserable justification for the massacres of innocents we silently witness every day?

"Vidit suum dulcem natum moriéntem desolátum, dum emísit spíritum."

"Messe I.X-VI.X" is the almost obsessive quest for sounds, images, and atmospheres that can drag the listener through eras that have yet to see the light on this planet.

To experiment, to innovate, means nothing without having a clear direction to follow. This, however, is not the case with Ulver, who in their two-decade career have always succeeded in surprising us with every new release.

An uneasy album, especially in the era of global crisis and the collapse of society's values. The perfect soundtrack for the eclipse of humanity.

An ambitious project, a work of art commissioned by Tromsø Kulturhus, in cooperation with the Arctic Opera and the Philharmonic Orchestra, and recorded on September 21, 2012, together with the Tromsø Chamber Orchestra.

Garm and company are keen to point out that "Much of this was recorded live, yet it is not a live album." Indeed, it took many months of studio work after that evening to achieve this result, to be able to translate the recorded sounds into emotions. The orchestral arrangements were curated by composer Martin Romberg.

Inside we find electronic experimentation, apotropaic pianos, and the voice of Kristoffer Rygg, which carves out a small but essential space to convey God's Law to little men.

The supplication prayer "Son of Man" arrives immediately after the endless ride of "Glamour Box (Ostinati)", where strings reign supreme. "Noche Oscura del Alma" penetrates the nightmare of never finding peace; the hope of salvation is placed solely in the ability to return to the state of children.

"Tui Nati vulneráti, tam dignáti pro me pati, poenas mecum dívide."

The declared influences are multiple, much classical music of course, but also minimalist electronics, cinema, literature, religion, and more, as one would expect from a truly respectable band. I, for example, hear echoes of late Beethoven, that which falls with the darkness.

This is not an easy listen then; it must be pondered over for days before being able to savor the message that Ulver wants to bestow upon us.

"Fac, ut portem Christi mortem, passiónis fac me sortem et plagas recólere."

The shades of darkness are infinite. The rest is silence.