I was honestly a tad bit surprised when I managed to find this song in its entirety on youtube, not only is this TFU (true fucking underground) it is brilliant music that deserves way more attention. The length of this song seems is very daunting at first, but if you are the type of person that enjoys listening to albums from start to finish it really shouldn't be much of a problem.
There are several ways to write an "epic" song. You can follow the "progressive rock" format "Rush" set out; with "The Fountain of Lameth" and "2112." Which is essentially stringing 5 or 6 songs together with the same theme. This is by far the easiest way of composing this type of song. Another common method is beginning with one theme and gradually expanding on it in a "stream of consciousness" format, with very little repetition. One melody will gradually turn into a totally different melody. This is commonly enacted by bands like "Esoteric" and "Skepticism." It is much more challenging to write a song in this style effectively, but if done properly creates an amazing atmosphere.
The interesting thing about "Somnium Obmutum" is that it fits into both of the aforementioned categories. Rather than having several songs with no breaks in between "Estatic Fear" choose to bridge many short song together with interludes that become so interwoven it's hard to tell when one song stops and the next begins making this song feel more like one entity. It is very difficult to place this band in a specific genre category due to the shear volume of influences present. Although there are many symphonic instruments, they seem to function simply as instruments, rather than a backdrop for the "metal." I find it very interesting how the symphonic instruments come into play, it almost feels like traditional folk/classical with metal influences, rather than the reverse.
Although this is an amazing musical achievement for this band, there are a few downfalls. The most noticeable problem is that "starts" and "stops" occur far too frequently. There are many sections in the song where the music will stop abruptly and only one instrument will play. After the single instrument plays for a short while the music abruptly starts again, disrupting the flow and preventing this work from becoming a true masterpiece.
It is shame that this band split up, I believe that they had the potential to create something truly magnificent, instead we just have something that is exceptionally good. I would recommend this album to anyone who enjoys epic music, metal or otherwise.
There are several ways to write an "epic" song. You can follow the "progressive rock" format "Rush" set out; with "The Fountain of Lameth" and "2112." Which is essentially stringing 5 or 6 songs together with the same theme. This is by far the easiest way of composing this type of song. Another common method is beginning with one theme and gradually expanding on it in a "stream of consciousness" format, with very little repetition. One melody will gradually turn into a totally different melody. This is commonly enacted by bands like "Esoteric" and "Skepticism." It is much more challenging to write a song in this style effectively, but if done properly creates an amazing atmosphere.
The interesting thing about "Somnium Obmutum" is that it fits into both of the aforementioned categories. Rather than having several songs with no breaks in between "Estatic Fear" choose to bridge many short song together with interludes that become so interwoven it's hard to tell when one song stops and the next begins making this song feel more like one entity. It is very difficult to place this band in a specific genre category due to the shear volume of influences present. Although there are many symphonic instruments, they seem to function simply as instruments, rather than a backdrop for the "metal." I find it very interesting how the symphonic instruments come into play, it almost feels like traditional folk/classical with metal influences, rather than the reverse.
Although this is an amazing musical achievement for this band, there are a few downfalls. The most noticeable problem is that "starts" and "stops" occur far too frequently. There are many sections in the song where the music will stop abruptly and only one instrument will play. After the single instrument plays for a short while the music abruptly starts again, disrupting the flow and preventing this work from becoming a true masterpiece.
It is shame that this band split up, I believe that they had the potential to create something truly magnificent, instead we just have something that is exceptionally good. I would recommend this album to anyone who enjoys epic music, metal or otherwise.
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