Ulver – Wars Of The Roses

This is a beautiful album. I have only one word for it: macabre.

Wow. And thank goodness. I have enjoyed Ulver since just before the William Blake themes were released, and I have to say, that the anticipation and anxiety that I experience in the lead up to a new album are very intense! I had no doubts this would be amazing, because their prior output would indicate only that. I read some other reviews and press on the album, which tend to focus alot on February MMX and the The Stone Angel. Granted, February MMX comes out of the gate with a distinct snarl; its sound is not really out of context for me considering the work on Blood Inside. I find the album as a whole to be very similar to that record, and to Shadows of the Sun, in many ways, and I feel they all fit quite well together. Wars of the Roses takes you on a very focused journey, and once again, it feels like Ulver have crammed several hours of ideas into an ultra compact, 45 minute serving. When you are finished with it, aeons have ed, and yet, no time has ed at all. This is intense, magickal music, and it finds Ulver at the top of their class. What then, is there class? Similar to Coil and Current 93 before them, I feel like Ulver is a band outside of time, creating timeless pieces of sound, embracing all relevant instruments, styles, and sounds necessary to tell their tale. It's this commitment to the sphere of no-form that makes them so special. I could not imagine listening to individual tracks on this album, as it is best digested as whole. I have listened to it several times already, and indecently it also helped sedate me through a recent funeral, where in the past couple of years, Shadows of the Sun was my sustainer in sadder times.

The Stone Angel has been a popular song to comment on in other reviews, due to the departure from what most people expect. I dunno, I kinda expected exactly what was presented. Perhaps it's due to the label change, and people were anticipating some epic prog number befitting of a Porcupine Tree album (as they are now label mates), but the end result is far more fascinating to me. It concurrently reminds me of hints of Astral Disaster by Coil, and the Nick Cave narration from The Innmost Light by Current 93. The poem by which the title gets its name was excellently chosen, and deftly narrated by Daniel O'Sullivan, and with repeat listens, the words really do a nice job of bookending the album that starts with such a rush with February MMX.

I'm sure this will only do good things to raise Ulver's profile, and with that will come its share of detractors, because trolls do what trolls do: poop on other people's art cause it's just easier to be noticed sometimes that way. To that I issue an advance warning: if you are already a fan, don't buy into any dissent, this is an incredible record, and it will grow on you. It's only been out for a week, and I have played it incessantly, and I only like it more with each listen. You need this record.

moshka-medicine
you are totally right. but that's a typical capitalist business system rule.
gaining money with others lack of knowledge. people who know that it
is still available won't buy it.
it's a pity people use these ltd editions just to gain money without interest
in the music. or they buy two keep one and sell the other.
sometimes k-scope sells special edition just 1 piece per credit card number
but then it's not possible to buy two records together with friends.
obviously there is nothing we can do about it.