Anemone Tube – In The Vortex Of Dionysian Reality

Anemone Tube – In The Vortex Of Dionysian Reality MC The Epicurean 2015

In advance of the (soon to be released) new album, this cassette EP represents a tasty appetizer.  Featuring 5 tracks over 20 minutes (ranging from the shortest at around 1 minute to the longest at 8.5 minutes), it is a further display of Anemone Tube’s particular style of harmonic/ disharmonic infused dark ambient/ industrial music.

The first and lengthiest track at eight and a half minutes, ‘In The Vortex Of Dionysian Reality / Le Pont Du Diable’ is an excellent example of Anemone Tube’s approach. However it is also of interest to note that the track is more heavily reliant on orchestral oriented synth melodies than the usual solid base of looped and processed field recordings.  Featuring an atmosphere which is beautiful, tragic and forlorn in equal measures it is a composition with underpinning harmonic synths, which are countered by washes of higher pitched disharmonic noise and tonal drones.  Although this track is quite musically direct, field recording elements do appear in the later half (sirens, jack hammers and general street noise being clearly audible and evidently derived from Toyko and Kyoto).  With sustained wailing feedback and maudlin synth washes the tape continues its knifes edge balancing of elements through the shorter pieces ‘Turm Des Bösen (Die Letzte Weisheit)’ and ‘In The Vortex Of Dionysian Reality II’, both of which reach similar musically oriented mood of the opening piece.  The final piece ‘Evangelium Der Weltharmonie’ concludes the tape and is a touch more subdued than the rest – here featuring a sacral mood evoked through subtle tonal washes and eastern toned ritual chimes and gongs (courtesy of Post Scriptvm).  Yet to speak of potential missteps, this would relate to the short 52 second track ‘Terror of Nature’ which jars the mood of the material preceding it, given it is not much more than a sparse twinkling melody and movie dialogue sampled from the 1984 animation film ‘Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind’.

From sound, concept*, and visual presentation, Anemone Tube’s releases are always highly considered affairs.  Consequently ‘In The Vortex Of Dionysian Reality’ is far from being any sort of filler release, rather represents some of Anemone Tube’s strongest work to date and yet another demonstration of Stefan Hanser’s ability to create deeply evocative soundscapes built around melodious elements, sculpted field recordings and squalling feedback. With the new album ‘Golden Temple’ due for release in February, 2016, it is an album awaited with anticipation. This pro-duplicated tape and professionally printed cover has been issued with limitation of 150 copies.

_________________________________________________________________________

* – the concept of this tape is: “Related to Nietzsche`s notion of the Wagerian music drama as a revelation of the abysmal truth about man, “In The Vortex of Dionysian Reality” allures us into the Dionysian dreamland, where tragedy reigns, in pursuit of the ultimate oneness”.