Desiderii Marginis – Procession

This is the best ambient album since Biosphere Substrata. Masterpiece.

I always get very excited when I receive new CD's from some specific bands which guide me for many years through my musical experience. One of those bands is Desiderii Marginis, that had been based at Cold Meat Industry in the past, but the new release is exposed through not less know label, Cyclic Law. I have a lot of memories in my bag of years which are connected to this specific project, and those long gone emotions are raised back to life each time I listen to the new arrival from cold plains of Sweden.

If I look fifteen years back, I can remind that 'Songs over Ruins' was one of the first dark ambient albums that I had ever heard. There was no Internet for me than (yes yes, there were the times, when people were not influenced by breath of progress), and almost no ways to explore new acts. By accident I discovered that CD and I fell in love with it from the first tunes. A lot of water flew under the bridge, while Johan made a progress in his composing since then exploring the world of sensual experience. Today it is 2012 outside, and after five years of oblivion Desiderii Marginis finds a new home at Cyclic Law to release a fresh stuff under the code name 'Procession'.

What do I have here is a solid piece of musical art based on eight tracks, around 50 minutes of total run. If compared to the previous albums, this one is a step back into earlier phases of the sound exploration, kind of a tribute to the days long gone. The guitar ages which were very common for the late records, they are almost gone, while they can be slightly heard here and there in few tracks. Still, the width and the depth of compositions that are so significant to Desiderii, are there to open the doors of a magical journey.

The opening track "Come Ruin and Rapture" is a kind of preface, drawing the vast soundscape of a deserted land, wind rolling over and over a sand of time, and I truly feel the deepest emotional connection with a kind of distant trumpet melody, floating over the whole structure. The next track, "Land of Stranges", is a logical extension that comes to continue the atmosphere of the vision of fallen civilizations, lost between the pages of history. Here, the melody is guided also by the violin which ed the humming background layers. "Her Name is Poverty" is much more nostalgic track; the darkness of history is gone and left the place for eternal sorrow and loss.

The transition between the compositions is very smooth, creating a solid monument of music. The fourth "Silent Messenger" is one of my favorites of this album. It is so deep in its melancholy and grief, where the airy melody with a strong emotional background is created by clarinet, or oboe, or some other kind of windblown instrument.

Two following tracks, "In Brightness" and "Here is no Future", are less interesting from the whole album. They are more silent, having a dreamy, loopy and almost hypnotizing structure. Though, they are very similar to what can be heard from Raison D'etre, constant melody rolling over and over, guided by clicking, metal parts beating and other industrialization elements.

The next track, "Adrift", comes to dilute the meditative mood. Light and gentle melody spins through my earphones, still projecting a wave of melancholic emotions, where a strong piano part contributes a lot to the general feeling. And of course, the last composition "Procession", is the best track for my taste on this album. A very gloomy melody, full of sorrow and loss, flows out, rises and falls guided by a violin and a flute. I almost can feel the freezing wind blowing into my face, while I walk in the funeral procession; to bring the fallen to their final rest. I think, indeed it was a great way to put a thick point in the end of the album. Outstanding composition.

As a result of Johan's constant development, what do we receive here is an ok album. I can't tell that it will be my favorite record of Desiderii Marginis; still, I have to listen to it few more times in order to absorb its structure, and maybe the weaker parts of it will open their doors of comprehension. But due to real pearls that can be heard on this CD, Johan keep to produce a good, really solid material even without breaking the boundaries and discovering something new in the genre. Let's wait for the future creations.