Amber Asylum – Bitter River (Profound Lore, 2009)

It’s easy to trick yourself into believing there is no beauty left in the world.  Most of us lead dreary lives, grinding away the hours behind a desk amidst a sea of cubicles, only to waste what little freedom we have at the end of the day in front of the mind numbing glow of the TV set.  Little by little, our natural world is being depleted and destroyed while the elite few reap the benefits of this wholesale rape.  The media paints a constant picture of a world full of nothing but the ugly, the violent and the barbaric.  It is easy to convince yourself we live in a disgusting, depraved waste of an existence, only to wither up and eventually die to little fanfare.

Fortunately, we have the music of Amber Asylum to remind us that there can still be moments of utterly majestic beauty amidst the morass of nihilism we so often find ourselves mired in.  Lead by multi-instrumentalist and singer Kris Force, the San Francisco based group has been a beacon of dark magnificence for over 10 years, and nowhere is this more evident than on their latest album, Bitter River.

The album is haunting and introspective, the type of record that makes you want to curl up alone in a dimly lit room with a good set of headphones.  As the subtle layers of vocals, strings, guitar and bass wash over you, a calming effect takes hold, immersing you deeply within the confines of the elegiac soundscapes Amber Asylum so effortlessly weave.  For Bitter River, Force is aided and abetted by some of the leading lights of the San Francisco music scene, including Grayceon/Giant Squid’s Jackie Perez-Gratz and Hammers of Misfortune’s Sigrid Sheie, making for an impressive lineup.  However, it is Leila Abdul-Rauf (of the mighty Saros) who makes the biggest impact on Bitter River, lending not only her stellar guitar-work, but also her vocal and compositional talents to the proceedings.  Abdul-Rauf serves as a perfect foil for Force throughout the album, proving that the worlds of metal and ambient/neo-classical aren’t so far removed from one another.

More than just a collection of individual songs, Bitter River works as a cohesive whole, a contemplative journey that is both beguiling and bleak.  The way in which the tracks ebb and flow from a sense of total desolation to orchestral grandeur attest to Force’s many strengths as a player, composer and arranger.  Although Amber Asylum’s work is clearly rooted in classical and chamber music, there are also subtle elements of drone and post rock throughout the album, and this blending of genres makes for one the most unique and mesmerizing listening experiences you’re likely to come across.

Amber Asylum have created a stunning piece of classically influenced melancholia with Bitter River.  Sure, the atmosphere of the album may be dark, but it also serves as the perfect, soothing respite from the chaotic white noise of our daily lives.  There is a glimmer of hope present within the gloomy confines of Bitter River, and sometimes even a glimmer is enough to quell the storm.

http://www.myspace.com/amberasylum

http://www.profoundlorerecords.com