Ulver - War of the Roses
Posted by Nade on Sun, 24 Apr 2011.
If I’m entirely honest, I wasn’t sure what to expect from Ulver (meaning “wolves” in Norwegian) with their newest release, “War of the Roses”.
Beginning their career as one of the pioneers of the Black Metal movement in Norway, Ulver have continued to develop their sound, and are now hailed as legends of the dark music industry.
First impressions are that this isn’t an album to be taken lightly. To give “War of the Roses” its dues, you need to be able to give your full attention to that album, as there are a lot of nuances that could easily be overlooked otherwise.
Album opener, “February MMX” makes it clear that Ulver aren’t going to head into Dimmu Borgir territory with this offering. The ambient / electronic feel to the song serves to set the bar for the rest of the album and ease you in softly.
“Norwegian Gothic”, the next song along showcases the dark sound that Ulver have become famous for. Whilst listening, you can see in your mind how this song would play out on stage, using images and live action as a complement to the music. The haunting intro segueing into a lone violin is one of the highlights of the album.
The eight minute long “Providence” matches melodic piano with harsh guitar playing in contrast over the top, with enough tempo and melody changes to leave you constantly checking that you’re still listening to the same track.
“September IV” paves the way for “Island”. A song which, as the name suggests, were you to close your eyes, would transport you to a beach somewhere, if only for a few minutes.
And finally to the most interesting track, “Stone Angels”, a fourteen minute spoken word piece to close the album.
If you only chose one song to sit in a darkened room and listen to, this has to be it, anything less than this won’t do the track justice. Like a much less apocalyptic “War of the Worlds” (No, not the Tom Cruise film, the old radio programme), “Stone Angels” spins a story complete with backing music (sometimes at a volume almost too low to hear) and strange sound effects.
With “War of the Roses”, Ulver takes you on a music journey, and tickets are recommended for anyone who is fed up of the same old Radio One playlist.