SOPHIA
HERBSTWERK
ALBUM COLD MEAT INDUSTRY RELEASE: JUNE 6, 2001 REVIEW: JUNE 28, 2001

The dark, brooding orchestral ambient found on labels like Cold Meat Industry and World Serpent has always seemed full of great potential. It carries an awe-inspiring old testament sort of "fear thy lord" attitude similar to a lot of religiously themed classical music (Beethoven and so on). This makes it powerful in a whole different way than power electronics or noise, simply by invoking sounds of past ages into an electronically grafted soundscape. Used in a subtle way (check out "The Witch Hammer" by Shinjuku Thief, for instance) spine chilling cinematic works of beauty and horror can be created.
Peter Pettersson is mostly known as the mastermind of Arcana, a band of medieval and classical themes and a full, overwhelming sound including courtly male and female vocals.
His solo venture Sophia, at least this "Herbstwerk" record, is far more focused and features no proper vocals. It has the qualities of a military onslaught with sudden outbursts of brutal percussion and synthetic brass following subdued piano interludes. Still, much will be similar to anyone familiar with Arcana. Atmospheric snippets of gregorian singing and rumbling ambience, even the seemingly obligatory cover photo of cemetary statues is there.
A powerful work, though I miss melodic themes of some sort to give the album more consistency.

MATTIAS HUSS