Death of Giants‘ Ventesorg got banned back into the waiting loop earlier in 2023. Not because the record lacked in quality, but because the time wasn’t right for yet another emotional rollercoaster back in May. You see, the RMR crew indeed covered records dealing with psychological trauma in the past – and that avalanche of raw emotion always hit us at some level. So, the time must be ripe for such a piece. And now is a good time to get going with those bleak and cold rainstorms rushing by.
But in truth, this record turned into one of the surprises of 2023. One that quietly dwelled in the sumpy back corners of our review pipe. Until the RMR review desk decided to rip it out of there, clean it up, and give it a go. Have your meds and tissues ready. This might be bad.
Already The Reticent had us bouncing off the walls the first time around with his recital of the loss of a friend. Raw emotion straight from a wound that was – apparently – still open and stinging hard in the artist’s tortured soul. This year, it’s the turn of Norwegian musician Morten Søbyskogen who lost his mate to cancer a few years back. A haunting and highly personal story if there ever was one, a truly painful recital of an emotionally challenging journey from premonition to the final outcome.
Now, right from the start, Ventesorg dispenses its grief on a bleak and barebone structure in small, delicate, and neatly packaged doses. In contrast, the aforementioned The Reticent sent a load of tear-drenched despair our way using an emotional firehose, as any good American must. Whereas on this record, a powerful storyline mercilessly follows down that road to perdition in a nicely structured way. Truly haunting, but at the same time, tastefully arranged in some sort of Victorian tableau. The piece truly exudes a sense of finality, of the unavoidable that despite all the raging against god and anybody else cannot be changed.
But let’s face it. Ventesorg positively glows with some true mastery. The storytelling straight from the long-forgotten depths of Gothic Metal never gripes. That’s a feat in and by itself. The delicate vocals effortlessly and expertly switch gears from gentle crooning to harshest Death Metal growls. And then, you get ambient sections with monologues or recorded interactions. The guitars could have used some more prominence in the mix – and that’s one of the few negatives we found on Ventesorg. But you also get some exceptions.
A Sense of Urgency – for instance – positively shines with outstanding guitar work and a dual solo to boot. Distance dispenses a wretched tearful version of melodeath and weeping guitars with a poignant cello-led intro. The Iron Maiden cover from their album Seventh Son of a Seventh Son, Only The Good Die Young, is a truly excellent track. Usually, the RMR crew doesn’t appreciate covers in an original piece too much. But Death of Giants did a stellar job on that one. Kudos. Sudden and somewhat subte tremolos also make their appearance at times. Søbyskogen uses this to underline the anger and sadness that come with those numerous laments. The excellent yet feisty Das Ende ist Da probably contains the best samples.
In the end, Morten Søbyskogen expertly employs a large panoply of musical tools to showcase those complex and dreadful emotions such an event implies. Let me, yet again, take The Reticent as a point of comparison. Whilst the former’s offering often felt like being hit by a sledgehammer of trial and tribulation, Ventesorg artfully delivers its boundless grief in civilized cups of hurt and suffering. A masterly description of the painful rawness and desperation the artist must have felt throughout that taxing time.
Our heads are bowed with woe, great record.
Record Rating: 8/10 | Label: Self-Released | Web: Official Band Site
Release Date: 12 May 2023