ÆTHER REALM - TAROT

ÆTHER REALM - TAROT

Æther Realm, who has toured with Alestorm, Nekrogoblikon, and Wilderun, has come out with a new masterpiece, Tarot. Generally this band is considered to be folk metal but after this album, throw away the labels. Tarot is epic from beginning to end; the last track in particular is simply transcendent. This album is simply a must buy, no excuses. The term epic is often overused, but Tarot lives up to the true meaning of the word.

Jumping in to the details, the front of the album shows a skeleton in the middle of a tarot casting, with its third eye open and rays extending in all directions. A finger raises to the background with the phases of the moon partially hidden by clouds. Naturally, the full moon includes the Æther Realm bind rune. Searching further into the insert is a fascinating work of art. The focal point is the smoke form of a woman wearing a hood over a bowl of incense. Over her head, the Æther Realm bind rune reigns supreme. In the background there appears out of the fog two male figures, mirrored but not identical, with sparkling eyes in constant to the female figure with pupilless, pale eyes. The rest of the layout sticks to the general black/ grey theme that, combined with the art, brings a nice foreshadowing for the music inside.

Continuing the journey, onto the music, the first track is The Fool, starting out light with building anticipation, then exploding into amazing dark metal which matches the haunting lyrics. “In the shadow of the light, I lived as a shadow of my past life”. The agony of discord between the self, the past and the present is superbly matched, vocals and instruments. A woman is mentioned that was either a catalyst or the cause of the change. A person that was content in the darkness, but when the light came from the woman, it burned, leaving the character nearly destroyed, and unstable. The Fool represents the past self, content but asleep. When the Fool awakens, it is much like Adam and Eve in the garden of Eden, the paradise is no longer available after gaining the knowledge. One can not be innocent again.

The Tarot track starts up with amazing speed. The former fool is panicked, “cursed to live a half life” as the lyrics state. So the answer is... wait, where to get the answers? In this track, throwing the fate of the self into the hands of the witch, hoping to get the “answers to win this war.” It is now up to the cards, damn the consequences, no better option is available. This song is quite a bit lighter than the previous one, filled with energy and hope. Two excellent solos in the track are the signature of the track, one done by Heinrich Arnold, the other by guest musician Taylor Washington. A truly wonderful job done for the title track of the album.

The Tower is a surprisingly upbeat track for the subject. The Tower card is represented as a structure facing ruin, by outside forces, poor structure itself or both. The solution is the destruction of the incomplete self, half destroyed from the events in The Fool track. What is interesting here is the voice singing the lyrics. Yes, it is still Vincent Jones singing, but not the main character speaking, rather the main character being the recipient. Is this voice, sounding exactly as his own, part of an internal dialog or consciousness, or a higher self offering the guidance requested in The Tarot? Either way, it is a warning to not delay or worse, rebuild the old self.

Now, we drink! The King of Cups, sung with guest vocalist Christopher Bowes, provides the ultimate concoction for the main character. This drink is no ordinary booze being part of the test and part of the celebration. The choir fills the air with the voices of the other tavern patrons, with the intensity of the guitar solos, bass and especially drums, transporting the listener back to a Medieval tavern, where a fight could break out at any moment, but no one will care after it is over. So pour your favorite drink and get in the spirit, this is simply living in the moment, the past is done, and tomorrow will come soon enough.

At this point the journey gets real, Death, the most misunderstood card in the tarot deck. Hollywood loves to place this card as the nail in the coffin for whomever is fated to draw it; on the contrary, Death pertains in most readings as change, the cycle of death of the past and rebirth for the future. The lyrics mentions a 3 year time jump, and when the light hits the character, instead of pain, “it feels good”. The key lyric echoed throughout the verses is “if this is really death then it's not so bad”. The last verse however tells the real story, about a man who went though hell and “can still see the blood running though my hands”.. The song ends abruptly after this verse with the haunting last lyric, “And if I had another chance to live, I think I'd rather be dead”. A rough transition, no big surprise, any real change is sacrifice, heartbreak, and pain. However, the transition though the long and twisted trail can lead to rebirth.

In the Chariot, the journey takes a needed step forward. Musically, the track is fascinating starting with a soft but speedy synthesizer part that contrasts nicely with the harder grittier parts. The signature of this song occurs roughly mid song with Heinrich Arnold's beautiful solo with great runs, echoed with Donny Burbage's solo, softer, mirroring the piano part. Also of note is Vincent Jones incredible bass riff in this song and will shake the hell out of your speakers. Excellent mixing technique in getting that much bass, very well done indeed. The variety of styles mixed in the song works to perfection. The lyrics match well, with an attitude of I'm going forward, life is not stopping this train. The stagnation before and during Death is gone. And with the tempo of the music reminiscent of galloping horse, the main character is proceeding down the path towards rebuilding the new self trying to avoid the void of destruction.

“Your obsession will swallow you whole” are the beginning lyrics of the Devil, and fits as a nice summary for the song. The path goes darker, more dangerous, and the music responds with more of an ominous tone. Guest musician Michael Rumple provides some contrasting clean tones on key verses. A ritual is mentioned, with the appearance of the Devil being the consequence. The main character has lost the momentum of the previous track, suggesting a tasking trial. In a sense, the main character is trying to run away from the inner self in the Chariot track. But now, in the dark of the woods, the person stands alone, with only his personal demons for company. Douglas Adams has a nice quote for this state, and used it for a title of one of his Dirk Gently books, “The Long Dark Tea Time of the Soul”. It is time to confront those demons. The acoustic guitar add a nice reprieve in the song but abruptly changes mid sentence “I threw it all away”. The ending thought for the song is a quote by Hunter S. Thompson “No sympathy for the devil; keep that in mind. Buy the ticket, take the ride”.

The Emperor is one track that gets better after every listening. As a single, this track stands on its own as an oppressed people face up against an incompetent leader, at best, at worst, a complete tyrant. In this stage of the journey, the main character is backed up against a corner surrounded on all sides. The lyrics suggest the person faces both an internal and external struggle. He is facing his demons, but it is a rough fight, and the process has made the world even harder to handle.

Naturally, one in this situation has to dig deep and rely on their own Strength, the name of the next track. The main character has survived the fight so far, but the journey is far from over. In fact, the lyrics paint the picture of a figure adrift in the ocean, drifting further from the shore towards certain doom. It has been stated that the true measure of a person is not when times are easy, but when they are at their worst. These tough times bring out the true nature of a person. One verse perfectly sums it up, “There's a peculiar beauty, revealed when your flame burns low that blurs the lines between the darkness and the light”. The journey is all that is left, time to return to it before it is too late.

The next track, Temperance, is a major turning point in the journey. The first verse hits hard, with a prayer for strength, then force of will if that fails, then hope if will fails, then death and peace if hope fails. The second verse, speaks of meeting an old female friend who after a conversation, has the answers, the path to healing, rebirth. More importantly, she will be there. The vocal arrangement matches the soft folk melodic sound that matches much of the song. The card choice is perfect, it shows a caring female figure and represents balance, patience, and purpose. Contrast the woman in the first track, whose light burned the main character, with the tenderness and understanding of the Temperance woman. The character, who in several parts of the journey was misled, adrift, and alone, is now free. The vast difference between the verses is quite amazing, the first is a person who is at the edge of the abyss, with nothing left, then the second verse that introduces the woman as a savior.

The Sun, the Moon, the Star is an incredible end to this story and the pinnacle of the album. At 19 minutes, a long track yes, but not a second wasted. The song starts with an interesting MIDI intro. The entire piece has an ethereal theme which is truly transcendent. It is breaking free from the self and expanding beyond the boundaries of earth. The choir adds a nice touch to the feel, almost a dream like state. The main character who had glimpses of the light throughout the album experiences the light that she has shown him. The experience is like a person who lived in a cave seeing the sun and sky for the first time, there is a sense of awe. A nice touch to the song structure starts at roughly 11 minutes where the music softens and slows to then burst forth again, building each time, until the third and final one then gradually fade out to the end of track and the album. What is celebrated here? The destination is great, but without the journey would the main character be ready to accept it? This track is truly a listening pleasure, and a perfect end to the album.

- Kenneth J. Phelps III