Immediately Ensemble Pearl‘s self-titled debut has a lot to live up to. A project consisting of luminaries such as Stephen O’Malley (Sunn 0)))), Atsuo (Boris), Michio Kurihara (Ghost) and Bill Herzog (Jesse Sykes & The Sweet Hereafter) is going to inspire not only an instantaneous following from fans of avant-garde metal, but also very high expectations. Thankfully though the collective skill and musicianship on display here means that Ensemble Pearl doesn’t disappoint, though it may come as a big shock to some.
The cast list would be a lot of people’s ideal supergroup for a very slow, heavy and psychedelic tinged rock/metal project. And yes some of those elements are present, but the end result is much more sublime in its scope.
Blending elements of doom, avant-garde, psychedelic, folk, classical and ambient music the album always feels as though it is going through a metamorphosis from subdued ambience into discordant bliss. As natural sounds fade into instruments and haunting, droning electronics swirl through the various compositions the atmosphere maintains a hypnotic hold on the listener.
The overlap with Sunn 0))) and Boris will be noticeable to long-time fans of the bands, but it really is more down to the musician’s personal stylistic preferences that stand out rather than a simple Frankenstein’s monster. O’Malley’s steely guitar tone is ever-present but at much lower decibels that we are used to, giving it a sweeter and more appealing sound. While Atsuo’s drumming is altogether more reserved and patient than to be expected, but alongside Herzog’s bass creates a tense backbone to the songs.
The opening track ‘Ghost Parade’ is a nice and doomy piece that slowly changes from something quite simple with the bass and drums keeping time, to something more intriguing as the guitars create ambient textures over each other. ‘Painting On A Corpse’ gets more complex in its approach and slowly flickers and burns away as the delay runs its course before being overwhelmed with noisy feedback. ‘Wray’ is more of a traditional ambient track with its hanging glass harps and creaking strings creating an airy and almost oriental atmosphere. The twelve-minute long ‘Island Epiphany’ walks a similar path to ‘Painting On A Corpse’, sees the guitars really cut loose as Atsuo and Herzog provide an unwavering rhythm. ‘Giant’ is a more discordant style of ambient which sees the various droning elements grating and feeding back on each other for a very spooky and moody piece. The album’s closer ‘Sexy Angle’ is a near twenty-minute-long monster of a track that is not dissimilar to the first two songs on the album with its slow plodding pace, but it benefits greatly from numerous ambient embellishments for a very haunting closer.
Ensemble Pearl will not be many people’s cup of tea. It is a little repetitive and very hard going with some long track lengths present. However if you’re a fan of the musicians or ambient-infused avant-garde then this first offering is simply a must have.
8.5/10
Sean M. Palfrey