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Sunday, August 3, 2008

CD Review: Sessomorte - Visceral


Sessomorte – Visceral
2007, Vincent M. Sirico


It was with great anticipation that I popped Sessomorte's Visceral into my CD player. The band comes highly recommended as a lush purveyor of sonic landscapes. After several listens I've come to the conclusion that I am a bit disappointed (not horribly so, just a bit). There are lots of things here to like. The songs themselves are beautiful: Lush arrangements create an aural backdrop against which wonderful things can be done. The vocals are outstanding. Liliko Ogasawara has a gorgeous, easy sound you could listen to all day. The lyrics are, in general, sharp and worth listening to. What's the problem then?

On the whole, while the parts are great, they don't blend together in quite the way I'd hoped. Visceral has a lot of beautiful components but no spark to synergize them into something more than beautiful components. Much of the background here is programming or synth and is very passive. As a listener this is not ideal because I feel like I am working harder than the musicians to get something out of the recording. This is unfortunate because I can't help but think that there is tremendous potential here. Sessomorte is obviously a very talented group, but as the album progressed I found myself waiting more and more impatiently for some grand resolution or conversion or sign of life. It just never came.

Accordingly, this is great background music. If you're into sampling this album has a great deal to work with. I occasionally remark here that an album is pleasant but not inspiring. Visceral is maddening, only because it's so apparent that Sessomorte is much deeper than they appear here. I would advise readers to keep your eyes & ears on Sessomorte, in spite of my words. I think this is a band with real potential. It's just a question of how to let it loose.

Rating: 2 Stars (Out of 5)

You can learn more about Sessomorte at www.lupoleone.com/sessomorte. You can purchase a copy of Visceral at www.cdbaby.com/cd/sessomorte.

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