Conor Fynes 'Cognitive Discord' - Senmuth (7/10)

Thinking there would be no better place to dive into a discography, this debut album 'Cognitive Discord,' is my first complete experience with the one-man musical project Senmuth. Taking a multitude of different music styles underneath his belt (including industrial, metal, and ethnic, among others,) dozens upon dozens of releases have spawned from this Moscow, Russia based act. While later works by Senmuth would focus more on the ambient, subtle side of his music, this debut rests firmly within the wild realm of industrial metal.

The first chapter of an admittedly daunting discography, 'Cognitive Discord' shows alot of promise, and serves to excite me for all of the other music the man has produced. Coming across as a very upbeat and energetic, beat-driven form of metal I've been scarcely exposed to, my first impression upon listening to the opening moments of the album was that of a 'crazy robot dance party.' Taking the concept of 'dance metal' popularized by Teutonic rockers Rammstein and adding some flair of his own, the music is an even combination of electronica and metal qualities, with an added touch of oriental folk to give the music an even more unique and exotic vibe.

Being an industrial metal album first and foremost, it should not come as a surprise to hear that the music is very dense; layers of sound give a very chaotic atmosphere, to levels of mixed success. While it might seem too overwhelming and noisy to some, I realized a few listens in that the music (instrumentally) bears a striking resemblence to some of the heavier music that metal icon Devin Townsend has done in the past. With this in mind, most of the instrumental work is very pleasant, exotic and well-executed.

Perhaps the greatest flaw to this album is the vocal work. While the female guest vocal appearance by a woman credited as 'Annie Red Hat' in the second track is relatively enjoyable, the eternally distorted vocal work of Senmuth himself passes me as being a bit too nasal, although for all intents and purposes, it fits into the Eurodance vibe of the music perfectly. While I have no doubts that the vocal work will improve over the course of albums, the singing here puts a whiny tinge on the otherwise strong music that at times, makes it indistinguishable from the legions of disposable dance-industrial groups coming out of Russia lately.

When it comes down to it however, Senmuth's debut has done to me, exactly what a debut should do; provoke me to check out more music from the artist. While I have never been enthusiastic about industrial music, Senmuth is indeed a talented multi-instrumentalist, and while 'Cognitive Discord' is undoubtedly a flawed work, it reveals worlds of potential for this talented artist. However, for a listener hoping to get a more progressive and atmospheric side out of Senmuth, it may be best to overlook this album and go for a latter release instead.

Andyman1125 I'm really not sure what to think of this. Russia's one man "Senmuth" is an interesting project. The music is an odd mix of ambient, industrial, metal, and ethnic. At some parts, the music is fast paced, heavy, and very industrial, while at others it's slow, symphonic, and ethnic. The dynamics in some of the songs are nice, building from a quiet piano/synth piece to a heavier industrial metal part. Most of the songs can be either very boring or just difficult to listen to. The vocals are somewhat distorted, which makes the Russian even more difficult to bear. Very little of the music is enjoyable in the least, and much of it is just industrial mush. The song "Perpecc" has a not-so-industrial feel, although the vocals are again distorted and very odd. Other than a few not-as-industrial riffs, the album is very straightforward and can be extremely boring.

ALBUM OVERALL: Senmuth's debut, Cognitive Discord, isn't exactly what I would call a good first impression. The album displays an adequate display of traditional industrial metal, but can quickly fade into a blur of distorted music. The album can be a bore to listen to, especially because there is almost no constant rhythm of melody. 2(+) stars.

kluseba This beginning of an era and one of the most unique music projects of the twenty-first century is a very strong start to kick off a unique career. It's still far from being perfect but should nevertheless especially please to fans of gothic and industrial music.

Senmuth seems pretty much inspired by industrial bands such as Ministry but also Kovenant. On the other side, this record reminds me of the avant-garde style of the Neue Deutsche Todeskunst with bands such as Das Ich or Lacrimosa. As a third comparison, I would cite bands that unite the avant-garde side and the gothic or industrial influences to a mind-blowing potpourri such as Adversus or also UneXpect.

That means that this record is indeed as the title suggest discordant and heavy to digest. The album sounds coherent but not yet perfectly thought out. The album works as a whole and has already an almost conceptual approach so that I couldn't really point out any particular song. The album is definitely less profound, surprising and inspiring than many of Senmuth's later albums but he executed this kind of music already perfectly on his second release. If you happen to like the general style of this record you should definitely try out Izoteri-Ka which is a highlight of this kind of music. I would also suggest you though to try out the more commercial and diversified Со(знание)бытия or on the other hand the more aggressive and metal influenced RXG-242-11.

This album here is in the end more like an essay or a courageous first try. It contains a high degree of creativity and it's maybe simply too high to fully enjoy this hectically done record. It's without a doubt pretty interesting but doesn't yet represent the world and vision of Senmuth.