Conor Fynes 'Izoteri-Ka' - Senmuth (7/10)

After an engaging, yet flawed debut with 'Cognitive Discord,' Senmuth took very little time to get a follow-up in the works. While many bands and artists take up to a few years to get a second album in the works, it only took a few months for 'Izoteri-Ka' to back it's predecessor up. As a relatively small part of an absolutely massive discography, this album seems to through in a more equal dose of his ethnic/avant and metal leanings than before, which certainly makes it a better demonstration of what the project is all about. While I may put 'Izoteri-Ka' on a similar echelon of quality that 'Cognitive Discord' rests in, the two albums are incredibly different, and they earn their common rating for very different reasons.

This second time around, there has been a definate development in the sound of Senmuth. Gone is the over-the-top, bombastic dance-craziness which defined the debut. 'Izoteri-Ka' is a much more challenging and complex listen, drawing much more heavily on his interest in classical and exotic instruments. With that being said however, there's no doubt that this album is the child of the debut. At it's core, there is still a hefty portion of industrial metal, and the same distorted vocals. While the unique vocal style of Senmuth may have worked for 'Cognitive Discord,' the added complexity and subtle flourishes in the music here give it an added sophistication; effectively making the Moscovite euro-dance pop inflections of the singing even more undesirable.

Instrumentally however, the music is very imaginative. A heavy collage of ethnic and ancient musical styles, the greatest strength of 'Izoteri-Ka' is it's ability to effectively transport the listener to other, exotic places. There are more than a few instrumental sections of the album where one is able to vividly imagine landscapes and surroundings, simply based on the suggestion of the music alone.

While I may enjoy 'Cognitive Discord' more for it's 'fun' nature and the album's catchiness, 'Izoteri-Ka' shows a much more progressive and experimental side of Senmuth's music that I am all the more willing to explore. With so many albums under his belt, the greatest thing I could hope for this early on is a sense of development and steady improvement, and I'm getting that impression from this music. 'Izoteri-Ka' certainly doesn't give the lasting impression that 'Cognitive Discord' gave, but I am positive that somewhere along his discography, Senmuth will have made an album that reaches this level of intricacy, and maintains the level of consistency and interest that drew me to the debut.