If you haven't listened to every Senmuth album then I hate you

Master of hate

It's original, I'll give it that, but Meshuggah djent style metal and Asian-influenced music have no Earthly (or otherwise) business being on the same record if you ask me.

Written by Guest on 12.01.2015 at 18:00

It's original, I'll give it that, but Meshuggah djent style metal and Asian-influenced music have no Earthly (or otherwise) business being on the same record if you ask me.

I would probably disagree if I liked Meshuggah style metal. I'd love to see more Asian-influenced music in other metal though (although there is already a decent amount of that, so it's not that I'm complaining)

Written by Zap on 12.01.2015 at 18:47

I would probably disagree if I liked Meshuggah style metal. I'd love to see more Asian-influenced music in other metal though (although there is already a decent amount of that, so it's not that I'm complaining)

I do like djent quite a bit, but I find it mixes much better with neutral sounds and genres, such as ambient and electronic music, than it does world music, which to me is too warm and conveys the wrong atmosphere. I'm fine with Asian-influenced music, just not in something mechanical and deliberately sterile like djent. Like having ketchup on my cornflakes.

Written by Guest on 12.01.2015 at 18:51

I do like djent quite a bit, but I find it mixes much better with neutral sounds and genres, such as ambient and electronic music, than it does world music, which to me is too warm and conveys the wrong atmosphere. I'm fine with Asian-influenced music, just not in something mechanical and deliberately sterile like djent. Like having ketchup on my cornflakes.

Hmm, I get where you're coming from, but seeing as I don't listen to djent very often I'm not sure I'd agree if I did. Maybe there is a way to successfully combine the two, you never know.

Completely off-topic though: "world music" I hate that term. What does it even mean? Does other music not come from the world? Was it made in space* or something?

*that might actually be the case for some music.

Written by Zap on 12.01.2015 at 19:00

Hmm, I get where you're coming from, but seeing as I don't listen to djent very often I'm not sure I'd agree if I did. Maybe there is a way to successfully combine the two, you never know.

Completely off-topic though: "world music" I hate that term. What does it even mean? Does other music not come from the world? Was it made in space* or something?

*that might actually be the case for some music.

I agree, it's a very lazy, Western-centric term. I was taught not to say "world cinema" too a while ago on my uni course so I should probably have the same respect with regard to music.

I also agree that there's probably some worthy experimentation to be had with such sounds, but I'm not sure it would ever appeal to my tastes. I don't think Dakhmas is an especially successful experiment, the "djent" aspect feels very tacked-on, but it could be a building block for something else.

Written by Guest on 12.01.2015 at 19:04

I also agree that there's probably some worthy experimentation to be had with such sounds, but I'm not sure it would ever appeal to my tastes. I don't think Dakhmas is an especially successful experiment, the "djent" aspect feels very tacked-on, but it could be a building block for something else.

I've been listening to it for the past few minutes. It's not bad by any means, but it's not really drawing me in so far.

Written by Zap on 12.01.2015 at 19:07

I've been listening to it for the past few minutes. It's not bad by any means, but it's not really drawing me in so far.

I suspect it would be a lot better if Senmuth didn't produce an album every 3 weeks.

Written by Guest on 12.01.2015 at 19:09

I suspect it would be a lot better if Senmuth didn't produce an album every 3 weeks.

Haha, yeah, it could use some refinement for sure.

Written by Zap on 12.01.2015 at 19:12

Haha, yeah, it could use some refinement for sure.

Maybe it's the music equivalent of Speed. If his album production is less than a certain amount per year he explodes.

Written by Guest on 12.01.2015 at 19:15

Maybe it's the music equivalent of Speed. If his album production is less than a certain amount per year he explodes.

Seems to be a common problem these days for certain musicians.

Written by Guest on 12.01.2015 at 19:04

It's a very lazy, Western-centric term. I was taught not to say "world cinema" too a while ago on my uni course so I should probably have the same respect with regard to music.

I also agree that there's probably some worthy experimentation to be had with such sounds, but I'm not sure it would ever appeal to my tastes. I don't think Dakhmas is an especially successful experiment, the "djent" aspect feels very tacked-on, but it could be a building block for something else.

Yep, or just use the term "ethnic music," I find that works a lot too. As Zaph kind of said, I don't really listen to enough djent to say whether or not this kind of instrumentation goes well with it or not, but here I don't really mind it. I will admit though that I'd enjoy this album a lot more without the metal at all, and just as some crazy folk/electronic amalgamation.

Written by Auntie Sahar on 12.01.2015 at 19:59

Yep, or just use the term "ethnic music," I find that works a lot too. As Zaph kind of said, I don't really listen to enough djent to say whether or not this kind of instrumentation goes well with it or not, but here I don't really mind it. I will admit though that I'd enjoy this album a lot more without the metal at all, and just as some crazy folk/electronic amalgamation.

Isn't "ethnic music" sort of worse? =P I have to say that the industrial and electronic components combined with the Asian-influence also doesn't appeal to me either. It's like industrial folk music. Yech. And I agree I think I would really like this album if it was just folk-oriented, but then again I don't listen to much of that myself.

Written by Guest on 12.01.2015 at 20:14

I have to say that the industrial and electronic components combined with the Asian-influence also doesn't appeal to me either. It's like industrial folk music. Yech. And I agree I think I would really like this album if it was just folk-oriented, but then again I don't listen to much of that myself.

I've been getting more into it, particularly the Eastern European/Asian folk kind of stuff, especially after listening to a lot of Negura Bunget and Wardruna in the past year.

Written by Auntie Sahar on 12.01.2015 at 20:34

I've been getting more into it, particularly the Eastern European/Asian folk kind of stuff, especially after listening to a lot of Negura Bunget and Wardruna in the past year.

Sounds like potential article material if you could inject a metal perspective on some of it.

Written by Guest on 12.01.2015 at 20:37

if you could inject a metal perspective on some of it.

Eww, I hate Metal Injection.

Written by Zap on 12.01.2015 at 20:40

Eww, I hate Metal Injection.

Not as bad as MetalSucks at least =3

Written by Guest on 12.01.2015 at 20:37

Sounds like potential article material if you could inject a metal perspective on some of it.

I'm WAY too lacking in knowledge about it at the moment to write a full article
Maybe in the future though, sure!

Yeah, turns out I really don't like Senmuth

Wow, this album is definitely not as bad as the average rating suggests. Then again, I'm still recovering from that Thoughtscanning album from 2014 so in comparison anything sounds good to my ears.

On a first listen, I can honestly say that the mix works for me. It's actually a little more fluid than efforts by bands like Persefone that have already incorporated Asian influences to metal (Shin-Ken). I actually think the electronic and djent styles mix very nicely with the Asian-influenced stuff on here, and the elements don't feel disparate. Nothing feels superfluous to me- a very well-thought out experiment that only suffers from a few tracks that are comparably more mundane than other tracks.

Written by Diverge on 13.01.2015 at 04:42

Wow, this album is definitely not as bad as the average rating suggests.

I guess the wrong people listened to it first

Written by Zap on 13.01.2015 at 12:16

Written by Diverge on 13.01.2015 at 04:42

Wow, this album is definitely not as bad as the average rating suggests.

I guess the wrong people listened to it first

Yeah, let me just subtly imply that you guys got it wrong. I can see why people don't like it, but it works for me.

Written by Diverge on 13.01.2015 at 13:12

Yeah, let me just subtly imply that you guys got it wrong. I can see why people don't like it, but it works for me.

Now I want a report on the other... few.... Senmuth albums.

Someone should break down all Senmuth albums into a nice schematic with genre tags and mini reviews.

Written by Zap on 13.01.2015 at 13:20

Someone should break down all Senmuth albums into a nice schematic with genre tags and mini reviews.

Why not you? =D

Written by Karlabos on 13.01.2015 at 16:17

Why not you? =D

Shit, you got me.
I'd do a sloppy job though

How the living hell can one guy give birth to so many albums? ... that somehow seems wrong to me on so many levels

This album is about the Tower of Silence, the Zoroastrian funerary structures in the religious cult. At the top of the tower (Dakhma) lattice-laid dead bodies, which birds peck-scavengers (vultures). The bones are collected in a deep well in the center of the tower, where they continue to smolder and break until the decay products will not be washed away by rain water.Construction Dahm related to the position in Zoroastrianism, according to which "unclean" dead body should not indulge in the earth or fire.

Written by Senmuth on 15.01.2015 at 19:59

This album is about the Tower of Silence, the Zoroastrian funerary structures in the religious cult. At the top of the tower (Dakhma) lattice-laid dead bodies, which birds peck-scavengers (vultures). The bones are collected in a deep well in the center of the tower, where they continue to smolder and break until the decay products will not be washed away by rain water.Construction Dahm related to the position in Zoroastrianism, according to which "unclean" dead body should not indulge in the earth or fire.

Thank you for this very, very interesting info! It definitely gives some context that'll make my future listening experiences of this a little bit more immersive because of that understanding
It's cool that you note the top of the Tower of Silence being called the Dakhma. I'm a big fan of the Finns in Dark Buddha Rising as well, and with their latest album, Dakhmandal, there's a track on it in which the chant "on we go, to the Tower of Silence" is repeated. So I'm sure there's some influence from that there as well, thanks for the clarification!