Sonisk Blodbad: Blue Room (2011)

Norwegian duo SONISK BLODBAD is a new name on the scene, and drew attention to themselves in the spring of 2011 with the release of the limited edition vinyl single "Blue Room", a two track initial taste of the sound they plan to explore on their forthcoming debut album.

Minimalistic, dark and melancholic music is the name of the game on this production, ambient in style, hypnotic in expression and introspective in association. Or something along those lines. A-side Blue Room features a dark, slow moving fluctuating undercurrent as the foundation, on top of which a fragile, frail violin solo contrasts beautifully. Dampened, female lead vocals is almost as constant, while a subtle noise texture come and go infrequently. A suitable soundtrack for a journey into your inner space, meditative music of the kind that invites reflections and deep thoughts. B-side Varför Svek Du? is a slightly different beast, a slow minimalistic piece that opens with a slowly fluctuating synth motif that invites melancholic associations, gradually developing overlaying details evolving into two additional textures, and following this final development a slow fadeout commences for the last minute or so. More cinematic in scope and rather more of a minimalistic creation, but a compelling one nonetheless.

If the band still have copies of this single available, those with a taste for refined ambient music might want to get hold of it. And if it should be sold out at this point, there's still the debut album to look forward to. A production planned to appear in February 2012.

My rating: 80/100


Track list:
A. Blue Room
B. Varför Svek Du?