Raison d'Etre


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Apres Nous Le Deluge , 6/10
Prospectus I , 7/10
Enthralled By The Wind Of Loneliness , 6.5/10
Conspectus , 5/10
Within The Depths Of Silence And Phormations (1995) , 7/10
The Empty Hollow Unfolds (1999), 6/10
Necrophorus: Underneath The Spirit Of Tranquillity
In Sadness Silence And Solitude , 6/10
Reflections from the Time of Opening , 6/10
Collective Archives , 6/10 (comp)
Lost Fragments , 5/10
Atomine Elektrine: Elemental Severance , 6/10
Atomine Elektrine: Archimetrical Universe , 5/10
Stratvm Terror: Pariah Demise , 6/10
Stratvm Terror: ma Pain Implantations , 5/10
Svasti-ayanam: Sanklesa , 5/10
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The master of nordic landscapes was Sweden's Peter Andersson, known as Raison D'Etre, experimented with both the "industrial folk" style of Prospectus I (1993), a set of psalms for string section and percussion instruments, and the "dark ambient" style of Within The Depths Of Silence And Phormations (1995), his most daring collage of samples, drones, monk-like chanting and futuristic electronics; a progression that led to the six neoclassical and mystical suites of In Sadness Silence And Solitude (1998).

The project debuted with the cassette Apres Nous Le Deluge (Sound Source, 1992). His elegant elegies, set in a bleak medieval landscape, emanated a dark sense of desolation.

The nine sacred hymns of di Prospectus I (Cold Meat Industry, 1993) present his bleak philosophy via an "industrial folk music" that relies on percussion instruments and string sections. Katharsis blends religious chanting, celestial breathing, ominous drones and thunderous drums. The "mass" turns to requiem with Ordeal In Chapel, that is a most funereal piece of music, replete with dejected chants, church bells and mournful strings. On the other hand, the mixed voices of Ascension De Profundis, following a technique invented by Karlheinz Stockhausen, become a menacing whirlwing in Mourning. The symphonic grandeur of Mesmerized in Sorrow boasts a touching melody, but Cenotaphium is shaken by a frantic and crashing sequence of dissonances, interlocking electronic melodies building to a dramatic climax. Voices filled again the space in Synopsis, but they sound like radio broadcasts captured from another galaxy. A martial beat introduces the solemn ceremony of Anathema/Apotheosis, and Penumbra completes the cycle by dissolving an electronic carillon into coulds of religious chanting and cosmic drones.

A more "ambient" sound surfaced on Enthralled By The Wind Of Loneliness (Cold Meat Industry, 1994), that indulged in orchestral arrangements (in particular, baroque strings) and medieval stereotypes (choirs, bells, drums), while extending the sonic palette to new avantgarde effects. The eight-minute overture The Awakening pitted the wails of a Japanese-sounding flute against waves of cosmic mantras and natural sounds. The rest of the album is framed between Spire of Withhold, that introduces the afterlife via funereal strings, Gregorian chants, procession-like rhythm, and the eleven-minute Pathaway, that seems to descend into hell itself via icy winds, thundering drums and mourning laments. Andersson's gothic journey transformed into a metaphysical calvary with the 13-minute exotic fantasy The Narrow Gate and the sixteen-minute suite Spiraal (sustained vocal drones that slowly shift timbre over massive orchestral clusters, like a collective "om" to eternal suffering). The sense of mass is increased by the short liturgical "halleluja" and "sanctus" that separate the major pieces. The limit of this music is that it is based on slow, methodic repetition of simple themes. But the effect is, nonetheless, powerful.

The cassette Semblance (Harmonie Harm, 1995) collects unreleased material from 1988 - 1994.

A partire dalla cassetta Apres Nous Le Deluge (Sound Source, 1992), Peter Andersson ha dato vita in Svezia a una delle esperienze piu` significative del gotico internazionale: i Raison D'Etre. I suoi dischi si collocano con quelli di Lycia all'avanguardia della composizione atmosferica e vocale. Scenografate in un tetro paesaggio medievale, le sue elegie emanano un cupo senso di desolazione.

I nove canti sacri di Prospectus I (Cold Meat Industry, 1993) espongono la sua tetra filosofia all'insegna di un "industrial folk" che fa perno su strumenti a percussione e sezioni d'archi.

Enthralled By The Wind Of Loneliness (Cold Meat Industry, 1994) propone invece un sound piu` ambientale, caratterizzato da arrangiamenti orchestrali (soprattutto cori, campane e suoni naturali). The Awakening, Spire of Withhold, In Lonelines Sophrosyne e Pathaway costituiscono altrettante tappe di un calvario metafisico che non e` piu` soltanto gotico. La fantasia The Narrow Gate e la lunga suite Spiraal testimoniano delle ambizioni di Andersson.

If English is your first language and you could translate my old Italian text, please contact me.

Le composizioni inedite del 1991 verranno raccolte su Reflections from the Time of Opening (Bloodless Creations, 1997), e la cassetta d'esordio finira` nei Collective Archives (Cold Meat Industry, 1999). Conspectus (Old Europa Cafe, 1994) raccoglie altri inediti del periodo 1991-94 (otto tracce di una cassetta e cinque inediti).

Within The Depths Of Silence And Phormations (Cold Meat Industry, 1995) spinge il suo stile "dark ambient" verso atmosfere al tempo stesso piu` religiose e piu` malinconiche. Lo sfondo di rumori aumenta lo spessore psicologico di Ascent of the Blessed (forse il miglior esempio della loro fusione di musica gregoriana e musica industriale), Fall of the Damned (forse il miglior esempio del loro gotico), Inner Depths of Sadness (quasi ambientale), Dream's Essence (quasi psichedelica). Il collage di campionamenti, droni, canti medievali e elettronica futurista e` ormai il suo marchio di fabbrica.
Tracks: 1. Sephiroth / 2. Ascent of the Blessed / 3. In Abscence of Subsequent Ambivalence. / 4. Fall of the Damned / 5. Euphrosyne / 6. Inner Depths of Sadness / 7. Of Dying Relics / 8. Dream's Essence.

The Empty Hollow Unfolds (Cold Meat Industry, 1999) contiene cinque lunghe suite strumentali.

Peter Anderson e` attivo fin dal 1991 anche come Necrophorous. Le prime cassette aveva un suono molto piu` rilassato e classicheggiante (violoncello, violino), ma Underneath The Spirit Of Tranquillity (Cat Heaven, 1996), diviso in due parti, The Spirit Of Tranquillity, con le celestiali Empyrion e Within Tranquility, e The Impressions Of Salvador Dali', sei omaggi ai quadri del pittore spagnolo, contiene lavori ambientali percorsi da melodie graziose e fiabesche.

Le sei suite di In Sadness Silence And Solitude (Cold Meat Industry, 1998) approfondiscono i temi di sempre, e The Well of Sadness raggiunge nuovi nadir emotivi, ma ci sono anche gli spunti classicheggianti di In Absence of Light e le percussioni tribali Passing Inner Shields a vivacizzare le cupe armonie. Il suo malinconico misticismo post-industriale ha pochi eguali.
Tracks: 1. Reflecting in Shadows / 2. In Abscence of Light / 3. The Well of Sadness / 4. Deep Enshrouded / 5. Falling Twilight / 6. Passing Inner Shields.

Lost Fragments (Yantra, 1998) raccoglie inediti del 1992.

Atomine Elektrine e` un progetto parallelo, ispirato alla musica cosmica degli anni '70, varato nel 1992, ma giunto su disco soltanto con Elemental Severance (CMI, 1995), registrato fra il 1992 e il 1994, che stende di fatto un ponte fra techno (Severance, Atom) e musica new age (la lunga Entrance Mirage e il finale di Hyperion), e Archimetrical Universe (Yantra, 1999).

Stratvm Terror e` un altro progetto parallelo, varato nel 1993. Questa volta Andersson e` accompagnato da Tobias Larsson, e questa volta lo stile delle cassette Germinal Chamber (Old Europa Café, 1994) e The Only True Septic Whore (Slaughter Prd, 1996) si ispira alla musica industriale piu` feroce, percussiva e metallica. Il primo disco, Pariah Demise (Old Europe Cafe`, 1996), attenua l'impeto, ma Pain Implantations (Malignant, 1998) ritorna ai climi infernali dei primi tempi.

Infine Andersson ha lavorato anche nei panni di Svasti-ayanam. Le registrazioni del 1993 e 1994 hanno visto la luce su Sanklesa (Crowd Control Activities, 1998). Lo stile e` piu` cerimoniale ed etnico (e tibetano) che negli altri progetti.

Bocksholm e` la collaborazione con Deutch Nepal (anche lui si chiama Peter Andersson, e anche lui e` cresciuto in una cittadina chiamata Boxholm).

Perception Multiplied (Cold Meat Industry, 2001) is a sampler of Andersson' multifaced career.

Requiem for Abandoned Souls (2004)

Perception Multiplied (Cold Meat Industry, 2001) e` un'antologia della carriera di Andersson.
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