Calcarata is only the second metal band I’ve encountered with a conceptual connection to the Mollusca phylum.1 Admittedly, their debut, Der Müde Mensch, incorporates the gastropod more in the mythic sense than the literal, as it purports to “follow the giant snail of slumber up and down the slopes of the mind.” And yet the creature’s prominence—from the cover art to the music itself—proves to be a key motif for the album. Exploring realms of dreams and death in word, Calcarata’s hazy atmospheric black metal experiments with them in musical expression too with mollifying, slow-moving soundscapes. Music evoking the essence of liminal states of consciousness, deliberately measured and hypnotic in its sway, treads the fine line between effectively immersive, and simply soporific. Der Müde Mensch falls very firmly on one side of this line.
Der Müde Mensch—The Tired Person—turns out to be very aptly named. The mellow ethereality that wafts across its runtime (particularly in opener “Calcarata,” and ending title track) is reminiscent of a dreamlike state of semi-consciousness, listlessness. In fact, much of the black metal on display would fall neatly into the DSBM camp (“Heilung,” title track) were it not for that hopeful thread inhabiting the melodies, both in guitar and clean-vocal form. Many such melodies, if not gripping, are pleasing and ambient, working well against both faltering shrieks as low-tuned “mmmms” and “ahhhs” (“Morgenrot im Totental”). The whole thing has a kind of easy familiarity embodied by layered tremolos repeating vaguely melancholic refrains and fades naturally into the background.
Der Müde Mensch is characterized by placid, uninspired themes, with exceptions to this rule few and far between. The “sprawling psychedelic solo” teased in the one-sheet and delivered in the back half of “Heilung,” is undoubtedly the album’s high point. While nothing spectacular in itself, its warbling, wobbling meander is a sudden explosion of color amidst the grey, monotonous surroundings. There are times when the vocals gain an impassioned power, and the guitars a lilting melancholia (“Morgenrot im Totental,” title track) that seems to capture the ghost of feeling. But it’s difficult to appreciate these assets when Calcarata take a decidedly snail-like approach to composition that drags already tired refrains out to unbearable lengths, where they dry up and wither. The pay-offs that consist mainly of a simple escalation of the central melody, and screams, could be powerful, were it not for the fact that one has had to wait ten-plus minutes for them. Even then the denouement is unambitious and lukewarm; neither intricate and mesmerizing, nor punchily affecting through deceptive simplicity.
The overall absence of dynamism makes Der Müde Mensch a slog to get through, despite its reasonable 47-minute runtime. Far too often a melody enters only to leave undeveloped. With the notable exception of “Heilung”‘s five-minute solo, the best it gets is a flicker of urgency coming through a more mournful iteration of the theme (“Morgenrot im Totental”). The percussion is similarly anaemic, with only a few moments of genuine flourish (“Heilung,” title track), and entirely lacking the assertiveness which would mitigate the monotony of the monosyllabic tempos. If there’s one thing Calcarata deserve praise for, it’s their production choices. Der Müde Mensch would have turned out far worse had the duo opted for a traditional raw or atmo-black mix. Thankfully, they did not, and so the melodies and percussion are comparatively crisp and layered. One can only imagine the heights of beauty the music could have reached with a more ambitious template.
I want to like Der Müde Mensch more than I do, but Calcarata don’t make it easy. Rather than using an interesting concept to inform deep, intriguing soundscapes, the duo seem uninterested in musically exploring the metaphorical worlds they center their art around or taking their listener on any kind of journey. They just end up putting you to sleep.
Rating: Disappointing
DR: 7 | Format Reviewed: WAV
Label: Naturmacht Productions
Websites: Bandcamp | Artist Site
Releases Worldwide: September 27th, 2024
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