Album Review: iVardensphere - Ragemaker
iVardensphere are well known for tribal drumming mixed with a strong industrial presence to back them up into pulse pounding soundscapes. What we have with Ragemaker is something different indeed. This whole album is a trip in to a world of fantasy, magic, warriors, and emotion.
There are still plenty of drums but there is only little of the industrial left (with a few exceptions, like the incredible track Orcus!) but what remains is a fantastical soundscape the likes of which remind me of the Dragon Age games, or when Andy LaPlegua made music for Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice.
The influence of This Morn' Omina (Of whom Scott Fox, main man of iVardensphere is also a member.) is also prevalent here.
Approach this album with these thoughts in mind rather than an industrial release and the album becomes a soul portal to another realm..
Industrial-tribalist iVardenspehere presents the album Ragemaker. Complex & layered, Ragemaker weaves electronics with haunting vocals, textured orchestral crescendos & percussive rhythms, creating hymns to totemic gods of war & rebirth, and to unknown ancient goddesses of harvest & hunt, telling the tragic mythos of The Shattering Queen. Ragemaker is a work of art - masterful & immersive.
Comparisons to soundtrack work such as the Mad Max Fury Road soundtrack by Junkie XL, the dramatic escalations of Hans Zimmer's works are easily made, But iVardensphere's work on this album also sits comfortably with the works of acts and composers influenced by and exploring ancient ancestral music, such as Einar Selvik, Danheim, and Heilung, though with a decidedly more driving, percussive slant.
Traditional percussion from all corners of the world, Taiko, Surdo, djembe, timpani, and more are deftly intermixed with all manner of sourced percussion sounds. Hammers and anvils, slamming doors, even the sound of a dumpster being kicked are sampled and folded into the sonic melange. The result is Ragemaker, a sweeping, cinematic album, equally suited as the next evolutionary step of iVardensphere, and as the film score to a post-apocalyptic motion picture.
iVardensphere are touring with Karkasaurus in the UK soon and the London leg of the tour is brought to you by karkasaurus and Elektro Vox! Click for the ticket link.
Also coming up soon with full live band set ups is EVM Fest:
