Molodost - The Sea of Dreams DEMO (2012)

Molodost's second demo بحر الأحلام translates to 'The Sea of Dreams', and I think that's a pretty good handle for its calm and collected content, which lacks some of the obsessive madness of the Lebanese musician's prior Shades at Salvation Borders. While there are still a handful of black metal aesthetics present, the compositions here are largely rooted in simple, programmed drums and keyboard passages; maintaining a low budget feel, a very underdeveloped level of polish (which some with love and others loathe), and a sort of 'dungeon synth' vibe, only Raed's note selection and synthesized instrumentation is far brighter and friendlier than the formative works of, say, Mortiis or Burzum to fall under this category. Yes, this could definitely fall under the 'guy with a keyboard' or 'bedroom black metal' category, but it's not as if its creator has illusions about to the contrary, or to his own capabilities in terms of production and musicianship.

Much like its predecessor, The Sea of Dreams does feature a cover song, but in place of Burzum, Raed has gone for a far more obscure instrumental by the French band Mortifera; "Epilogue D'une Existence de Cryssthal" from their Vastaiia Tenebrd Mortifera LP (2004). Again, he's not offering all that much of a sonic translation of the original. This is a tinnier, airier, low-fi recapturing of the original's ambiance, and I have to say, even if I could give Modolost a few points for even paying tribute to such an obscurity, that it might be more interesting in the future if he took on some material that he could really transform into this base set of melodic components. As it stands, the atmosphere and emotional resonance of this incarnation does not feel quite so richly saddening as the original, but neither can I really rip into it, because unlike the new, titular original, "The Sea of Dreams" itself, this one is at least pretty consistent throughout. It's neither as compelling nor bizarre as the title track, but then again, any possible praise for "The Sea..." comes at the expense of its own flaws, which are numerous and somewhat of an obstacle to my overall enjoyment of the demo...

Book-ended by samples of a shoreline, "The Sea of Dreams" feels like a number of disparate ideas thrown into one track, which mirrors the disjointed aesthetics of the earlier demo, but with a more consonant and melodic undercurrent. You've got atonal sounding guitars clanging along as a lead, and some jangling, folk influenced tremolo jangles, with one or two straight surges of pristine, blazing melody that in fact were my favorite moments throughout the demo. Raed applies some garbled vocals (the Arabic lyrics of which I couldn't understand), but the contrast they create against the thinner tone of the music is unfortunately more of a corny embellishment than an effective one. The drums and lower atmospheric tones, as artificial as some will no feel towards them, didn't really bother me much. When a percussionist isn't available, you do what you have to; but neither are they mixed very well, and it only creates a similar amateurish vibe to the last demo. All told, I can't fault Molodost for its ideas, because in hearing this, despite all my complaints, I think this is a musician with some interesting ideas, who simply needs a better studio setup to really bring them all together. Stylistically, this isn't the most petty form of escapism, and the Romantic ideals and inspirations are often well matched to the desperation and agony of DIY black metal, but musically this felt too stripped and scattershot to capitalize on its available strengths.

Verdict: Fail [4.25/10]

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Molodost - Shades at Salvation Borders DEMO (2012)

Molodost is a black metal/ambient hybrid hailing from Lebanon of all places, the work of a sole individual (one Raed) painting nightmarescapes through the use of buzzing, heavily distorted guitars, programmed drums, pianos and synthesizers used to represent various instruments. There is a thematic current running through the four original pieces which deals in death, madness, and redemption for a raven who has chosen to forsake its animal identity and explore humanity (as least if my understanding of the notes is correct). Certainly a unique concept here, one that might deserve further exploration, but there are a few flaws in the delivery that leave it underdeveloped musically.

The clear influence to the project is Burzum, not only because Raed has included a cover of Varg's ambient piece "Móti Ragnarǫkum", but in the tortured emotions of the grating vocals, the commitment to such a raw guitar tone and the heavily influence of the synthesizer. The simplicity of the note progression of the viola (and its percussive accompaniment via timpani) is reminiscent of Dauði Baldrs, though he adds some creepy whispers for a further atmosphere. Yet this is no ripoff of the infamous Norse project, because the deeper intonation of the vocals and the sound set Raed uses through the demo is distinct. In fact, the disturbing ambient sequences through the demo, while oft disjointed like the insane intro to "Walls of the Asylum", or the majority of the massive title track with its flurries of dissonant spikes of fuzzed out guitars, are the strongest components.

I did take issue with the drum machine, which seems a bit too loud in the mix and too unrefined in terms of the beats programmed. More like an old industrial record from the 80s, before sampling and beat-sets were advanced through the advent of thousands of software programs. This is not so much a problem in "Shades..." itself, which has a more chaotic geometry, but in "Diaries of a Forgotten Raven" and "Walls of the Asylum" it can become a distraction when joined with the more vulgar, obnoxious guitar lines and Raed's tormented barks. Often the music will devolve into this grating, unnecessary clutter, which conceptually might fit the narrative, but doesn't make for a compelling experience. Also, the actual guitar patterns could use some work, as often they just seem to wander aimlessly about the mix, relying more on their frightening, oppressive tone than their actual composition. Again, it's suitable as mood music in some haven for the insane, but not memorable in of itself.

That said, the one place where the demo nearly comes together is on the Burzum cover. The original was only recorded in the MIDI sound format, so Raed has created this extravagant interpretation by applying the hostile, jangling guitars and it feels enormous and stressful (in a good way). It's still a fairly chaotic deconstruction, but since he was following a proven blueprint to begin with, the landscape is far more focused and harrowing than some of the original tracks. Also, I'd say that aside from some of the instrumental difficulties I had with the drums or guitars, I think Raed does a decent job of production. All the tones are loud and up front, the ambiance is appropriately consuming and he mixes the vocals and guitars like bold phantoms taunting at the listener. From here on out, I think it's just a matter of raising the level of composition to the curious concepts and competent engineering.

Shades of Salvation Borders is only a first demo, so one shouldn't expect the world of it, but its flaws are all easily fixed with further experience in the medium, and I've heard far worse from other one man outfits. I can't say I got a whole lot out of the music, as its clamorous nature often became too much to bear, yet there's clearly a mind here apprised of how to concoct a ghastly, fucked up head trip, so I'm sure further iterations will yield a more effective delve into darkness.

Verdict: Indifference [5.25/10]

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