CD review IAMTHEMORNING ‘The Bell’

(*/10) A glimpse on my playlist unveils a gap that couldn’t be much bigger than what I see. Next to deathcore powerhouse Thy Art Is Murder it’s iamthemorning standing for the total opposite when it comes to music and sound.

The Russian duo, consisting of singer Marjana Semkina and pianist Gleb Kolyadin is a regular guest when it comes to reviews on MHMB. The two musicians debuted in 2012 with ‘~’, a self-released album that brought them to attention of Kscope. ‘Belighted’ was the sophomore album and the deal with Kscope was the springboard for duo to a wider audience.

Two more longplayers followed and it’s ‘The Bell’ being the anticipated next release. As with the previous records also this release isn’t made for headbanging. Instead the album features gentle tones, well-crafted music that’s build on sensitivity and a lot of feel. Reminding of icons like Kate Bush iamthemorning blends rock, classic and folk, a style they further fine-tuned on ‘The Bell’.

In contrary to the music it is cruelty being the thematic centerpiece of the album. Each of the songs, being a story in itself, deals with human feeling and emotions triggered by cruelty, all covered in harmonic sounds.

iamthemorning’s new album is poetry set to music and it’s a release with emotional depth. It needs time to discover the beauty of each of the tones, forming songs that have an impact. ‘The Bell’ is musically a bit outside of what MHMB usually is about and therefore the album doesn’t get a rate. It’s an album out of competition and still a musical pearl that’s worth to explore.

(*/10)

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