01	Kinetic						05:27
	02	Nightmare Heaven						06:06
	03	Ad Absurdum						06:48
	04	Collapse Generation						04:13
	05	Star-crossed						05:01
	06	Radical Cut						05:04
	07	For To End Yet Again						10:37
	08	White Tie Black Noise						00:49
	09	Deceprion Genesis						06:34
	10	Painting My Horror						05:37
	11	Ad Astra						04:39
	12	Ad Astra (ensemble version)						07:28

Arcturus - The Sham Mirrors



Band/Artist: Arturus
Title: The Sham Mirrors
Release Date: 2002
Label: The End Records



:: Musicians ::

Steinar sverd johnsen - fugue key figure
Hellhammer: drums
Trickster G. Rex - Vocals
Knut m. valle: guitar
Dag f. gravem - Bass

Arcturus: The Sham Mirrors

Many, many moons ago, back when the world was young and most of its people lived in blissful ignorance of "The Internet", I was a member of a small but elite group that prowled the young electronic networks that would, eventually, grow into the World Wide Web. One of my favorite haunts was in a computer-based simulation game of interstellar conquest and economic development called "Stellar Emperor". He who led his team to victory won the dubious title of "Emperor of the Galaxy". Along with it, came an engraved silver cup (real silver, mind you) and a certificate for doing what very few had ever done or hoped to do in those days. Never mind the fact that it usually cost around $36/hour to play this game. I was a team leader and became Emperor on three separate occasions, over a period of several years. My team alternated leaders and we were the second most winning team in game history. We were the Arcturan Empire - name after the brightest star in the constellation of Bootes, Arcturus.

Alas though, those days are long gone and that game has been consigned to the scrap heap of ancient text-based interface games that modern Web surfers probably don't even know existed for the most part!

What does this have to do with Music? Ahhh! Well...ummm.... Nothing. Except maybe that I received a copy Arcturus: The Sham Mirrors a couple months ago and was asked to review it. I guess I kind of have a soft spot in my heart for anything relating to Arcturus! Silly, maybe, but too true.

Being in a band and traveling around doing shows, especially metal and prog festivals, gives one the opportunity to meet many bands and musicians that would otherwise be unknown to the masses (remember what modern radio DOESN'T play for all of us prog and metal fans!). It also gives one the chance to learn about a lot of bands that, while they may not be playing the current festival, are well known and respected within the "circle".

Arcturus was one of these bands for me. I had never heard them, though I had heard OF them on many occasions. The name, as mentioned above, caught my attention and I was looking forward to hearing what secrets this new disc had engraved on its shiny surface. I knew too that Arcturus had a reputation for being a heavier, power-metal oriented band.

I have to admit, I am not a diehard fan of this kind of music. Constant 16 or 32-second beat kick drum (the kind no REAL drummer could ever hope to play constantly for over 5 seconds live), loud, demonic screaming and super heavy totally distorted guitars just don't do much for me. Based on what I had heard about this band prior to my first listen, I wasn't too sure I was going to like it.

But, you know, that's the beauty of music. A good band, no matter what kind of music they actually play, can kick you in the ass and take you by surprise without much effort. I listened to The Sham Mirrors several times, all the way through, non-stop. I even played several cuts on our Seismic Radio show. This particular disc does indeed have heavy metal guitars, lots of super high-speed in-your-face kick drum, and some death defying demonic vocals.

BUT! Unlike a lot of bands in this genre, this disc also has some cool techno beats and keyboards/syth work, some quieter, very well played (and arranged) spacey/ethereal parts and a lot of great hooks in the music. The opening track, "Kinetic", kicks! Nice arrangement, great hi-hat sound, cool power chords, nice vocal harmonies and some cool synth effects to boot. Yeah. Good opening! Two other very excellent tracks are "Ad Absurdum" (track 3) and "Star Crossed" (track 5) which opens with a nice piano and synth sweep.

I guess one could say that what I hear on this CD is heavy power/prog metal with depth and dynamics. A lot of bands like this do not realize the power of not always being in your face from start to finish - or the power of depth and dynamic. Arcturus has mastered it on this release.
I give this one 9 out of 10 keyboards (or would that be 9 out of 10 kick drums?)
Rowen Poole


Visit the artist website: Arturus

:: Additional Contributors ::
Recorded in various spaces, times and formats from 2000 to 2002 || Sound recordists: G., Valle and Johnsen || Mixed by Tore Ylwizaker at ambassaden, jan. 2002 || Music by Johnsen. Lyrics by G., except tracks 4 and 6 by H. || Produced by G. and Phantom fx || Mastered by Tom la Bomba at strype audio ||



:: DISCOGRAPHY ::
My Angel, 7" - 1991
Constellation, MCD - 1993
Aspera Hiems Symfonia, CD - 1995
La Masquerade Infernale, CD - 1997
Disguised Masters, CD - 1999
The Sham Mirrors, CD/LP - 2002


Arcturus - The Sham Mirrors (10/10) - Norway - 2002
Genre: Avantgarde Metal
Label: The End
Playing time: 43:18
Band-Homepage: unknown

Tracklist:
Kinetic
Nightmare Heaven
Ad Absurdum
Collapse Generation
Star-Crossed
Radial Cut
For To End Yet Again
Had been really interesting, the evolution of ARCTURUS. It all began with "Aspera Hiems Sinfonia", their debut with sterile, Avantgarde-Black Metal, which even then had differed from the uniformity of the rest of the pack. The following album "La Masquerade Infernale" at the beginning had been one of the works that I had a tough time with in the beginning, but by now it's going strong! Here the Black Metal-share had been mostly cut and the word "avant-garde" got a completely new meaning. The album had been one thing for sure: damn weird. And for the masses very hard to digest.
Now with "The Sham Mirrors" I have the third longplayer of the weird Norwegians and ARCTURUS have not turned a tad more "easily consumable". Well, in a way, yes, but only for people like me, who listen to WATCHTOWER or SIEGES EVEN even before breakfast. The music or ARCTURUS has gotten calmer, in terms of heaviness. Almost any kind of modern Rock-music's influences have been used here, if Metal Metal, Pop, Trip Hop, Industrial, Folk, Elektro, everything is integrated, if not obvious all the time. It's been a long time since I had heard such a detail-loving CD. The songs are filled to the brim with ideas, surprising twists, weird breaks and are just unimaginably ingenious!

OK, you won't find bit and catchy choruses. Still the material is very atmospheric and nails me to the wall! With open mouth I kneel in front of my stereo and cannot get it. In 45 minutes they manage to plough through my whole Metal-world and re-assemble. What bands like YES had been for the Seventies and WATCHTOWER and RUSH for the Eighties, are ARCTURUS for the here and now! Innovative!


Arcturus - The Sham Mirrors (7/10) - Norway - 2002
Genre: Avantgarde Metal
Label: The End
Playing time: 43:18

You see. The thing is, I only own one ARCTURUS-CD, so my knowledge of them is limited. I always knew I liked the guitar playing and well, of course, Hellhammer is the drummer. But I have been hearing that this band has been doing weird electronic shit, and that turned me away.
And to tell you the truth, I do not find much Metal on this CD, either. But what is present is a plethora of sounds and emotions that range from jubilance to the most deep macabre. This is for those who enjoy the experimental side of things. If you like music pushing the boundaries of enjoyment and entertainment, this is for you. If you're looking for Norwegian Black Metal, buy DARKTHRONE. If you're looking for avant-garde, experimental Metal, this is what you are looking for.

I'm not sure how to describe this. I mean, it's not what I usually listen to and I cannot think of two things to cross together and make a comparison. One minute you have the classy and almost Goth-flavoured "Star-Crossed," and the next minute it's almost SKINNY PUPPY meets TIAMAT. Very odd. Not for me at all, but obviously a quality product.


Arcturus - The Sham Mirrors

Released: 2002
Label: The End Records
Cat. No.:
Total Time: 43:18


Reviewed by: Drew Dominquez, February 2005
For those of you not familiar with the large Norwegian Metal scene (or, pure black metal), this is basically the All Star band of Norway. You Have Hellhammer (drums) from Mayhem, Skoll (bass) and Asimal (guitars) from Ulver, "Sverd" Johnson (keys/piano) from Covenant, and their lead vocalist, who is quite something, Simen Hestn&alig;s from Borknagar and Dimmu Borgir. All very top notch players; especially considering the scene can lack good keyboards with all star bands (Sverd is the best of the best).

The album, The Sham Mirrors, is often regarded as the band's masterpiece. I'd tend to agree; the album is nothing short of beautiful. Having ambient, trippy sequences; full-blast, old fashioned black metal crams; CRAZY piano bits that compete with Wakeman's best work, and could compare with some of Schubert's as well (to be fair he wasn't that good at concertos, but hey, you get my drift).

The album kicks off with a loud punch; "Kinetic" is an instant black metal classic; fast, ambient and LOUD. The next two tracks have a very trippy side; "Nightmare Heaven" goes through a trance techno/ambient metal battle that is very cool. "Ad Absurdum" is very longing for power metal in the beginning, but soon turns almost all the way around and takes you flying across the Himalayas with constant "Ooo"-ing and stretched piano. The next two tracks, "Collapsed Generation" and "Star-Crossed" are just as strong as the first 3- with could appeal to any metal or progressive rock fan. "Collapsed Generation" is a vigorous sonic assault on your ears and mind. After blasting straight into something that can only be thought of as "noisy," the song stops and in comes a very Danny Elfman intermission, which signals the song to start back up again. (CAUTION: Exaggerations) "Star-Crossed" makes Eloy look like a joke. If the whole album was as space rock as this, Arjen would have everyone on this album replace the members of Star One (Star One is a side project of Arjen Anthony Lucassen, the genius behind Ayreon) in a second.

Song 6, "Radical Cut" brings the theory that Arcturus is still a metal band close to home. Hellhammer's disregard for his drum sticks and Asimal's refusal to take is pinky off the D string, is all very good evidence of this. However, the song includes some very 80s keyboard, perfect minor to major scale melodies I should say, but as we all know Mi + proMa from sharps = Eighties-oxide.

The last song is a combination of everything this album is about (C chord variants and singing in a language you can't speak) - loud guitars, trippy choruses, broken drum sticks and heavily ambient bass and keys. By far, the highlight of this album, "For To End Yet Again" goes through two parts, a heavy part, and a heavier part, separated by another co-operative effort between Skoll and Sverd, and is very long. There is no use describing the song, other than it keeps the theme of the album and makes the last 32 minutes not only very enjoyable, but very worth it.

Rating: Liked it a lot, classic in black and progressive metal, but repeats its stylistic themes an awful lot and lacks the experimentations of the last 2 attempts to impress me.

Rating: 4.4/5

More about The Sham Mirrors:

Track Listing: Kinetic / Nightmare Heaven / Ad Absurdum / Collapse Generation / Star-Crossed / Radial Cut / For To End Yet Again

Musicians:
Trickster G. Rex - voices of ghosts and monkeys and general manipulation
Steinar "Sverd" Johnsen - fugue key figure
Hellhammer - drums and flames
Knut M. Valle - high guitar rider (guitar)
Dag F. Gravem - low guitar driver (bass guitar)

Additional musicians:

Ihsahn - spitting voice(6)
Mathias Eick: ubu's horn ( 3, 6 and 7)

Contact:

Website: www.arcturus.tk
Note: will open new browser window

Discography

Promo 90 (1990)
My Angel (7" ep) (1991)
Constellation (ep) (1994)
Aspera Hiems Symfonia (1996/2002*)
La Masquerade Infernal (1997)
Disguised Masters (1999)
The Sham Mirrors (2002)
* reissue w/bonuses