5/13/2010

Irezumi - Endurance (2008)

Although the name might make you think this band is Japanese, Irezumi is in fact the French based solo project of a guy named Manuel. At first glance of this wonderful digipak you'll notice beautiful snow covered mountains, and when you open it you'll notice more of the same wonders before your eyes. These landscapes are indeed fine visuals to go with this enchanting music.

Irezumi creates lush wondrous icy cold ambient music filled with melody and character that transports my mind to a place of utter bliss and tranquility. When listening to this music I'm sometimes reminded of the ambient work of Ildjarn, but also artists like Thy Veils, Asmorod, Robert Rich, and basically any other dark esoteric ambient artists you can think of. There's also a few samples spread out across the sixty sixty minutes of this recording, but they hardly distract you from the serene wintry excursion Manuel takes you through.

I've listened to this album a lot since acquiring it and I can easily see this is an album I'll continue to listen to for many years to come. Especially when the snow starts falling again or even when writing or reading a book this album will be ideal.

All in all, Irezumi is one of the most engaging and interesting ambient artists I've heard in recent years and I do hope he follows this album up with another strong release some day soon.

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