Penumbra - The Last Bewitchment
CD Info
2002
Season of Mist / France
9 Tracks
Mostly English Lyrics
Penumbra is a French Gothic band, very much in the symphonic mode with a touch of the operatic and the B & B to augment that sound. They date back to some early activities in the late 90s, where they were originally known as Imperatoria. The band has gone through a plethora of personnel changes over the years and has done some 4 titles under the current name. The one under review here is a 2002 release.
Penumbra’s been around long enough to be compared to the big names in the genre: the After Forevers, the Tristanias, the Sirenias. There is that similarity. . .and it just happens to be my favorite style. Vocals are strong, there are choral elements, strong orchestration, a very strong death vocal sound, heavy guitars and some lyrics that actually make paying attention worthwhile. And, the French have their own direction sometimes, a mirror of the French personality, and it is captured within the Penumbra sound.
Classical vocals are provided primarily by female vocalist Medusa. The male death vocals come from original band member Jarlaath. Beyond that, Penumbra utilizes the typical combination of keyboardists, guitar players, drummers and additional vocalists, including clean male vocalists on occasion. Keeping track of them from one production to another is beyond my limited abilities. But, suffice it to say there are no bad musicians here, and certainly no bad vocalists. The orchestration is substantial and the vocals, both the classical and the death metal variety, are fist rate.
The sound is compelling dark symphony. This is the darker variety of gothic, classically arranged and performed in the mode of the vampiric theatre. The thundering drum lines drive the music forward; the surging female vocals are overlaid with the choral arrangements and charge towards the male death vocals interspersed with the equally strong clean male vocals. Guitars serve as background, keyboards provide fill for the most part, and orchestration is utilized intermittently as a basis for the main themes.
You won’t find a boring selection on this CD, nor will you become dulled by a similarity in the production. There are very hard numbers; there are some interesting ballads. All of it produced in the classical vein, all of it interesting and well arranged. The CD begins with Neutral, a traditional Gothic Heavy Metal selection. Orchestrated, with a strong choral component that leads to the trademark death vocals over the chorus. This is Gothic Death Metal at it’s best.
The following selection, Priestess of My Dreams, begins with a Gothic message, whispered over a soaring guitar and an ethereal female vocal. As the guitar fades, the beat increases; the instrumentation moves the song forward to the death metal vocals. The chorus increases, the guitars build and Penumbra moves us to fantasyland, a dark fantasyland of mystical sounds and feeling. Guitars become more influential on this number but it is the vocals that carry the day, beautiful vocals that few other bands can match.
The title song, The Last Bewitchment follows, and it is a rare treat indeed. This is Penumbra at it’s best, a keyboard intro with the subdued guitars held to a low dirge. Gothic in word and deed. The death metal vocals pace angrily against the soaring soprano vocals over a cushion of full orchestration. Full choral work highlights the song with the Penumbra vocals ranging overhead. The metal serves to place an edge to the number, but the direction is classical. Lyrics take us to the dark side:
This light is going out
To the world of no return
I stand as a wolf
Trying to break the spell
Your soul's in time
Lastly your gaze at me
You in your dreams you are lost
And all these silent questions
I will not answer
Cause they suggest your fall
Penumbra can move in quieter directions as well. Testament shows us the range of the female vocals. This one is orchestrated, heavily orchestrated. The vocals carry the selection but they are dark vocals. Actually, Penumbra doesn’t do much of the happy stuff, their work is on the left hand side. The selection moves towards a more metal sound as it moves forward, but the female vocals continue their lament. There is a part of the song that is spoken, not sung. And it captures a tone that is truly French in nature. There is a Dark Sanctuary feel to this song, another French Gothic troop that matches some of the Penumbra sound, but without the strong metal component. Lyrics are, as usual, of a darker perspective:
I leave no heir
I destroy all that I was
I take away in silence
All these armies in abyss
Make the truce now begin
Of this war I banish
I feel the cold reaching you
This way an episode ends
The remaining songs provide a range of styles, but the darkness is the predominant mood and sound. Penumbra utilizes a number of sounds to present their themes. These can take a number of forms. However, there is typically the metal perspective, over the orchestrated base and featuring the soaring female vocals against the typically death metal oriented male vocals.
The final selection Pie Jesu is probably the darkest one of the entire CD. There is the feel of the Gothic Cathedral, with the vampire within. Vocals are spoken over an orchestrated background in French. As the teller takes us on a dark journey, the story builds to a climax, which concludes with a human heartbeat. . . that stops as the CD ends. A perfect ending to a journey to the dark side. Our teller ends saying:
Gere curan mei finis
Lacrimosa dies illa
Qua resurget ex favilla
Judicandos homo reus
Huic ergo perce deus
Pie jesu dona eis requiem
And, with that, we end.
If you appreciate the macabre, and a serious musical journey to take you there, this is your kind of music. For sure, it ain’t boring, and the sound is well worth the listen.
9 / 10
