Comus

Shadows of the Sun doesn’t start with a bang, it’s not that type of album, it does not make an immediate impression in the way you’d expect. This is an album that will stick with you long after a first listen. This album delivers a feeling, a relaxation that is so hard to replicate. Garm’s beautifully delivered vocals here are his strongest effort since his black metal days, and that’s saying a lot.


All this being said, Shadows of the Sun comes off as a very “safe” album, but I can’t say that it honestly detracts from the experience. The vocals often feel quite clumsy, especially in All the Love, but considering Ulver is a Norwegian band it is quite forgivable. That being said the general feel and beat of All the Love delivers just what is wanted, and yes I’m going to be talking about music altering emotions again; sorry. Once the beat fully kicks in it takes over, Eos will have completely disarmed the listener and once All the Love fully kicks in it is hard not to get sucked in. It’s hard to describe the desired effect here, but it’s more a trance than anything fully emotional.

I must say that the production on this has gone above and beyond, parts of this album sound very crisp, and it flows really well. Ulver have however realised that some of these albums shouldn’t sound perfectly crisp and I think this realisation has added so much to the full atmosphere of the album. What will get more and more apparent as the album goes on is just how much thought has gone into the composition and just how great Garm sounds now. It hearkens back to Kveldssanger (albeit far less harsh), Ulver’s true masterpiece, and this is definitely a good thing.


The album is very heavy in an ambient sense, there is a lot going on, and it can often be hard to take it in, it’s very dense and it just leaves you with the feeling of a foggy morning after a night out. My favourite song of course would have to be the cover of Black Sabbath’s Solitude, which is done so well here, and as always Garm’s vocals shine on.

Overall, Shadows of the Sun is a brilliant return to form for Ulver, who I have found unlistenable after Nattens Madrigal. It seems they’ve finally found a way to make good albums in this new experimental vein and I hope that this is continued. Ulver have made managed to create a lovely, lush and believable sonic experience, it’s beautifully ambient and incredibly relaxing. The only downside is that it’s too bloody short.

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