Enigmatic Sound Machines: The Hierarchies Of Angels

The Hierarchies Of Angels is the sophomore release from Montreal, Canada duo Enigmatic Sound Machine and if ever there was a fittingly named musical outfit, it may be this one right here. Enigmatic by name and enigmatic by nature, what Thomas Szirmay and Jeremie Arrobas have created, aided by Alain Roig on guitars, introduces itself by way of progressive rock, but in truth, that’s not really what’s going on. Sprinkled liberally with a selection of instrumentals, the vast majority of this album could be viewed through the lens of ambient, downbeat 80s synth-pop.

The album (or at least the version I was sent on disc - more on this later) is split into two - ‘The Morning’ and ‘The Night’ - and kicked into gear by the wordless title track. As introductions go it’s a steady yet determined entrance point and one that slowly wraps its intentions round your mind. “Inside Nowhere� continues the theme, but this time with Arrobas scything through the almost Vangelis like atmosphere with a close to spoken vocal. Again, the impact isn’t immediate but it sure takes hold and won’t let go as you allow this collection of music get under your skin. It’s a theme throughout the first half of this album, but I must admit that the more obviously, well, not ‘pop’ exactly, but song oriented structure to what is billed as ‘The Night’ portion of proceedings doesn’t satisfy so readily and while it was maybe the intention, this does indeed feel like an album of two halves. Personally for me the spell is broken and limitations such as the perfunctory vocal approach become stumbling blocks that the more austere tracks from ‘The Morning’ niftily overcame.

Interestingly - or oddly - it would appear that there are actually two official intended running orders for this experience, with the Spotify ‘etc’ download version mixing the songs from ‘Morning’ and ‘Night’ as you slide through this release. Instead, I have the ‘bandcamp download version’. Now, even before I realised any of this, I did wonder if I would connect more readily with what’s been served up here if the songs didn’t run as they do on the disc. However, being one of those weirdos without any kind of streaming account, I decided that it wasn’t really the job of the listener to attempt to find the correct sequence of an album to make the journey as smooth as it should be…

In the end, I’ve found the more restrained, introspective side of The Hierarchies Of Angels to be a really engaging, slow, but rewarding voyage of musical discovery. However, with the back end of the album failing to make the same impact, it’s with frustration that the penny I thought had dropped, remains determinedly stuck in the working of the Enigmatic Sound Machines.

Track Listing
1. The Hierarchies Of Angels
2. Inside Nowhere
3. Blurred
4. After The Flood
5. Walking Through Walls
6. Kill Switch
7. You Want
8. Something Evil
9. The Preacher (featuring The Sermon)
10. It’s A Lie
11. Stand Fall
12. When You Suffer

Added: November 26th 2024
Reviewer: Steven Reid
Score:
Related Link: Enigmatic Sound Machines on bandcamp
Hits: 124
Language: english

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