| Peter H. Gilmore Threnody for Humanity |
| You might expect Peter H. Gilmore, High Priest of the Church of Satan, to grace the world with yet another Death Metal CD. But if you're cringing in anticipation of Boneheaded Blasphemy From The Depths of Mom's Basement, you're in for a pleasant surprise. Gilmore'sThrenody for Humanity is utterly lacking in gravelly Cookie Monster vocals, strangled-cat guitar riffs, or all those other "Satanic" cliches you've come to know and laugh at. It's more Mahler than Manowar, more Stravinsky than Slayer -- but it's also proof that "powerful" and "melodic" aren't mutually exclusive. If Death Metal represents a Dionysian howl, Gilmore's vision is far more Appolonian. His music appeals to intelligence as much as emotion, with numerous little "Black Easter eggs" left for those who have ears to hear. The pipe-organ sounding bass line which works its way into a march in "Eternal War" evokes both J.S. Bach and John Phillip Sousa -- no mean feat. "Requiem to Morrow" gives a nod to yet another work written for film, Ralph Vaughan Williams' "Antarctica Symphony." In "Let Us Prey" Gilmore even pays tribute to Schoenberg and the Serialists with permutations on an eerie 12-tone row. With the final piece, "Rise," Gilmore reprises the moaning march of "Eternal War," resolving the tension with a sad minor chord that fades into silence. Many of today's classical composers earn their crust by writing film scores. The tunes on Threnody for Humanity were used as soundtrack music for the Nick Bougas documentaries "Death Scenes 2" and "Death Scenes 3." Gilmore has taken that music and re-sequenced it, to create a piece which evokes "angry resistance to death, irony at some of the situations which bring it about, mourning for those departed, and finally, acceptance of the inevitable ways of Nature." This goal could easily send Gilmore sliding down the Slippery Slope of Pretension... but, thankfully, he's able to pull it off. Perhaps more Goth/Industrial performers should study Elisabeth Kubler-Ross and her "stages of dying" -- it might make for more interesting listening. If you're a fan of Dark Ambient, you'll definitely enjoy this work. It's subtle enough to work as background music, yet complex enough to reward careful listening. If you're interested in Classical Music, or if you feel guilty because you aren't interested, this might be a good starting point. Gilmore's music is intelligent and classically influenced, yet accessible to someone who hasn't been exposed to the classics. TRACK LISTING Adversary Recordings |