Album Review – The Allegorist – Blind Emperor

For one empire to rise, another must fall.
For us to reach the highs, through dark holes we must crawl.
For the vision in the deep, we need,
we sacrifice and bleed, to make the leap. The Sacrifice – Poem Written by The Allegorist

As a holistic artist, Anna Jordan (The Allegorist) encapsulates a myriad of her talents within her work. Her previous albums, Hybrid Dimensions I and Hybrid Dimensions II, established her aesthetic and detailed fictitious stories, along with her own language ‘Mondoneoh‘, a language to unite all nations.

The Allegorist, has been meandering through stories with her purposeful and introspective take on electronic music. Each release explores themes that require joint participation from the listener as they look to flood your mind with images of fabled characters and places through her artistic soundscapes. Her carefully build worlds that straddle sci-fi and fantasy, feeding off of the light and dark dualism are the perfect blend of reflective contemplation and storytelling.

Her latest endeavor, and 4th (mini) album, Blind Emperor, portrays the essence of a mythical land that tells of struggle that will lead to prosperity. The protagonist, the Blind Emperor, leads the charge into a brighter tomorrow. Like chapters from a novel, each track allows the listener to be carried by the story.

It is an epic, cinematic, choral, ambient techno album. The album combines her depictive, written and musical storytelling with a concept portrayed visually, orally and audibly to deliver another saga in her ever-evolving figments of fantasy. It comes as an entire artistic project, as The Allegorist created the album art, wrote the included story and composed a poem that all combine to tell the tale of the Blind Emperor.

The Tale of The Blind Emperor Written by The Allegorist

It was once a magnificent avian wetland. An atmosphere of tranquility, a sharper light shining on hoary grass through the bleak winter are now there. There was both a soothing relief and tension in this silence. The only dirt path with an intense earthy odour was scarcely perceptible and muddy with wet decaying autumn leaves. Last night had been heavy and lowering therefore the hurrying convoy had to stop and settle down here. Walking back the steamy breath of the horses moulded into a cloud of fog from afar. The black carriage with an imposing presence was lavishly designed. Carefully fabricated, rich and expressive ornamentation decorated the wheels and sophisticated embellishments covered the body. Six sculptures of graphite black cormorants were holding a heavy black drapery fringed at the bottom falling down from the top with a reflection of a greenish-blue. The shiny lacquered surface had a metallic touch although it was said that is was constructed out of wood. For centuries the shrine had been guarded and now it was only a few days ahead.

The Allegorist discusses the album

The opening track, ‘Redwinged Phoenix‘, sets the scene with comprehensive and earnest pads tunneling out of the darkness. The yearning cry and rumbling percussion allude to a rising sensation as if it were breathing new life. Its encompassing synths deliver an eagerness for triumph.

The second track, ‘Marching Crowd‘, has boot like drums slightly tinged with rubbery acid to give velocity. The focused energy leads to an innate togetherness. ‘The Blind Emperor‘ is introduced with sacred sounds and reverenced cries. The hallowed introduction greets icy snares and a deep percussion. It embodies the character, revered for leading with esteem and conviction. They are not the perfect hero, but their turmoil has empowered them. ‚’The Sacrifice‘ speaks about the challenges in life where a groundbreaking decision has to be made and priorities has to be set. In these moments our undeniable true core becomes visible and there will be no more lies. Sometimes our paths lead through struggle and arduous endeavors and sometimes prosperity and fulfillment follows. The track is based around a choir as it guides the listener through precarious soundscapes while strength is juxtaposed with vulnerability. The choir, made up of many voices, was carefully designed from the artist‘s voice, singing in The Allegorist‘s self intended language called ‘Mondoneoh’. Its drawn-out and somber pads divulge into cocooning yet vigorous fidelity. The penultimate track, ‘Moving Forward‘, is fervorous with a sense of impending chaos. It has beguiling builds with an added punch while staying in line with the riveting sound design. The energy created within it has the listener in liberation but with a focused sense of direction. Finally, ‘War Priests‘ positions the impending culmination. With sounds that translate to a battle, the track has peaks and valleys that denotes a clash of titans. It has destructive elements, steamy stabs, sharp snares and cratering depth. By setting the final scene, it brings clarity and a conclusion to this mythological epic.

The Verdict: Dark, foreboding…………glorious. Imaginative soundscapes encompassing rumbling pads, soaring synths and low thudding beats take you on a journey of discovery. A work that fires up the imagination as the depths of its layers engulf the emotions and stir up the senses. The lush transitions of light and dark within the compositions take you through a wondrous experience of hope and despair, both immersive and powerful it was like witnessing strange unknown worlds implode and be reborn before your minds eye. An impressive and inspired work.

The Blind Emperor, is available now both digitally and on vinyl on The Allegorist‘s label, Awaken Chronicles. Vinyl: 200 limited edition 12“ Heavy Black Vinyl Record (2-page inserts)