Genre: Neo-classical / Dark Ambient

01 Abrakt
02 Sigh Of Relief
03 Invisible Motions
04 Outside Your World
05 Parisal
06 Autumnal
07 Out Of The Gray Ashes
08 Lost In Time
09 In Remembrance
10 Circumspection

Four years on from their last album, Le Serpent Rouge, the Swedish quintet led by Peter Bjärgö returns with Raspail, their sixth album and their strongest set of songs to date. There are still significant traces of the middle-eastern influences and ethnic instrumentation that were so prominent on Le Serpent Rouge, but Raspail finds the band drawing on the moods and atmospheres of all of their previous releases, from the melancholic darkness of Dark Age Of Reason through the neo-classical grandeur of Inner Pale Sun to the piquant exotica of Le Serpent Rouge, synthesising all these elements into a newly holistic entity, a supremely confident ensemble at the height of their powers. Arcana are blessed with three exceptional vocalists in Bjärgö himself, his wife Ia, and Ann-Mari Thim, and vocals play a more prominent role on Raspail than on any previous Arcana album.

Raspail’s ten tracks occupy an all-too-brief 38 minutes of playing time, commencing with the stately minor-key chords of ‘Abrakt’. A cold and gloomy atmosphere is conjured as Peter Bjärgö’s commanding baritone voice delineates an apocalyptic vision of human extinction, a subject which will be returned to later in the album on the standout track ‘Out Of The Gray Ashes’. This is followed by ‘Sigh Of Relief’, a muted and gentle short instrumental piece dominated by a tinkling piano line, which does indeed provide some respite after the strident dramatics of ‘Abrakt’. ‘Invisible Motions’ features the first female vocals on Raspail – with the song being something of a showcase for the talents of Ia Bjärgö, who sings her own lyrics over a powerful backdrop of percussion provided by Matthias Borgh. ‘Outside Your World’ returns to the piano lines of ‘Sigh Of Relief’, this time accompanied by Peter’s vocals, starting with whispers of yearning low in the mix, but blossoming magnificently into graceful expanses of bittersweet melancholy.

The next three songs constitute the real core of Raspail, and each is outstanding in its own way. The instrumental ‘Parisal’ hearkens back to the middle-eastern palette of Le Serpent Rouge, with hammered dulcimer and a sinuous, droning reed instrument, something like a zurna, I think, writhing hypnotically over djembe and darabouka drums. ‘Autumnal’ is another female vocal showcase track like ‘Invisible Motions’, with the lyrics and soaring operatic soprano voice of Ann-Mari Thim being the focus of attention this time. The sparse, repetitious piano line here recalls some of Burzum’s minimalist ambient pieces such as ‘Tomhet’. After this, Peter’s voice returns on ‘Out Of The Gray Ashes’, along with female backing vocals, forcefully strummed acoustic guitar – the first guitar on the album – and more dulcimer. Here, as on much of 2002’s Inner Pale Sun album, Peter’s deep, warm yet desolate vocals and the overall arrangement of the song are reminiscent of Burning World-era Swans. The lyrics describe post-apocalyptic devastation, yet they offer a slim hope of redemption and regeneration:

Out of the gray ashes A seed will grow…

‘Lost In Time’ maintains the expansive, complex sounds of the previous track, with interesting percussion including finger cymbals and orchestral strings providing the foundation over which Peter laments a lost love. ‘In Remembrance’ is another brief, piano-led instrumental in the vein of ‘Sigh Of Relief’ – these pieces provide restful interludes between the louder, more dramatic songs, with a blend of distant, reverbed piano with ambient atmospherics that is reminiscent of the work of fellow Swedes and one-time Cold Meat Industry labelmates Beyond Sensory Experience. After this, it seems as if a big production number to close the album is a foregone conclusion. Arcana manage to second-guess you, though, and closing track ‘Circumspection’ maintains the downbeat mood, however, with whispered male vocals over slow sweeps of orchestral strings and wordless female vocals, an artfully anticlimactic conclusion to a wonderful album.

As the Raspail press release acknowledges, Arcana have always been and will continue to be compared to Dead Can Dance, but whilst it’s undeniable that Dead Can Dance have provided a major wellspring of inspiration for Arcana, it’s also evident that Arcana have now proved themselves to be so much more than mere copyists. The emotional atmospheres evoked by Raspail are as invitingly shadowy and enticing as the lush green woodlands of the album’s booklet photography, and worlds apart from the callow melodramatics of the legions of darkness-fixated goth bands, who’d sell their souls to sound like Arcana if only they had the imagination. Raspail is highly recommended to all those whose inclinations towards the dark side are refracted through subtlety and intelligence. Long-time Arcana fans will find their faith in the band amply justified here, whilst for those who have yet to discover the band’s delights, there’s no better place to start – although after six albums, isn’t it about time for a ‘Best Of’ collection? And on a personal note, I’m very much looking forward to seeing Arcana’s first-ever UK performance, supporting Sol Invictus in London on October 4.