Absolute Purity

Absolute Purity

Editorial Reviews
Adrian Bromley, UNRESTRAINED!
Alas swells high and mighty within a classical metal realm of passionate vocals and solid musicianship.

Misc, 2001
9.5 / 10 Rock Hard Magazine 5 / 5 in GRINDZONE (Italy)
8 / 10 in TERRORIZER (UK)

Absolute Purity

Tracks:

Absolute Purity
The Enchanted
Endlessly Searching
Silencing The Sorrow
Loss Of A Life
Tragedies
Quest Of Serenity
Rejection Of What You Perceive
Surmounting The Masses
Bonus Track

Customer Reviews:

I was hoping for more........2007-03-03

The main reason this album gets 3 stars from me is because of my beloved singer Martina Astner.She was also one of the main reasons Therion started to get a more wide audience in 1998.Unfortunately she got pregnant and left the band after the tour.Unfortunately i haven't heared anything of her since Alas.

As for the Absolute Purity, most of the songs sound pretty mediocre.To be honest i expected quite more from a guitarist of his class.I would only recommend it for Erik Rutan's or Martina Astner's fans.Others may find some interesting pieces of music, but nothing realy special.

excellent prog metal.......2006-05-26

I have seen some of the reviews below that simply baffle me. Those of you that so dislike this album probably would have despised PESTILENCE's "Spheres" when it came out as well over 10 years ago. Music like this may not be within "mainstream" tastes, but then again neither is SUNN O))) or SKULLFLOWER, but they are brilliant nonetheless. Rutan is trying to stretch the boundaries of 'metal' here and he grandly succeeds. If you are looking for instantly memorable refrains - please go back to your Dave Matthews CD's --- stay away from anything like this that might challenge your definition of music.

Unique, but...........2006-01-19

Frequently lacking diversity. Absolute purity is one of the most proggy albums I have heard from a female fronted metal band. The album is driven by Eric Rutan's outstanding guitar playing, which is dark and melodic, but doesn't venture into the brutal death metal he is known for. Martina Astner's vocals provide a relatively simple melodic counterpoint to Rutan's complex riffing, and are quite high in the mix. Unfortunately, Astner doesn't exhibit much vocal range or diversity on this recording, which I feel leads to a feeling of sameness for many songs. The frequent keyboard sections tend to use the same tones as well, and the (obviously quite capable) drummer seems content to simply sit back and keep time throughout; factors which also contribute to this problem. I feel like to some degree, this album is a missed opportunity. I can't think of another album in the genera that sounds remotely like it, but at the same time, many of the songs are almost interchangeable in overall feeling. Ultimately, a few outstanding tracks (Absolute Purity, Loss of a Life) and a very distinctive tone make this an album worth buying, but it could have been much more.

Edit - After owning this for most of a year, I really don't find myself coming back to it much. It is just too homogenious. I'd have to give it no more than three stars now.

Worth every penny! (maximum: 72 pennies).......2005-09-02

Gah! This CD is terrifically bad! For proof that looking for a variety of groups that capture the lovely heavy-music/femme-vocalist vibe can be hazardous to your audiological health, look no further than Alas.

Note to self: from now on, pay attention to the prices people are asking for second-hand copies of a CD. I'm beginning to think that this is a better indicator of a band's quality than any snobbish music critic's fawning review. When a CD is barely a few years old and people are selling brand-new, shrink-wrapped copies of it for two bucks and change, well, the laws of supply and demand might be working pretty efficiently here.

What an appropriate name, "Alas". It's what you'll say after you buy this CD (for far less than sticker price, I hope), place it in your CD player, and listen to it all the way through. "Alas!" you'll scream, clutching the sides of your head in agony and writhing upon the floor.

Seriously, folks. The first (and only) time I listened to this CD all the way through, I literally felt a palpable sense of relief when it ended and blessed silence once again reigned. This hasn't happened to me since my wife forced me to listen to a CD titled "Pop Princesses" on one particularly long and painful road trip.

If you're curious about who makes up this travesty of a band and their backgrounds, please refer to the other reviews that have been written here. Having pursued a career somewhat more enjoyable and lucrative than "Bitter Independent Record Store Clerk," I honestly don't know who these musicians are, or what "projects" they've worked on in the past, or what other fine pedigrees they may possess. All I know is: this is one bad CD.

I guess you could describe this music style as a blend of atonal prog-rock and metal of some sort. Oh, and throw "unlistenable" into that mix as well. The lead singer, whatever her name is and like that really matters, has a decent voice, with a limited range. Not that you can really hear it too much, as she seems to have been placed roughly 18 feet away from the microphone during recording sessions. The guitars are good I suppose, but that drummer! Holy smokes, the drummer is rubbish! He seems to have the technical skills of some 16-year-old kid who just found his dad's drum set in the basement and has been practicing hard for a couple weeks.

And before you say it: no, I cannot drum. I cannot sing. I cannot play a guitar. I admit this freely. So don't get all huffy and write a scathing counterpoint review defending musicians you don't even know and who probably wouldn't even blink an eye if their tour bus ran you over, you big musical nerd.

Really, if you're interested in this group, make sure you listen to all the sound samples you can get your hands on before making a choice to buy the CD. Take a lesson from me: I paid less than 1/4 of the retail price, and I STILL feel gypped.

And here's the obligatory List Of Bands I Think Are Better Than This One If You Like Female-Fronted Metal Groups: Within Temptation, Lacuna Coil, Nightwish (their first 3 albums only), Oratory, and best of all, Leaves' Eyes. Put albums from all these groups in your CD changer at one time and it would explode from sheer awesomeness.

Why 2 stars instead of 1? Well, the lead singer is alright (when you can hear her). And, my CD came in this cardboard clamshell case with a sweet cover design, and included a free fold-out poster of the band. Yay.

Femme-Goth at it's best!.......2005-07-24

In the Femme-Goth genre, this group of talented individuals gives me that "chill-of-delight" that I feel when I hear a woman use her voice to it's ultimate nature, and musicians who aren't apprehensive about taking chances with odd timings and style. This group is awesome! Simply, and I don't like to compare bands, but if you like Edenbridge, Pettalom, Chalice, older Nightwish, Therion, Artrosis, WT, and the like, you'll dig this band bigtime!

Average customer rating:

Absolute Purity
Alas
Manufacturer: Hammerheart
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Death Metal | Hard Rock & Metal | Styles | Music

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ASIN: B00005MCRQ

Tracks:

Absolute Purity
Enchanted
Endlessly Searching
Silencing the Sorrow
Loss of a Life
Tragedies
Quest of Serenity
Rejection of What You Perceive
Surmounting the Masses

Album Description

Limited edition of 2001 debut for Hammerheart recording artists. Atmospheric metal with female vocals on a completely different level. Featuring Erik Rutan of Morbid Angel/Hate Eternal & Martina Astner, formerly of THERION. Very powerful and clear product