What lies beyond horror? On „Anomie“, Taphephobia is eager to find out. After leaving one of the genre's most revered acts, Northaunt, three years ago and after two widely applauded CDs, Ketil S. set up his own project to sail into uncharted territory. With his third album and first full-length for Reverse Alignment, he may well have arrived there.

A conscious move into „landscape-music“, using the guitar as a main instrument to lay down floating atmospheres and brittle emotional oscillations underneath haunting breaths of ice, it places the Norwegian firmly in the isolationist movement within the Ambient genre, with its roots in minimalism and an obsession for longing, yearning and deadly-still states of mind.

The idiosyncracy of his approach lies in the compactness of his scenic pieces, which only seldomly pass the five minute bar. This is by no means the result of a lack of self-confidence with regards to his compositions' value: Ketil is interested in powerful imagery, but careful not to overstretch its membrane, avoiding thwarting its impact by lingering in one sensation for too long.

It is therefore highly remarkable that „Anomie“ has ended up a work, whose individual tracks all sport their own unique ambiance, yet contribute to a cohesive overall mood. Each rupture deepens the immersion, every twist draws the listener further into this tale of mystery and imagination. Ketil finds suprising shadings, ranging from consolation to astonishment, from near-silence to majesty. And he never shies away from reaching out for new horizons: „One step closer“ magically merges two divergent pieces into one and the closing „The Final Hour“ is a gentle goodbye full of comforting harmonics, hiss and distant thunders.

The terra incognita the record is moving around in is not so much special because of its extremity, but rather because of its radically personal stance – in his heart of hearts, Ketil S. is a poet and a man who believes that the right tone or the chord can heal all wounds. Taphephobia indicates the fear of being burried alive, but with its acceptance comes clarity: Beyond horror, „Anomie“ seems to suggest, lies peace.

By Tobias Fischer

Homepage: Taphephobia
Homepage: Reverse Alignment Records