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ARCANA: Inner Pale Sun Release year: 2002 Tracklist: 1: My Cold Sea Total Length: 38 min General Facts: Arcana is the project of Peter Pettersson, otherwise known from Industrial mastodon Sophia and lately Victoria. This is the fourth Arcana album, named Inner Pale Sun. It is released in a standard edition as well as a limited edition of 1000 box-esets with posters. For more information on this release, read the interview with Peter made in connection to the release of this album. It is found in the 'Interviews' section. The trinity of Arcana albums ending with …the Last Embrace luckily was not the end of the chapter in the history of romantic Neo-Classical music known as Arcana. Peter Petterson arrives with a new album that will end any ominous rumour about the nature of the green Arcana CD, while at the same time consolidate Arcana’s position as one of the most interesting projects in this genre. My Cold Sea, the opening track on this CD presents a bombastic Neo-Classical piece were bombastic drums go in unity with beautiful string arrangements and emotionally spun vocal textures. The entire track reminds me of James Horner’s Braveheart soundtrack, yet with a more up-tempo approach. Without doubt, there may be an influence here and I can’t help picturing warriors engaging in battle as I hear this. Nevertheless, it serves as a brilliant, adrenalising opening track to Inner Pale Sun. Next up is Lovelorn, a sombre nocturnal piece that share some similarities with Angel of Sorrow, one of the classic tracks from Arcana’s debut album Dark Age of Reason. It is centred around relaxed melodic arrangements and a dark, pulsing bass sound, guided by the deep vocals of Peter as he sings out a lyric that reminds me of the theme from Goethe’s Die Leiden Des Jungen Werther. The ultimate love often spawns the ultimate demise. Ann-Marie Thim, the author and Peter himself who does the vocals translate this theme into music, adding a slightly darker touch to the theme. If Loverlorn creates a somewhat sombre mood, the blaze is once again lit by fiery Icons. Sonorous bell-clangs play over an eastern-tinged instrumentation and male vocals, bestowing the track with a brighter, medieval atmosphere. We Rise Above, the fourth track already appeared on the Body of Sin 7” earlier the year 2002. Along with Innocent Child and Lovelorn, it represents the strongest romantic tracks on Inner Pale Sun, mostly due to the lyrics. We Rise Above is a rather light track for being a creation of Arcana. Still it is quite stern and strong with a lyric that speaks of the hard sides of life in our time and of the value of love and friendship to function as an oasis in a twisted world like ours. The theme of the of twofold nature of existence re-appears in Innocent Child, a beautiful piano and strings ballad which is more or less dedicated to Peter's newly-born daugther. The subject is that of exstensialism and giving life to a human-being in a hard world like ours. If these tracks have softened the atmosphere, it is not going to get much more bombastic from here. After a beautiful cello intro, the track The Song of the Dead Sun presents a mighty, oriental tinged piece with hammering percussion and adventurous flute-parts. Yet, this track is quite short and soon gives room for Season of Thought, a soft, very traditional Arcana track soundwise. Strings and harps play around each other under the melancholic vocals of Peter and Ann-Marie in the only duet of this CD. At the end is a track named Closure, which for a short while in the beginning actually reminds me of Enya. It is a piano track where the warm, celestial female vocals move like veils over the acoustic backdrop. Delightfully soothing, this is a perfect terminus for the fourth Arcana album. I will not be surprised if some people complain over Arcana getting softer. Yet we must not forget that Peter's Industrial project Sophia is taking a completely opposite direction. Truly Arcana is one of the fundamental project in today’s CMI roster, along with raison d’être adding a touch of beauty to the otherwise quite ravishing and sinister nature of the music supplied by Cold Meat Industry. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ - Click here to visit the Arcana homepage |
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