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COPH NIA: Shape Shifter Release year: 2003 Format: CD Tracklist: I: The hall of truth Total length: 58 min General Facts: COPH NIA is an Industrial/Dark Ambient/Neo-classical hybrid from the south of Sweden. The project has existed in a different formation since 1995 but when the debut That Which Remains arrived in 2000, the project was a one-man band lead by Aldenon Satorial. Since the release of the debut, an EP by the name Holy War EP has been released in a limited edition of 3000 copies. There has also been an album named That Which is Remade which is a series of remixes of tracks from the debut. Shape Shifter is COPH NIA's second full-length released and it is focusing more on the use of vocals than on the debut. Roughly at the same time, a split 12" with the legendary Swedish act BRIGHTER DEATH NOW arrived, also on CMI. Read the extensive COPH NIA interview on this site to find out more about the project and this album. Review: Followed by Aldenon's manic laughter, a very sincere testimony opens this album with a flood of sinful acts and devious deeds admitted. Already from the beginning are we beset by what society may label as utterly illicit social behaviour and this more or less this reflect COPH NIA's manifesto and cause in this realm of darker sounds. Even though provocative and extremely sincere, these confessions are hardly shocking. I see or hear lines like these every day in American talkshows and I guess I have become more or less immune to the effect that such words would have upon another. This reaction, or perhaps lack of one put things in an interesting perspective however and such is nature of Shape Shifter, constanly twisting around and viewing itself from different angles. Reminiscent of IN SLAUGHTER NATIVES with its licking rhythm and falling trumpet calls, The hall of truth is a brilliant opening track to such an album. One of the most characteristic aspects of this CD is the powerful voice and this is just not in The hall of truth. Nearly all the tracks have Aldenon present on vocals and they sort of dominate the tracks, giving them identity as each track has a unique lyrical theme. We shall return to some of these later in this review. A common denominator in the lyrics seems to be a will to stray from the conventional laws and norms of society in order to fullfil the self and gain true knowledge of the world. This means a dissolving questioning of that which for the most goes unquestioned in our normal life, namely the invisible chains and norms which constantly exist between different humans in a society without anyone ever being able to pinpoint its true origin or reason. Yet not with reason are such chains and norms dissolved but instead by face-to-face confrontation or by circumventing them by exposing their dusty foundation for what it is. This without trying to find rational loopholes or bad excuses for justification but instead by placing the self - freed from all invisible chains of obligation and with hands untied - on the high piedestal of life. This is a mere simplification but I will not stay by reviewing this projects ideology but instead continue reviewing what actually counts when I get it on CD, namely the music. Another track that is closer to ambient is To Fix the Shadow, though it is probably the closest to a COPH NIA ballad we have heard so far. The lyrics speak of loneliness and solitude and the flow of time and the it is the calmest track on this album. It is droning, sometimes reminiscent of RAISON D'ÊTRE with its gregorian chantings and bells but with spoken words as well. Other than these two, the rest of the album is much more powerful soundwise. Lord of the Air is a very majestic tune with a voice chanting out a strange mantra over a stern wall of martial orchestra sounds. It is probably the most instrumental track on this CD. Another mighty tracks is Gnostic Anthem were Aldenon's vocals are used in a way that they have never been used before, chanting out an excerpt from Liber XV - The Gnostic Mass. Then there is the panegyric anthem Hymn to Pan. The vocals remind me a bit of Michael Moynihan's very stern voice as he sounds in BLOOD AXIS. It goes well over the raw piano in the background, giving the track a very masculine feel to the "ultra-male" lyrics. It isn't as "esoteric" as the other tracks I guess, instead a bit more "heathen" with plain language lyrically I guess. One of the most untraditional original COPH NIA track is definitely Call of the Jackal. It is a track which could be danceable with its fast rhythms and Industrial beats. I guess many will question if this isn't also a cover once they hear it. I think it is nice track but I'm glad it is put in the end since it is so different from the rest of the tracks. I'm not sure I like the covers that much, the Stigmata Martyr [BAUHAUS] cover is nice - a bit more downpitched than the original with dark choirs - yet I don't think it really fit on the album. It is too far from COPH NIA's original sound, not as dark or esoteric. Yet at the time all of the tracks are unique and there are only two covers so the effect is sort of lessened by this. Unlike with BAUHAUS, I am afraid I have never heard the original version of LEATHER NUN's Prime Mover so I feel that I cannot really relate to how the track originally sound. I think this version is a quite weak track however with a corny lyric and a boring, far too slow songstructure. I guess old-schoolers will react differently than I did when they hear it, I didn't like it. In conclusion however, this is definitely a nice progress since Holy War E.P and That Which Remains with COPH NIA displaying even more sides of their dark music. I think it has been proved by now that this is a band that will not stagnate or take to travelling on established roads to reach their musical goals. One may feel a bit lost at times since every track sounds so different from the other. I also think that this album isn't as atmospheric as That Which Remains and Holy War EP even though the songstructures are more sophisticated. These are the only negative aspects I can think of. Nevertheless, this album is certainly a well-forged one that shouldn't be missed. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ - Click here to enter the Coph Nia website - Click here to contact Coph Nia |
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