Rating: 8.2

Country: USA

Release Date: 2006

Track list:
1. Eltanin Shadowcast
2. Celestial
3. Major Tom (Coming Home)
4. Culmination
5. In Dusk Apparition

Vulpecula - In Dusk Apparition

Chuck Keller – vocals, guitars, bass, keyboards/fx
Chris Overton – drums, keyboards

Well, this one was certainly a long time coming. Along with Ares Kingdom, Vulpecula is the brainchild of legendary former Order From Chaos axeman Chuck Keller, and as such was always expected to rise to greatness just like his former band. After the release of the 'Fons Immortalis' EP in 1997, Vulpecula became awfully quiet, with the promised full length album 'Down Among Them' being constantly delayed and never surfacing. As it turns out, the album was never recorded and the project had, in fact, been terminated as far back as 1999.

'In Dusk Apparition' is essentially unreleased demo material intended for 'Down Among Them'. With that in mind, this is a surprisingly brilliant piece of work. Far from sounding like an unfinished mess, the four demo tracks contained herein are epic, spellbinding pieces of work. It's also very difficult to think of anything to compare this to.According to the biography contained in the booklet, it was Chuck's intent to create a fusion of death metal and “ambient space music” such as Vangelis and Steve Roach. Now, nothing here reminds me of the legendary scores from Blade Runner or Chariots of Fire, but there's certainly a fine balance going on between aggression and transcendence.

I guess the only thing within the metal realm I could compare this to would be later Vintersorg, but that's an extremely nebulous connection. Vulpecula is a lot more abstract and less melodramatic than such a comparison would suggest, instead concentrating on building atmosphere through long repeating passages and sublime use of subtle melody. Vocals are buried and raspy, acting more as an atmospheric instrument rather than a focal point, never detracting from the eerie feel which permeates the songs.

The odd song out here is “Major Tom (Coming Home)”, which appears to be something of a tribute to David Bowie's classic “Space Oddity”. It kicks off with some heavily processed synth, before launching into an almost punkish slow-burning rock riff. This track was recorded much earlier and previously released on a compilation tape, so it's a fair bit simpler and has a much more guitar-heavy mix than the other tracks, but it doesn't stick out so much that it becomes a distraction.

This is a great CD for spinning when you want to relax without being lulled to sleep. It's simultaneously hypnotic and infused with plenty of metallic power, a rare balance in this age of “ambient metal” gone too far into ambient territory. Just don't expect 'An Ending In Fire' Part II, because this is a different beast altogether.

June 14th, 2006