3.5

Release data:

Irezumi – Endurance
CD, Snowblod, 2008

This album has been on my wish-list for quite some time, as I just knew it would be right up my alley.
Irezumi is a project by the young French composer Manuel Mesdag (also known as trance/dance dj MANUEL-M). “Endurance” is a concept album inspired by the Ernest Shackleton’s tragic Antarctic expedition.

The Eno-esque kindred music, presented in ten untitled tracks, is spacious due to the extensive use of reverb, and roams in beautiful dense ambience.

The non-rhythmic music and beautiful sad melodic lines evolve in a slow pace, painting moody and inspired sonic dreamscapes in one can almost sense the barren, isolated and cold conditions, for which Irezumi used synths, acoustic guitars, environmental sounds and some spoken word samples.

In addition, the immensity and majesty of the large-scale and permanently frozen continent is perfectly depicted in suspense and mysterious sonic undercurrents.

Those who love well-rendered cinematic ambient music with glacial beauty and minimal chord schemes will certainly find much of their liking on “Endurance”.
Recommended.

P.S. Irezumi released the album privately as digital download in July 2016.

Website: irezumi.bandcamp.com

You can see what reviews I have done of this artist on the Irezumi artist page.