"I am a huge fan of the movie Stalker and i was enthused to hear that two artists have collaborated to create a cd inspired by the movie. I did not know of what genre the two artists would be, but upon further investigation i found them both to be the dark ambient classification. That said, i bought this cd, and was blown away by how acuratelt they captured the movies atmosphere of desolation, instilled apathy, and "greyness". You do not have to be a fan of the movie to enjoy this cd, it stands on it's own as a classic in the Ambient genre, and it's a great cd to space out to, or take a nap to..i highly recomend this cd to people who appriciate wonderfully crafted ambient and darkwave."
DARKNESS AND POWER
Larry L. Looney | Austin, Texas USA | 07/22/2003
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I?ve got other recordings by both of these artists ? so far this is my favorite from each of them. The music on this disc is very, very dark ? don?t expect anything else going into it. That statement is not meant in the least to imply, however that this work is one-dimensional ? nothing could be further from the truth. This is creativity of staggering proportions, black washes of keyboards and other instruments (and voices, I think?) that combine into music that is simultaneously beautiful and frightening in its intensity. It?s not noise ? there?s a definite structure to the works included here ? the breadth of its conception and execution is such that it can be enjoyed ambiently as well as attentively. For those listeners already familiar with the works of these artists as individuals, its easy to hear the two different personalities present in this disc ? this is truly a case of the whole being greater than the sum of the parts (and that?s saying a lot, because their work as individuals is excellent).The music was inspired ? at least in spirit ? by the Russian film of the same name, but it?s certainly not necessary to view that film to appreciate this recording. From the back cover: ?A guide to possible interpretations on an ambivalent reality; a non-Euclidian geometry as yet unmapped, inaccessible through linear perceptions; to illuminate, decode and decipher this landscape of fractured density, ultimately to reconstruct these unfolding dimensions, where dreams are only whispers.? It does all that and more. As I stated above, it can be experienced in an ambient way ? but I recommend listening to it at fairly high volume on a nice system."
Really terrific and interesting ambient
Douglas S. Benson | Burlingame, CA USA | 04/14/2004
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I'm really impressed by this album -- it's "dark ambient" (not that you need to get piercings or wear eyeshadow to enjoy it), which I suppose just means that there are dripping noises and odd little nightime crawly touches throughout, rather than happy birds and streams.
Stalker isn't the stuff of nightmares, though--it's like a soundtrack to an alien world, much like Eno's brilliant "On Land". This is an album that works phenomenally well in a dark room over a multichannel stereo, and also works very well close up over headphones--there are lots of details in the music.
For what it's worth, I'll definitely be buying more Lustmord on the strength of this one. I'd bought Steve Roach "The Magnificent Void" at the same time, and much prefer Stalker."
Soundtrack to the void and flares of emptiness
yorgos dalman | Holland, Europe | 06/26/2006
(5 out of 5 stars)
"That the collaboration of two ambient acts can have astonishing results, has been proved in the recent past by Norway's Biosphere and Scotland's Higher Intelligence Agency (they made the highly admirable and unique "Polar sequences" and "Birmingham frequencies").
Now we have Lustmord, who produced such stark, creepy dark ambient albums as "Heresy" and "The place where the black stars hang", collaborating with Robert Rich on a concept album, that had the Russian film "Stalker" as source of inspiration. The Andrei Tarkovski movie, about three men entering an undefinable "forbidden zone", had a terrific soundrack of its own, by the acclaimed Russian composer Eduard Artemjew.
But although one might expect that Lustmord and Rich have a huge admiration for both the film and its original musical design, they completely went their own way with their record, producing an eerie, chilly mood and giving us a sense that something frightning is lurking in the dark.
Sizzeling sounds, diversed iron scraping noises, musical tones that sound like psychotic whispering, hollow chants, everything is in place to put our minds and sanity to the test.
But like the best (and darkest) moments of Lustmord, the music prevails. It succeeds in taking us on a journey into the unknown, into the undesirable, into a place that is filled with loathing and despair, through an all embracing sacrilegious void, and yet, pulls us out at the last moment, to let us emerge again to the surface, and give us a new sense of brightness and illumination, as though we went through some kind of musical catharsis.
Maybe. Maybe.
"
I don' think it's scary
Patrick F Clifford | 08/09/2001
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I don't think that Stalker is especially scary. The music itself (and it is music) is very typical of Rich and Lustmord's ability to illustrate time and setting accurately and beautifully. Like the film (and I link this work inextricably to the film as a necessary companion piece), Stalker creates a dense atmosphere of knowing and unknowing, the mysterious and the obvious - both works lend themselves to many interpretations.The dialog of the film makes one point fairly obvious. This work, face value alone, may be considered dark ambient mood music. But like the visuals of the film (especially wind and water) there is much more to be experienced by looking deeply into the art. Those who look to the surface only will see something dark and scary (and hopefully well crafted). Those who stay with it and really listen will hear a distinct time, place, etc..The fact that I find it hard not to write about this work (and all of both Lustmord and Rich's other works) without confusing the visual with the auditory, speaks to its real impact.Like the best ambient (Eno, especially), the music here lends itself to many different interpretations and emotions. Unlike most ambient, the music here is frightenly visual, dense, and not to be ignored (I do not recommend that anyone listen to this while doing the dishes and it is woefully inappropriate for airports).Beautiful in execution. Frightening in impact. (Like the film)."