Music for the haunted house in your mind
C. G. | Atlanta, GA | 02/20/2002
(4 out of 5 stars)
"I was fortunate enough to find both Zoar CDs in the bargain bin of my local music store (apparently they are not top 40 friendly...hmm, I wonder why?). I have to tell you...this music is pretty eerie. I liked "Cassandra", but that album is a bright, sunny day compared to "In the Bloodlit Dark". Zoar seem to be one of those bands that tries to make its members appear as almost an afterthought (kind of like London's The Egg)...they really seem to want you to believe this music just made itself. No matter who created it, though, Bloodlit is quite possibly the most frightening piece of music I've heard since Kaddish's memorial to the Holocaust, "Towering Inferno". The guitars add a progressive taste to the music here, offset by the haunting cello of Erik Friedlander. If you are a fan of Stephen King's Dark Tower series, especially "The Wastelands"...well, here is your soundtrack. The title track alone could be the theme song for the vacuum of space. I recommend listening to this album alone, on a wooden raft, in the middle of a still, foggy lake, somewhere in the English Moors...and if you don't have the means to do that, a pitch-black room should do quite nicely. Enjoy!"
Amazing!
Steven Yates | Greenville, South Carolina USA | 05/12/2004
(5 out of 5 stars)
"What first attracted me to this was the cover. I wondered if anyone could make music that matched a cover like that! Or the title: "In the Bloodlit Dark." Can anyone make music to match a *title* like that?!Zoar's answer to both: Yes! This CD is amazing! Zoar is three instrumentalists: Michael Montes on keyboards (including mellotron on "Child of God"), Peter Rundquist on electric and acoustic guitars, and Erik Friedlander on cello. Together, they are indeed "masters of the cinematic instrumental." More than that, these are soundtracks to horror movies not yet made--or maybe to your darkest nightmares. The compositions range from soaring Pink Floydian compositions ("Spiderlace," for example) to ambient-industrial sound sculptures (the title track, "Ghosts and Molecules"). Imagine Pink Floyd as a Goth band, and you'll get a basic idea how this group sounds. Great listening for thunderstorms, dark rooms, and those dark corners of your mind ..."
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S. Flask | the Pequod | 04/14/2002
(5 out of 5 stars)
"wow, this is suprisingly great. i thought it would be decent, but i really enjoy this. the other reviewer on here gives an accurate description of what you're getting here, so i won't repeat. really though, the soundscapes here let you build your own worlds and stories in your mind. this is perfect "in the dark" listening, and don't forget the headphones! great album."
Track Listings (11) - Disc #1
