Delerium
Karma
[Nettwerk]
Rating: 8.9
Compiling a Delerium discography isn't an easy task. First off, they're on
about half a dozen different record labels. Secondly, most of the releases
are out of print. Third, there are two techno bands that share the same
name, making the whole ordeal confusing at best.
The Delerium in question, however, is the ambient industrial duo from
Vancouver doing time on Nettwerk. Their latest release, Karma, is an
overdose follow- up to the band's previous Nettwerk release, 1994's
Semantic Spaces.
The music is a beat- heavy, flowing soundscape that comes close at times
to trance techno and is a perfect example of what happens when two
industrial megastars figure out all the other sounds their keyboards can
make. Don't be confused, Delerium is Rhys Fulber and Bill Leeb of Front
Line Assembly, in a much more mellow and groovy mood, and they've dragged
their friends along to join in the party-- most notably label- mates
Kristy Thirsk of Rose Chronicles and Sarah McLachlan.
Jumping from Enigma- esque chanting monks to
the angelic musings of Thirsk and McLachlan and back to lengthy Dead Can
Dance samples covers a wide range of musical influences,
but Delerium manages to pull off the transitions without making
you wonder if your CD player is on random play.
To be fair, what Delerium is doing isn't new, and it's never been an
original concept, but they pull it off well, making Karma a
disc that I couldn't pull from my player for weeks.
-Skaht Hansen