Spirit Tomb - 2023 - Spiritus Lacrimarum: Dolorem in Lacrimas Efundere

(66:52; Apollon Records)

Track list:
1. Alone 9:42
2. A Dream 7:30
3. Annabel Lee 12:48
4. To One in Paradise 5:52
5. Spirits of the Dead 8:54
6. The Haunted Palace 8:33
7. A Dream Within a Dream 10:31
8. Deep in Earth 3:02

Line-up:
Leon Kristoffer - vocals, instruments
with:
Lena - vocals


Norwegian project Spirit Tomb is the creative vehicle of Norwegian composer and musician Leon Kristoffer, and following an initial EP that was released in the spring of 2023 he is now out with his debut full length album. This name of this creation is "Spiritus Lacrimarum. Dolorem in Lacrimas Efundere", and was released on Norwegian label Apollon Records in the late summer of 2023.

It is very much a subtle affair we have on our hands with this album. The compositions here are very much down to Earth creations, and the only elements present are vocals, the piano and the cello. While this is a constellation of elements that can be used in a number of different manners, in terms of the overall approach, style and execution on this album I suspect neo-classical music is the best genre designation, with chamber music probably being the best specification. That being said, I'm a bit unsure if the landscapes explored here will have all that much of an appeal for an audience with classical music as their primary music of choice, as the manner in which Kristoffer explores these landscapes is firmly placed on the more unusual side of matters. The fact that the songs revolve around poems written by Edgar Allan Poe is a bit of an indication in that department.

Emotions such as sadness and sorrow are just about permanent features in the landscapes explored here, with longing and despair following close behind. Befitting the words of Poe as a writer these emotions aren't crafted and emphasized in any dramatic manner though, but rather carefully explored by way of subtle elements and careful movements and moments. Like a thief in a pitch black night, softly and slowly moving about in the darkness while creating darkness.

It is the resonating echo of a piano note executed with an unusual tone and pitch, the calm appearance of a darker piano note resonating while a soft, light toned and ghostly piano note chimes in next, the careful and borderline inaudible light toned piano patterns creepy crawling down your spine while a soft and haunting cello texture glides in and then disappears. There is nothing abrupt or dramatic happening here. But tones, notes and melodies with an ethereal feel creating the notion of the unnatural and the supernatural, conjuring ghosts in the corner of the eye and the impression of skeletons having a soft and slow dance in the closet in the next room. With a bit of a Gothic undercurrent being an occasional presence, first and foremost when the songs incorporate the use of darker toned instrument elements.

The vocals are used in a controlled manner to emphasize the moods and atmospheres. A few exceptions aside the vocals are kept subtle and careful too, with whispered vocals emphasizing a ghostly and supernatural atmosphere, delicate higher pitched emotional vocals providing or emphasizing longing, fear or sadness as befits the words spoken and the instruments supporting the vocal phrases. On a very few occasions the vocals getting tighter as despair or a possibly coiled up anger is given a more firm release. But even in those latter instances the theatrical aspects are kept at a distance, this rare occurrence of dramatic flair being one where you get the impression that what you do hear is still only the tip of a rather more substantial iceberg.

As impressive as this production is on many levels, this is also very much a niche production. This is introspective music made for people with a mind set and an interest for intent listening, material made by people and for people that have a need to listen to music as an art form and focus on that kind of enjoyment in an exclusive manner. With a certain interest in classical music being something of a requirement, and where a passion for the works of Edgar Allan Poe and an affection for the Gothic and the supernatural will be a clear advantage.

While a name like Spirit Tomb for some will come with an association towards music with a heavier and more aggressive nature, in this case this artist moniker hides a creator fond of exploring subtle moods where classical music is a clear inspiration and the material have been given liberal amounts of ethereal substance of the kind one might otherwise find in the tales of the Gothic and the supernatural written by authors back in the Victorian era or thereabouts. This is music with more of a finite and limited commercial potential I'd reckon, but for those with an interest in moods and atmospheres of a more unnerving kind that is created and crafted by way of very careful and very subtle elements, revolving around vocals, piano and the cello exploring musical landscapes with a connection to classical music first and foremost, this is an album that will be treasured and admired.

Olav M. Björnsen, August 2023

Links:
https://www.instagram.com/_spirit_tomb_aandegrav_/
https://www.apollonrecords.no/