Imagine a mix between Max Richter and Stars of the Lid and that’s how the sleeping room creations of Christopher Berg sound. He first put out some limited releases and online releases before he was picked up by Denovali records that already put out several old releases on vinyl. What makes this new album so outstanding? It’s the eye for details and at the right moment entering the right atmosphere with the chosen instrument.

 

Starting off with ‘The Uncanny’ beautiful but subtle melodies are hidden behind darker textures before the volume is going louder towards a climax. The classical influences are shaping the melancholy of ‘Valse Fatale’ with the violoncello of Aaron Martin and the classical schooled vocals of Mari Solaris. ‘Fatalist’ is like a soundtrack for a haunting thriller with a repeating low guitar tone together with a high violin sample that coming in and fading out of the song. This sinister hear play is continued in ‘History (Fragment)’.

 

At first you, the metalhead might taught what is Field Rotation doing on this webpage but this record and especially the first part is more haunting and darker than a bunch of metal records these days. ‘The Repetition of History’ has again a violoncello woven into the soundscape; the song simply symbolizes hope. In the 11 minute ‘The History of Repetition’ this feeling is continued and repeated until we finally dream away from the difficult things in life. Although history is repeating again and again through the ages there is always hope, this seems to be Christoph Berg’s message in these compositions.

 

One day after Valentine’s Day this record is coming out on CD and vinyl. It could’ve been the perfect present to surprise those who are not scared of a (sometimes) dark combination of ambient, soundtrack music and neo classical influences!