With “October After All” MARSH has come up with a beautiful, atmospheric, prog album that features both alternative rock and jazz elements.Media/Samples
Written and recorded in seven days, The Black Sun Shining is a linked 7 part 42-minute song-cycle intended to be listened to as one continuous piece of music.
An instinctive follow-up to Marsh's 2014 debut solo album, The Black Sun Shining's hypnotic opening seamlessly segues into variously intense, dissonant and achingly fragile sections.
As with his previous solo album, The Black Sun Shining was performed, recorded and produced by Marsh alone. Adopting a different approach to his previous work, the album introduces more ethnic rhythm patterns and, at times, a stark, harmonic minimalism.
‘Sentiment’ is a journey into the darker side of the soul, both musically & lyrically, and is by far the most personal statement that Marsh has produced. Sonically & texturally, this is a dense album, full of thick atmospheres & intense dynamics, with songs that will grip you and keep you on the edge of your seat.
Following the success of Kaukasus’ debut album earlier this year, Marsh has continued down the same road, mood-wise, but brought the dark atmospheres into a more song-based setting — combining a similar intensity with more classic structures, leading to captivating & striking results.
From the outset, the urgency of 'Sentiment' breaks through the speakers with the first alarm-like chords of 'Calling In The Night', which will fight for your attention, and most likely win. The intensity runs straight through into the furiously-paced 'Burn The Brightest Day', the folk-noir tones of 'Pictures Of Ashes', and the ominous electronica-edged 'The Seventh Face'. It's only when we reach 'The Ghost Ship' that we're allowed a moment to reflect — the melancholy taking the forefront, giving us some room to breathe. It's here that most Autumn Ghost fans will find comfort, but that comfort doesn't last for long...
The grandiose 'In The Sand' sets off the second half, its sonic beauty hiding a much darker lyrical theme. 'Last November' begins as a catchy, upbeat number, before taking a turn, leading us straight back into the maelstrom of harmonic chaos. The final two songs descend into the heaviest and darkest sounds that Marsh has released to date — 'Silver Light & Blackened Eyes', with its nightmarish chromatic patterns, and 'Give Me (What You Need)', which pushes further and further towards the sun, before burning out in a wall of distortion and feedback.
The feeling of 'Sentiment' is urgent and intense. There's nowhere to hide in this music, wrapped in fuzz guitars, imposing bass synth, merciless rhythms and dissonant colourings. Its abrasive textures and unexpected turns — mixed with the contrast of Marsh’s trademark beautiful melodies, twisted here to a new dimension — will keep the comfort levels to the minimum.