Severum - Monarch Arcade

Review by Karl Magi

Overall Album Impressions

Severum’s Monarch Arcade is permeated by shadows and driven by surging power. It captures the feeling of an ominous, digital world that seethes and heaves with dark energy. Severum layers sounds to paint strong auditory imagery and explores broad ranges of timbres, tones and textures as the album unfolds. The end result lays out a strongly detailed synthscape through which the listener can roam.

The ominous quality that Monarch Arcade exudes is one of the album's strong points. Severum creates a tense atmosphere full of massive weight and growing shadows. Each track has a sensation of danger woven by massive bass, heavy-duty drums and synths that generate sensations of shadow and gruff power. The overall synthscape is one that feels threatening and perilous in a way that I enjoy.

There’s also a sense of tremendous power and motion that seizes Monarch Arcade. Trumpeting synths, majestic melodies and arpeggios that whirl with cosmic power all combine to propel the music with speed and force. When the battering drums and active bass lines are added to the mix, the end result charges onward and drives forward with terrifying energy. It’s a feeling I find pleasing as it permeates the album.

Intensely intertwined, richly textured synths all come together to create unique soundscapes on the album. There’s a broad variation in terms of synth tones that range from clarion light to urgent shadow while textures run the gamut from ethereal smoothness to guttural gruffness and the timbres can vary intensely to produce different sonic imagery. The total package is one that keeps my ears engaged and excited for what will happen next.

My Favourite Tracks Analyzed

“Polybius” starts as gruff, ultra-low sound growls in and begins to rise, rise and rise again until it becomes a screaming, gritty slash. The throbbing drumbeat’s weight moves under an angular, oscillating, twisting melody with a jagged edge. The melody wriggles over the relentless drums and propulsive bass in a dynamic, sharp-edged line.

Digital sounds capture the arcade game atmosphere as they tremble and shift with urgent darkness. Hard-edged, rough bass shifts and a steady ticking sound contributes more energy to the track. A warmer arpeggiating pattern dances through the music in oscillating, rising ripples before and the drums slow to half time under the twisting, sharp synth angles.

A sweeping wind moves through as the rapidly trembling synth is joined by speeding drums and blocks of active synth chords. The beat has strong forward motion as the arpeggios whirl. A half time drumbeat throbs in again while the angular lead synth moves. The track ends on bright flowing synths fading into silence.

Rapidly striking snare drum and gruff, oscillating bass notes drive forward in a propulsive rush to kick off "Monarch Arcade”. After a quick drum fill, minor key chords with round tones float in quick succession as wind sweeps and the unrelenting drums keep charging. Chords swirl and rise, adding shadowy energy as bass oscillates while the drums strike.

Broad, gritty synth notes move in an angular pattern along with the charging beat as a voice counts down. A madly tapping hi-hat is joined by flashing, dangerous synth chords that tumble through the music as the drums keep adding speed and motion.

The synth chords have an organ-like quality, lending a pleasingly portentous quality as the tempo speeds along. Hollow drums burst and break as quick, subdued arpeggios spin. Silence falls after the unaccompanied synth chords shift.

Glowing, shimmering synth chords move over actively throbbing bass and a kick drum heartbeat to start “Night Time Bike Fly II.” Elevated, shining arpeggios undulate above the hollow percussion and deep bass. Now gleaming, raised synths call out in an enjoyable melody that’s full of dreaming energy and bright life over steadily pulsating drums.

The main melody has a wandering quality that moves into drum pulse, bass throb and glistening chords. Arpeggios roam in waves as a uniform background glow keeps fills the track with light and the drums and bass guide the music. After a drum fill, the leaping main melody roams with a sense of optimism and dynamic strength.

Kick drum thuds and bass shifts while repeating arpeggios imbue the music with textural motion. The hi-hat taps away, creating an even stronger pulse below the circular motion. The track ends on active synth chords and the drumbeat’s steady time-keeping that eventually fades to drifting chords.

“Eternal: Time Travel II’ begins as ethereal, starry chords flow out into space in a cosmic line, echoing and distorting slightly. Bass undulation and smoothly pulsating drums guide the track before synths flash out in climbing, coruscating notes. Drums and bass add forward motion and solid weight to effectively anchor the lighter notes. Drums and bass drop out as fragile sonic tendrils flicker.

As the drums return, a very high, taut synth cries out in a dynamic line that is doubled by trumpeting synths. Elevated arpeggios dance rapidly, adding a sense of acceleration before the track returns to delicate synth notes drifting into space.  I am drawn in by the balance and contrast in this track.

High synth with a sharp gleam sings out a melody full of a sense of speed, given power by the brassy synth line that doubles it. Wide arpeggios swirl again as raised notes soar higher in the background to add intensity while the percussion pulsates. We fall silent on high notes.

Powerful drums throb in along with a rapidly arpeggiating harpsichord synth to open “Haunted Nights.” The harpsichord sound wildly leaps and cascades over a gruff throb of synth and pounding drums. I enjoy the way in which this track is full of palpable terror and rising tension

A repeating line of dense, medium-low synth begins to wander darkly while distorted, whispering voices moves with the rapid bass oscillation. Wide, rough synths move in an undulating line while the drums hit me deep in the chest. Angular, slicing arpeggios spin while a quick drum fill throbs in.

There’s a return to the threatening, breaking pattern of roving synth. Lines of densely intertwined sound are joined by twisting, nervous synth above them.The beat keeps pulsing, guiding the music as the shadowy synth pattern of shifts, subdivides and moves. The harpsichord arpeggiation goes onward until everything abruptly ends.

“Colours” kicks off as digital-sounding, open-voiced synth and solidly pounding drums join dense, oscillating bass. The drums create a steady throb as digital-sounding synth carries a lost and drifting melody that is taken up by a more muscled, broad-sounding synth.

Active bass shifts rapidly and the drums add even more speed to the proceedings as the angular bass writhes. After a sweeping sound comes in, the medium-low, thick synth pattern drives in with surging power.

I am compelled by the sense of darkness looming from the slightly hissing synths. The drums keep up their heartbeat and bass waves shift quickly. Once again, open-voiced synth roams through the music in slow moving lines as the drum and bass throb continues far below.

Incredibly low bass throbs massively as elevated, writhing sounds shiver and hard-hitting drums pound to open “東京 2683.” High above, full synths distantly slide and wide-band, slowly twirling arpeggios add more strength over the gigantic drum and bass weight. The lead synth melody breaks the arpeggios into majestic melodic moments as the drums and bass take on a tripping, dragging motion.

Shining, medium-low synth carries out in a floating, trumpeting pattern and wind sweeps through the music. The speeding drums and bass charge again as the dense, rough-edged arpeggios spin.The main melody has an almost classical influence to it as the arpeggios whirl along to shape the track.

Underneath it all, the track’s low end drives forward with accelerative speed. The entire piece of music exudes palpable motion and effectively conveyed energy as it unfolds. The music ends on quickly volleying, high synth sounds and the thunderous power of drums and bass.

“Under Our Stars (Never Lost” comes to life as resonant, deep synth chords burst out amongst the lost, floating sounds of space.  A wide-sounding, majestic synth carries a melody that exudes positive energy and a reassuring sense of optimism over steadily pulsing snare and kick drum. Bell-like chords dance out beneath the main melody as it dynamically evolves. I am enamoured of the way in which the main melody is hopeful and full of encouragement.

Drums burst into a solidly guiding beat as cosmic sounds float and medium-low, dense synth lines climb upwards, further emphasizing the music's uplifting qualities. Now drums stutter as the energetic, open-sounding synth carries a shifting melodic pattern, as rumbling bass and darker chords add more shadow. After a brief drum fill, the main melody rises again with its majestic emotional tenor as the massive drums throb onwards and bells distantly chime.

There’s a growing motion in the music as the space sounds delicately drift and rising synth lines create yearning emotion. Choral voices add to the power and nobility of the music and the drums provide a steady heartbeat. Slightly rough-edged synths climb and fade into drifting openness as planetary sounds move through the music.

Fragile, tenuous synths roam into slowly expanding, twisting sounds that permeate the music with serenity and ease. Profound calm radiates through the music as distant, strange sounds chirr and move past. The music has become cooling and smooth, trembling sounds wandering into open space as elevated sparkles flash. The entire track breathes with a peaceful light that I deeply enjoy.

Conclusion

Monarch Arcade is an album that succeeds in creating unique, engaging audio imagery.  The music takes listeners on a journey through shadow and surging power, across vast soundscapes and into different emotional and psychological states as it unfolds.