Tassi dreams again.
Now signed to Dusktone, Chinese musician Dryad (Bliss-Illusion) unveils his sixth album, Idamon Novasah-Liva, in 2025.
The album consists of seven tracks, which could be translated as “strange thoughts,” forming a dark dreamlike path in which we quickly encounter whispers, choirs, and other ethereal keyboards. It’s easy to be hypnotized by the musician’s clear voice during the softest passages, such as the introduction to the first track, then the Prog/Shoegaze influences kick in to give a little rhythm to our walk until a break that offers slightly more disturbing tones. The whole thing remains calm, even when a few phrases appear to link to the second track while burying themselves in obvious melancholy, then it’s the cries and screams of pain that haunt us, setting the rhythm ablaze with a piercing darkness, letting Black Metal tinge the atmosphere while giving us a few moments of pause before facing a heavy sound on the third part. The sound is divided between an infinite tenderness linked to misty roots and the terror of screams that are transformed into reassuring words in the style of Screamo, but the fourth composition confronts us with much more raw Old School roots, which the musician sprinkles with heady keyboards. Although relatively different from the other tracks, particularly in its coldness and aggressiveness, it retains its characteristic and fascinating duality before coming to an end, leaving the fifth movement to pour out its striking despair, followed by visceral violence complemented by a minimalist approach, clear or saturated. While the instrumental takes on majestic aspects, the screams intensify and drown in sorrow before giving way to the sixth part, co-named “Sad Bird”, which lets the vocals take center stage, supported by a few guitar notes before the other instruments come into play. The rage takes over again for a moment, but the song continues gently, allowing the singer to be overwhelmed by his emotions before beginning the seventh and final track in tranquility, but also and above all finishing it with piercing screams and a simple rhythm in the background before leaving us to contemplate the silence.
Once again, Tassi demonstrates consistent versatility with ethereal riffs that the musician tinges with either gentleness or darkness. Idamon Novasah-Liva transports our minds to the far reaches of his influences, moving effortlessly from comforting Shoegaze to icy DSBM.
90/100