Godes Yrre is bringing its latest project to fruition.
Founded in Cuba in 1994 and later relocated to Switzerland, musician Abel Oliva’s (Sectarium, Spiritus) project has signed with Bitume Productions for the physical release of its fifth album, Feelings Can Burn You, which compiles his last three EPs.
We dive right in with the heady blend of gothic roots on Meditating Inside a Coffin, the opening track that mixes intoxicating harmonics with fairly heavy rhythms, but the arrival of the vocals adds an extra organic touch to this already densely layered composition. The musician really lets loose on the tortured solo, then the rhythm section becomes a bit more restless and jerky on Stranger Black Things, the next track, which also offers a wealth of elements, particularly during the passages where the keyboards are in full swing. Fortunately, there are also more stripped-down passages that contrast with the leads, yet the playful vibe remains, whereas the title track Feelings Can Burn You is far more haunting and majestic, skillfully pairing a slow rhythm section with imposing orchestrations, bringing in the vocals only fairly late in the song. It’s worth noting a slightly robotic quality to certain vocal parts, which takes on a more tragic tone on Medusa Sighs, the next track, where the rhythm section follows a similar path, becoming fairly smooth while retaining its oppressive, albeit somewhat strange at times elements. The mood grows even heavier with Swimming in the Sea of Fire, a track that at times takes on epic tones, while some passages are very simple and others are far more hypnotic thanks in particular to the keyboards and harmonicas proving relatively effective over time, unlike Kill the Jocker, which immediately unleashes its strings to catch the listener off guard before settling into a more consistent rhythm. We then move on to She Kisses Like a Mummy after the strings return, but this new track drastically shifts the atmosphere, lulling us into reassuring tones that even the raw vocals can’t quite darken, while the sparse percussion lends it an unsettling edge. Loving with Hate takes over, maintaining that intoxicating slowness and its intricate drumming, which allows the other elements to blend in seamlessly, before Poisons & Spells takes the reins with an equally mysterious and lingering approach, leading into the almost ethereal shoegaze-inspired break that brings us to the album’s end.
The band does however treat us to a bonus track: a gentle acoustic reinterpretation of the first song, titled here Meditating Inside, where Iolanu’s clean vocals are much more subdued, perfectly matching the song’s softness and giving it almost the feel of a ballad while remaining quite macabre once you understand the lyrics.
While there’s no denying that Feelings Can Burn You is very long, there’s also no hiding its intoxicating old-school roots. Although Godes Yrre is the work of a single musician, I find myself wondering what the band might sound like on stage…
75/100
