Release year: 2023
Label: House Of Mythology/Zoharum

Ambient is a tough genre for me. Which is kind of weird, because I really dig dark ambient and especially all kinds of ritualistic, droning minimalism. But “straight” ambient… that’s an entirely different cup of tea. And then, if you add world music/tribal/ethno type of elements to it; well, I can almost guarantee you I’m not going to like it.

And ten points for you if you guess what kind of music Fire Worshipper is.

Here are your ten points. You’re absolutely right: ambient, with strong world music elements expressed through tribalistic percussions, flutes and what sounds like bagpipes or some similar instrument, and so on.

I’m breaking into a rash over here.

The context of the album seems to be, as defined by the title, fire worship of different kinds. As far as I can tell, all the track titles refer to deities and entities related to fire or the sun. But how does this make itself heard on the album?

Well, because it’s ambient, not in any direct and obvious way. Perhaps there is a certain ritualistic feel to some of these tracks; an element of ceremony woven into the minimalistic, repetitive and looping elements. Ultimately, however, the unification of thematic and musical concept is left for the listener.

As alluded to above, the chips are stacked against Fire Worshipper as far as I am concerned. And I won’t lie to you: I’m not enamored by this album. The repetition, especially the seemingly endless percussive patterns, and the abstract minimalism, and the tribal/world music elements, it all rubs me all the wrong ways. Above all, I find Fire Worshipper an infuriating listen.

But at the same time, there is this sensation of awed, reverent beauty here. Of devout worshippers gathering at dawn to witness the mysterious beauty of their god unfold across the sky; of the esoteric secrets of fire manifested through skilled ritual performances as dusk spreads across the lands. And as frustrating as I find the album, this atmosphere is beautifully woven.

OK, bottom line: I don’t really like Fire Worshipper. But the odds were against it from the start, as stylistically it ticks so many of my “not a fucking chance in fucking hell” boxes. Despite this, I can and do admit the merits of the album. I think it’s safe to say that more dedicated fans of ambient will get more out of this than I did.

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