Goddakk- Monument to a Ruined Age

Artist: Goddakk
CD Title: Monument to a Ruined Age
Label: Silber Records
Reviewer: Joshua Heinrich
Date: 4/5/06

The solo project of core Plumerai member Martin Newman, Goddakk is based more in experimentation and ambience than the output of his other projects. In some ways expanding upon and altering Newman's original Goddakk Dos Dalen EP (read my review here), Monument to a Ruined Age, the project's full-length debut on Silber Records is a 9-song affair that's ambient yet highly rhythmic. Blending often unintelligible, whispery, tremolo-processed vocals with melodic loops, noise elements, and generous use of a Fender Bass VI that adds a more organic air to the affair, it's an album that's sonically interesting and compelling.

While not straying far from the formula of layered instrumental loops building sonic textures topped by more fluid melodies and vocals, it's the sonic differences in, and interplay of, these elements that separate them. The excellent "Unfortunates", for example, blends a more melodic bass riff and great organ melodies, complete with a chorus, for something far more musical, while the instrumental "Your Guilty Prize" builds melodic layers and transforms into a more noise-based piece throughout its 6 minute duration. The eerie "Human Beings" also stands out, unsettling atmospherics and haunting piano melodies creating a moody spatial void, as does the more pop-structured, ethereal "Crucify You".

While sometimes a bit formulaic, Goddakk's Monument to a Ruined Age is, overall, an interestingly textured and emotive foray into experimental ambience with a few dips into ethereal pop territory. Considerably different from Newman's work with Plumerai, it may not appeal to everyone, but will likely prove an interesting listen for experimental/ambient/ethereal fans.