Wildhoney Review

Band	Tiamat
Album	Wildhoney
Type	Album (Studio full-length)
Released	September 1, 1994
Genres	Gothic Metal
Labels	Century Media Records
Length	42:11
Ranked	#29 for 1994 , #1,527 all-time

Reviewer :  KnightInOctober         Rating :  100 / 100

Tiamat released the brilliant magnum opus of Wildhoney in 1994. This was the fourth album in the Swedish group's catalogue and would designate a noteworthy change in their sound. Due to musical differences, founder/vocalist/guitarist Johan Edlund made the decision to remove 60% of the previous line-up (that being guitarist Thomas Petersson, drummer Niklas Estrand and keyboardist Kenneth Roos; bassist Johnny Hagel would be the only remaining member). Another reason attributed to the disintegration of the line-up was that Johan was supposedly not fully content with the previous effort from 1992, Clouds. He then proceeded with the recruitment of some new session musicians including Magnus Sahlgren on lead guitar and Lars Skold on drums. The versatile Polish musician/songwriter/producer, Waldemar Sorychta, was also brought in by Tiamat's record label, Century Media, in order to collaborate with them on the creation of Wildhoney. Not only did Waldemar produce this album, he also further contributed by playing the marvelous, atmospheric keyboards, which really elevate this album to otherworldly dimensions (without them, things would definitely just not be the same). One other special guest member present on this recording is a German female vocalist named Birgit Zacher, who lends her lovely voice on two songs.

For Wildhoney, Johan led the new incarnation of Tiamat into more experimental frontiers. On this album, the group embraces a fantastic style of Gothic Metal while also integrating a variety of other musical elements. Doses of Art Rock, Psychedelia, Folk and even Industrial and Ambient are added to the concoction (making for one eclectic musical palette). Infinitesimal traces of their original Death-Doom Metal style remain, but aren't nearly as prominent. It can be precisely for this reason alone that some fanatics of Tiamat's earlier material (particularly The Astral Sleep and Sumerian Cry) might find themselves a little disappointed with Wildhoney, as a portion of it isn't very heavy nor Metal-oriented. However, individuals who tend to be more accepting and open-minded will find that there is an abundance of things to enjoy here. Furthermore, it becomes quite apparent at specific times that one of their greatest inspirations here was the legendary British Progressive Rock band, Pink Floyd. In an interview, Johan once elaborated what his influences were and how Tiamat's sound came to be molded:

"So me and the bass player (Johnny Hagel) decided to do something which would really be a lot closer to what we personally listened to at that time - Pink Floyd and a lot of bands from the '70s like King Crimson, and the problem was that we were not experienced enough, or talented enough, to recreate the sounds of Pink Floyd. So we started to do something interesting, I think, because we were in a way a Death Metal band that wanted to sound like Pink Floyd, and we did not really manage it, but we ended up somewhere in between. That made a very original album, that is actually probably even better than blue-printing one of your favourite bands."

As for the production of this album, Waldemar did a great job as it's rather pristine (unlike that of most past releases). Regarding the cover artwork, it was done by none other than Kristian "Necrolord" Whalin (a renowned Swedish artist who has done album covers for various Metal bands including Tad Morose, Emperor, Dissection, Therion, Edge Of Sanity, Sacramentum, At The Gates, Lake Of Tears and countless others). This painting is decorated with sunflowers, roses, insects and plume-like foliage, which seem to represent the theme of nature that is found on several tracks such as the first one, "Wildhoney". This ephemeral instrumental includes acoustic strings, keys and the docile chirping of insects and birds. However, at the same time it also emanates an underlying feeling of impending danger (it makes one feel as if everything seems fine and normal on the surface, yet something mischievous is actually culminating underneath). "Whatever That Hurts" shatters the intro's delicate perception of quiescence to a thousand fragments with its dark and ominous atmosphere. Torpid, heavy Doom Metal riffs take lead with Lars Skold eventually aggregating some hard-hitting, polyrhythmic drums. Johan Edlund transitions his voice from mysterious whispers to rough, semi-Death Metal growls while eerie synthesizers remain suspended in the background. The abstract lyricism requires scrutiny in order to properly decipher.

"Cobwebs stick to molten years
Cockroaches served with cream
I wipe the silver bullet tears
And with every tear a dream"

"The Ar" splendidly captures the essence of '90s Gothic Metal. A bleak, churning guitar riff initiates as a haunting chorus follows behind. Waldemar Sorychta gives the track a mystical quality with his dazzling, bell-toned keyboards. Featured also are the soaring, operatic vocalizations of Birgit Zacher. In the middle section there is a pause where one hears desolate acoustic guitar strumming and a mechanized beat that proceeds in a repetitive motion. The vocalist can be heard muttering some words, which make allusions to "The Aryan race". The meaning behind this can be easily misinterpreted by some individuals. According to Johan, "The Ar" is the original pentagram from the Sumerian tradition. He has stated that in this time he was very much into symbols, so he ended up writing something about it. "25th Floor", a shadowy Dark Ambient track with daunting soundscapes and piano keys, conjures feelings of fright and trepidation. As a matter of fact, "25th Floor" really sounds like it was tailor-made for a Horror film soundtrack! Anyone being attentive will notice that the previous four tracks - "Wildhoney", "Whatever That Hurts", "The Ar" and "25th Floor" - are connected together. Even though they are technically separate tracks, they still almost perfectly flow into one another (like suites). I feel that it's always best to listen to these four in the correct order (as opposed to leaving the album on shuffle). "Gaia" then blossoms like a nascent rose after an epoch of darkness. This elegant composition caresses the spirit with its pulchritude and sentimental nature. Adorned with flourishing layers of symphonic keyboards and harmonious choirs, it naturally tends to have a celestial quality to it. Emotive guitar solos and a gentle touch of piano are also presented. Specific aspects of "Gaia" usually tend to remind me a little bit of Pink Floyd's "Comfortably Numb" (which surely was an inspiration).

"If the Earth is dying of a growing thirst
Rain shall fall on dried out soil
And every kind of bud shall burst
A sough of relief to insects - Turmoil"

Satanism and occultism are the main inspirations behind "Visionaire". Somber acoustic guitar and gloomy riffs are featured alongside flute-like keys and the solemn bass of Johnny Hagel. From this moment onward, the energy settles and Wildhoney gets more mellow as it progresses towards its ultimate destination. "Kaleidoscope" is a very brief instrumental with acoustic guitar set to the sound of thunder and gentle, falling rain in the background. It establishes the stage for "Do You Dream Of Me?", a misty ballad that brings to mind the music of not only King Crimson, but also Dead Can Dance. Tribalistic percussion appears in the middle of it alongside a Flamenco-styled guitar solo. Tiamat explores the cosmic universe on the Ambient instrumental of "Planets". A lonely guitar melody plays as ethereal, crystalline keyboards unravel, which help to create a serene, meditative aura. The sonic journey finalizes with "A Pocket Size Sun", a tropical-scented, psychedelic Folk song about hallucinogens (or LSD) which makes me imagine of taking a leisurely walk on an island. Since the instrumentation here tends to be on the minimalistic side, the song feels sparse and sort of stagnant. Birgit gets featured one final time as she speaks a couple of lines in a sultry tone of voice. While "A Pocket-Sized Sun" truly makes for a pleasant and relaxing listen, it ultimately drags on for a bit too long. In summary, Wildhoney is often regarded as Tiamat's greatest accomplishment. With its iridescent spectrum of music, outstanding musicianship and creativity, it is not difficult to understand why.