I really like the intense complexity with which you are immediately and unavoidably exposed to, this is music with feeling. Sure of itself and well accomplished instrumentation and general concocting, etc. As has been noted it is a fair sized piece of work and I agree that it has been well achieved, proof perhaps of an genuine talent? There is a wonderful mix of sounds and rhythms, and the classical structure forms a durable framework, in karhu's capable hands and mind. The creation of a soundscape into which one may transcend and explore...

ever since karhu put up their 7/16 demo, was itching for the full release. here it is and it is simple awesome!

plein de bonnes idées originales pour des mélanges breaks electroniques/symphonies... le travail sur les musiques de metropolis est bien creusé

Merci à mon ami PBG 74!qui m'a recommandé cet album. Symphonie contemporaine, captante dés le début, des arrangements musicaux riches, audacieux, innovants. Les sources classiques se marient fort bien avec l'électro , les tempos sont complexes, les sonorités également, je me laisse emportée par ces vagues....(4ème morceau) Le morceau suivant joue dans les dissonances, il a un côté indus, puis l'harmonie revient, comme aprés la tourmente, affaiblie... 6ème morceau magnifique dans ses accents contemporains, le piano est là, magique, la suite orchestrale témoigne d'une maitrise étonnante, puis s'enchaine une séquence rock lente avec des guitares souveraines: bravo pour cette alliance!! Il semblerait que nous n'ayons pas affaire à des débutants...Quel "Entracte"!!( effets vocaux intéressants) La Fête continue: orchestration étonnante et superbe!!!avec des coeurs qui évoluent en vague. Pour moi cette musique est un reflet dérangeant et beau comme notre temps...Il résonne la vie et ses dissonnances de façon magistrale. "Intermezzo" une mélodie un fond une batterie, des voix, tout ça "parle" et, c'est beau vraiment...ça "parle" au-de-là des mots. "Butterfly" Le Trip Hop se déroule en vague, toujours, c'est complètement étonnant. Les morceaux suivants étant toujours aussi bons, j'écoute: de l'ampleur, des dissonances réussies que dire sinon que cet album est particulier et réclame le détour.... "Velvet Movement 3" est grandiose tout simplement! il peut s'entendre dans une salle de concert comme dans une cathédrale...Je vois des vitraux aux couleurs splendides pour un Réquiem des temps moderns stigmatisé par tant de choses... Si la magie de la musique est de retranscrire l'insupportable et de rejoindre l'absolu, alors je dirais qu'ils y sont arrivés! le trip hop est littéralement transcendé.... Oeuvre magistrale.

Strange work spanning many genres. Most of the time overbearingly complex beats and constantly switching instrumentation create a chaotic soundscape which portrays as many hopes, dreams and fears as may generally exist in a metropolis. This album is just so much - from atmospheric, gentle symphony to harsh trip hop to dark ambient to unclassifiable and onward, lasting a thick 76 minutes. It's a release whose ambition no one can deny, and which will truly captivate you if you just let it.

karhu's "Sinfonia for the Blunt Sword" will show you a new world, taking you on a trip through its capital: an allegoric, rumbling, beautifully built Newtopia... So sit back, relax... and fasten your seatbelts! Already the OUVERTURE makes you become aware of the fact that this release grounds on some dark soil to finally breed and build true beauty. NEWTOPIA makes you familiar with the pulse of its streets in a wild jazz session. INTERMEZZO I is simply beautiful. It feels like floating over the rooftops of the city. This is big. PAPERTIGER is straight, energetic rap combined with an arrangement that throws you almost through the wall, surprising you every second. LILAC is one of the most complex tracks of the album. You'll probably have to listen to it several times to find your approach to its dramaturgy. The most "an album on its own" track, if you like. ENTR'ACTE I skillfully seduces you, lures you into some of the hottest parts of Newtopia. So beautiful... MARCH is highly addictive. It's a wild rush through Newtopias places, parks and attractions. You could get a "runner's high" from that one. VAKUUM is really haunting, reflecting Newtopias darkest side - the possibility that it will be built by the wrong people. INTERMEZZO II is sad, very sad and melacholic - seemingly for what VAKUUM just brought up - but also relieving and beautiful. BUTTERFLY tells of the fight for Newtopia - past and present. YELLOW is hypnotic. Building up rough yet shading skylines with a mad, angry preacherman appearing above them. PRINCESS is one of my favourite tracks. I think, it reflects what a little child would see and feel walking through various parts of the city on his or her mother's hand. Great ending! During ENTR'ACTE II you can hear some of the far eastern and oriental shades of Newtopia. GATEWAY is the right track to calm down and find some rest after a busy day in Newtopia. VELVET feels like a tour through Newtopia's nightlife on a mild summer night. Sometimes wild, sometimes relaxed. SINE is a floating, warming flight through the glowing streets of the city that finally speeds up to some wild acrobatics on supersonic speed with a perfect landing. INTERMEZZO III feels like the dark glow and rustle of the city's power cables and their almost inscrutable circuits. ARCHWAYS sounds like a big nightly ceremony of one of Newtopia's prophets, aiming at the evocation of the city's silent spiritual power. COUVERTURE seems to make a final journey through the different parts of Newtopia, leaving you with some great and unique memories. Professional, state of the art mastering. Complex yet precise arrangements. Beautifully developped organic compositions. Every track a whole new approach. This is on top of pretty much everything that is usually SOLD for an album. Nevertheless: Thanks to the artists, its free. And if I had spent money on that one, I wouldn't want it back... Great work!

Jestem oczarowany. Jak to nazwać? Symfoniczny breakbeat z odrobiną tripu i ambientu? Piękna sprawa. Nieco przypomina mi niektóre dokonania Ulvera. To winna być wystarczająca zachęta ;)