Ilion - Slift
Track List:
Ilion
Nimh
The Words That Have Never Been Heard
Confluence
Weavers’ Weft
Uruk
The Story That Has Never Been Told
Enter The Loop
Casually browsing the prog rock sub reddit when…
Someone suggested this album as a banger! The quote that intrigued me was this “First album in a long while that’s really taking me on a proper cosmic trip” I like spacey music, I like trippy music, I like proggy music. So off of some random internet stranger’s recommendations I will be diving in.
Ilion
First thing I notice is that this has a great soundscape. The first verse announces the end of the human age. Humans are being or have been replaced by something. I am not sure if it’s robots, androids, cyborgs, or aliens. But a superior faction seems to have taken over. The atmosphere in this song is superb, I like the many different synths and effects that go into creating the tension.
Nimh
The atmosphere is much the same here. I think this is giving some backstory on the new apex predator. It appears that the new age was heralded in by augmented humans. These augmented humans can live seemingly forever. In exchange they have lost their humanity and become killing machines without emotion. The song changes tone, I think we get some humanity here indicating that we (humanity) has become what we are now based on our actions.
The Words That Have Never Been Heard
I really like the bass section in the middle that opens into the spacey chords from the synths. So this is a bit frustrating for me. I’ve been unable to find lyrics for this song online and I can’t understand the vocals. I’ve located the lyrics to both the previous songs but if I don’t talk about song meaning that probably means I couldn’t locate the lyrics. I think it’s a mix of my ears not being tuned to the French? accent of the singer and the vocals being a bit buried in the mix. Not complaining about either the song is fantastic, many dynamic changes, it’s more I am frustrated with my inability to understand.
So since I can’t understand the words I’ll just make stuff up. The narrator has decided he would become augmented for whatever reason, he was probably sentenced to it because he couldn’t pay his taxes or something like that. This is the story of his transformation into one of the soulless flesh machines being manufactured to expand humanity’s reach in the universe. He manages to keep a piece of his humanity somehow. As he exits the change process he is given orders and feels compelled to obey. He starts his existence. And the song ends after he discovers he does have the ability to not obey.
Confluence
I feel this continues the discovery of new or residual sentience allows us additional insight into This is probably my favorite song so far.
Weavers’ Weft
This is an awesome album. The song opens with a chant. Godlike beings dictate equality to the masses. The tools these beings have created are made to further the new humankind into the galaxy. But there is dissent in the ranks. I also think we get some insight into how these new humans are being programmed as some seem to be supportive of the dissent yet still unable to have complete freedom of choice.
Uruk
This one I have no hope of understanding. So I will continue with wild speculation. I like the higher register droning bass, makes the song feel specifically unsettling. A deeper dive into this dystopian hell.
The Story That Has Never Been Told
The time for revolution has come? It almost seems like humanity has become a hivemind, perhaps that one person earlier who kept some of the sentience introduced that into the meaty neural network. Now this has become its own collective being. Those in it being everywhere yet nowhere all at once. Immortality with a cost.
Enter The Loop
An auditory existence floating in the vast void of the hivemind.
I am a fan!
That was a fantastic experience. The exploration. I am fairly confident that I have no clue what the album was about. Most of my interpretation was made up without having any reference other than a vague first 2 songs. In fact I wouldn’t be surprised if I listen to this tomorrow I would come up with a different story completely. But it was a fantastic journey.
