''Messe I.X–VI.X'' is the ninth studio album by the Norwegian experimental

electronica Electronica is both a broad group of electronic-based music styles intended for listening rather than strictly for dancing and a music scene that started in the early 1990s in the United Kingdom. In the United States, the term is mostly used to r ...

band

Ulver Ulver (Norwegian for "wolves") is a Norwegian experimental electronica band founded in 1993, by vocalist Kristoffer Rygg. Their early works, such as debut album '' Bergtatt'', were categorised as folklore-influenced black metal, but the band h ...

, created in collaboration with the

Tromsø Chamber Orchestra Tromsø (, , ; se, Romsa ; fkv, Tromssa; sv, Tromsö) is a municipality in Troms og Finnmark county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the city of Tromsø. Tromsø lies in Northern Norway. The municipality is the 21s ...

with additional aid from composer

Martin Romberg Martin Romberg (born 3 January 1978) is a Norwegian classical composer. He is one of the most active orchestral composers of his generation in Scandinavia. He is mostly known for his J.R.R Tolkien and fantasy literature inspired orchestral and c ...

. Written and produced by Ulver, released on October 8, 2013, via

Jester Records Jester Records was a record label founded in 1998 by Kristoffer Rygg (also known as Garm, Trickster G, G. Wolf and Fiery G. Maelstrom) after conflicts between his band Ulver and their German/American label Century Media Records. Artists * 13 ...

and Kscope. On September 17, 2013, a trailer was released, and on October 4, 2013 the track "Shri Schneider", was released for streaming via '' Pitchfork''.

Background

The music was commissioned in 2012 by the Tromsø Kulturhus (House of Culture) in

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and t ...

, in a cooperation with the Arctic Opera and Philharmonic Orchestra cultural institution. It was composed and first performed live by

, alongside the Tromsø Chamber Orchestra on September 21, 2012. The band then took the recordings back to Crystal Canyon,

Oslo Oslo ( , , or ; sma, Oslove) is the capital and most populous city of Norway. It constitutes both a county and a municipality. The municipality of Oslo had a population of in 2022, while the city's greater urban area had a population of ...

and spent winter and spring in post-production, honing the material for its studio-equivalent. Six compositions altogether written and produced, recorded and mixed by Ulver, this time consisting of Ole Alexander Halstensgård, Kristoffer Rygg, Jørn H. Sværen and Tore Ylwizaker, with additional aid and advice from composer Martin Romberg who also arranged the music for the 21 members of Tromsø Chamber Orchestra. The album also features contemporary composers/musicians Ole-Henrik Moe and Kari Rønnekleiv. The band named some of their influences for ''Messe I.X–VI.X'': Opening song "As Syrians Pour In, Lebanon Grapples with Ghosts of a Bloody Past" was named after a news piece by

Reuters Reuters ( ) is a news agency owned by Thomson Reuters Corporation. It employs around 2,500 journalists and 600 photojournalists in about 200 locations worldwide. Reuters is one of the largest news agencies in the world. The agency was estab ...

concerning the flood of Syrian refugees into

Lebanon Lebanon ( , ar, لُبْنَان, translit=lubnān, ), officially the Republic of Lebanon () or the Lebanese Republic, is a country in Western Asia. It is located between Syria to the north and east and Israel to the south, while Cyprus li ...

following the ongoing Syrian civil war. However, vocalist Kristoffer Rygg has stated: "This appropriation is not any more, or less, political other than an indication of concern. We live in troubled times. The song itself has a distinct Middle Eastern feel to it and coupled with sounds of vultures and war that title seemed both appropriate as well as contemporary. But we have no ideology for sale. Only our sadness."

Live performances

Following its original performance at Tromsø Kulturhus in Tromsø, Norway, with Tromsø Chamber Orchestra, on September 21, 2012, Ulver have performed ''Messe I.X–VI.X'' in its entirety a further two times: on May 20, 2013 at Wave Gotik Treffen, Leipzig, Germany with the Stüba Philharmonie, Volkspalast and on November 16, 2013 at Teatro Regio, Parma, Italy with the MG_INC Orchestra.

Critical reception

Upon its release, ''Messe I.X–VI.X'' received positive reviews from music critics. Alex Franquelli, writing for '' The Quietus'', described the album as "a challenging work and an album of rare beauty." Gregory Burkart, writing for Fearnet, described ''Messe I.X–VI.X'' as "one of the band's most surreal and haunting projects to date, combining their unorthodox soundscapes (which often incorporate elements of electronic music, metal, rock and folk instrumentation, blended through inventive production techniques) with a full symphony orchestra." Falk Wehmeier, writing for

Metal.de Metal.de is a German-language online magazine launched in 1996. The magazine focuses on the subgenres of heavy metal and hard rock, but also reports on similar styles. ''Metal.de'' foundation in 1996 makes it one of the longest-running heavy me ...

, wrote "

have found a perfect expression of their perception of a world void of home or footing… Within the scope of the chosen style,

couldn't have clothed their message better in sound." Robert Dłucik, writing for Polish online magazine ''Rock Area'', gave ''Messe I.X–VI.X'' a 10/10 rating. Tor Martin Bøe, writing for ''

Verdens Gang ''Verdens Gang'' ("The course of the world"), generally known under the abbreviation ''VG'', is a Norwegian tabloid newspaper. In 2016, circulation numbers stood at 93,883, having declined from a peak circulation of 390,510 in 2002. ''VG'' is n ...

'', gave the album a 6/6 rating. Martin Anfinsen, writing for Norwegian newspaper ''

Adresseavisen ''Adresseavisen'' (; commonly known as ''Adressa'') is a regional newspaper published daily, except Sundays, in Trondheim, Norway. The paper has been in circulation since 1767 and is one of the oldest newspapers after Norske Intelligenz-Seddeler ...

'', rated the album 6/6. Austen R. Walsh, writing for arts website ''The Arts Fuse'', described ''Messe I.X–VI.X'' as "a brilliant blend of classical, dark ambient, and hard rock music." Dutch media website hifi.nl rated the album 9/10. Daniel Schnettler, writing for online Spanish webzine ''Noise'', rated the album 10/10.

Track listing

Personnel

Ulver

*Jørn H. Sværen *Kristoffer Rygg *Ole Alexander Halstensgård *Tore Ylwizaker

Tromsø Chamber Orchestra

*Cello – Inga Raab, Mario Machlik, Ørnulf Lillebjerka *Double bass – Stein Paulsen *Grand piano –

*Trombone – Jens Christian Kloster, Torbjørn Ingvaldsen *Trumpet – Arne Bjørhei, Ingrid Eliassen *Viola – Katrina Brown, Mari Giske, Sigrid Lien Schulerud *Violin (1st) – Aelita Osadchuk, Brynjar Lien Schulerud, Kristina Nygaard Walsnes, Snorre Holmgren, Yuko Kawami *Violin (2nd) – Anders Melhus, Berit Fonnes, Eira Foss, Sari Martinussen *Violin, viola – Kari Rønnekleiv, Ole-Henrik Moe

Additional musicians

*Drums – Tomas Pettersen *Guitar – Alexander Kloster-Jensen * Hurdy-gurdy – John Stenersen

Additional credits

*Cover photography – Ingrid Aas *Design – Trine + Kim Design Studio *Liner notes (Purgatory, Summer 2013) – Ulver *Mastering – Jaime Gomez Arellano *Mixing – Ulver *Photography (video stills) – Kristin Bøyesen *Score (scored for orchestra) – Martin Romberg

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Messe I.X-VI.X Ulver albums 2013 albums