Amethystium Odonata CD

Amethystium: Oystein Ramjford.
Oystein Ramfjord's project, Amethystium, creates ethereal, mysterious aural impressions on his debut release, Odonata. Although this album officially came out on August 14, 2001, it had already achieved significant popularity and airplay at his site on www.mp3.com, where it has been extremely well-received in both the new age and electronica genres. (Go to http://artists.mp3s.com/artists/92/amethystium.html to hear samples of his work.) As the offerings from this talented Norwegian composer tend to be melodious and relaxing, and have a pleasant variety of timbres and cadences which maintain listeners' interest, their attraction is quite understandable. "Opaque" could be music for submariners, with its echoing sonar tones. "Enchantment" has a Middle Eastern influence, while "Avalon" offers delicate crystalline chimes. "Arcane Voices" includes Gregorian chanting interwoven with percussion. Ethnic influences can also be heard in the Sanskrit vocalizations on "Opaque" and the Buddhist chanting of the opening to "Lhasa." Yet, all these diverse influences are melded together into a harmonious whole that rings delightfully to the ear. In all, this is an elegant album, and its ambient soundscapes will draw many casual listeners into becoming Amethystium fans. Definitely recommended. ~ Murrday Fisher
This is the debut album from Amethystium which received a groundswell of support from online listeners, to the tune of a half million downloads before its official release. The album is attributed to Oystein Ramfjord, a composer from Norway who makes ambient electronic music full of mystifying sounds. The opening song, "Opaque," begins with an incredible underwater sonar pulse that makes way for passages of Indian vocals that are very reminiscent of Deep Forest. In fact, most songs employ well-crafted samples of ethnic music from disparate regions. These are held together by a steady synth percussion and sweeping vocals. The speaker phasing on "Enchantment" is particularly effective when listeners are wearing headphones, allowing the rich drones and sparkling tabla patterns to become multi-dimensional. "Arcane Voices" uses Gregorian sounding chants cloaked in danceable rhythms. The intriguing packaging has no information about the sound sources or participants, opting instead for a silver dragonfly. Meticulously cobbled together, Amethystium's montage transports the listener to evolving sonic realms.