Just imagine the idea of making dark ambient darker...so exciting. With this second release, Dahlia’s Tear engage this concept in a most sinister and provocative fashion while simultaneously branching off in a fairly different direction than the debut. My Rotten Spirit Of Black is similar to Harmonious Euphonies in that what is incorporated as far as methods of arrangements are unchanged. However, what makes it stand far apart is its incorporation of said methods in persistence towards a much more disturbing forum. Between each clutter of banging metal and shriek of pain, Dahlia’s Tear still makes you feel each and every inch of sound.
My Rotten Spirit Of Black appears to be a loosely conceptual record about being haunted, utterly alone, suicide, and the darkness and horrors of the afterlife. Placing this concept along with each track helps to differentiate the impacts of each song, also rendering the imagination of the concept all the more foreboding. In ambient music it is important to be able to separate yourself from any contemporary, and this record does so with the very obvious and incredibly involved method of dynamic. How loud a sound is, which instrument you use for this part, and countless other things come to mind. While these things can take extensive care to undertake, Dahlia’s Tear seems to understand restraint towards over-analyzation and when to let certain sections flow as you had first written them. This natural process of composition is vital in producing unique and more personal pieces, and with the awareness of creating something this unsettling just makes it a more cohesive listen.
While Dahlia’s Tear has successfully progressed in multiple ways from the debut, there is still the issue of repetition of instruments, which allows certain areas to clutter. While moving the main progression of keys and strings to the front of the mix creates a much more abrasive character, the use of different methods of harmonies or dissonances within the implementation of unheard instruments or sounds would have made the record as a whole all the more interesting. Nonetheless, My Rotten Spirit Of Black is a welcomed step towards wherever this act is treading, and the infinitely dismal indication of this record allows one to assume future releases will be even more involved, blackened, and comprehensive.
