The first regular CD release of the Finns AARNI quickly emerges as a conglomeration of the extremes. The cover for example is probably the most colored artwork I got in my hands this year, while the design of the booklet sites are exceedingly tasteful. On the other hand the band is generous with scurrile humor as seen on the last booklet site as well as on the band’s digital dwelling.
Unfortunately various absurdities go like a read thread through the entire music of Bathos. Praised as Avantgarde mooD musick by the label, ranging from Folk via Doom up to Ambient, most of the tracks emerge as potential bores, where some good ideas were badly realized. The used German flute mostly reminds of Jethro Tull, the doom parts sound unbelievable dowdy, there is not any freshness and originality to find and the ambient influences get too often limited on sounds many prog-rock bands have used after the invention of the Moog-synthesizers. Do not tell me that you have missed such a sound, as well as the massively instrumental passages with guitar solos sounding like made on a LSD trip. Also the bubble-singing in Niut Net Merut is everything than ventured or experimental, it is just horrible. On the other hand there are also a few atmospheric and unusual acoustic passages to find as in V.I.T.R.I.O.L. or the track Mental Fugue that sounds like a doomy Latin lover, where Carlos Santana could be the spiritual pate.
All things considered: Bathos is an album I needed to struggle through, that feels extremely straining. 4 points is the best I can give, whereas one bonus is for the loving design and one for the freaky humor (I had a good laugh when the cuckoo clock started at the beginning of Kesäyö …). Friends of obscure and different stuff should give it a try though.