Art of Empathy – Posthuman Decadence

It should be underlined that “Posthuman Decadence” is not a metal record. Art of Empathy, the creation of Belgian neo-folk musician Jef Janssen presents us a dark-wave/neo-folk blend that shows some affinities with artists like Empyrium, Ordo Rosarius Equilibrio and Of the Wand & the Moon.

But don’t let that put you off, because his work is actually rather enjoyable and captivating. It’s not meant for you to bang your head. Instead, Art of Empathy wants to move something a bit deeper, to disturb your intellect and if possible project some images in your mind. Something all you inflexible and die-hard metal fans would probably be too embarrassed to admit to.

Nevertheless, Janssen sounds in complete control of his craft, revealing a remarkable ability to pen haunting songs that wouldn’t be out of place on a dark mystery movie. Everything on “Posthuman Decadence” is gloomy and mysterious, the guitars are entirely acoustic and weave around melancholy, keys and piano enhance the darker side of Janssen’s compositions with haunting melodies and eerie sounds, while vocals fluctuate between spooky, spectral whispers, deep and dark singing and spoken word segments.

There is emotional heft here and an eerie atmosphere that disturbs the intellect and even tough it may not be for everyone is still a remarkable work that doesn’t deserve to be overlooked. (6.8/10)

David Alexandre

Band info: www.artofempathy.be

For fans of: Empyrium, Ordo Rosarius Equilibrio, Of the Wand & the Moon