A Challenge Of Honour-No Way Out-CD-FLAC-2008-AMOK

A Challenge of Honour - No Way Out
(c) 2008 Vrihaspati Recordings
Artist....: A Challenge of Honour
Album.....: No Way Out
Source....: CD
Discs.....: 1
Type......: Normal
Tracks....: 10
Genre.....: Ambient
Label.....: Vrihaspati Recordings
Catalogue#: VR013
Encoder...: FLAC 1.3.1
Quality...: 884 kbps / 44.1kHz / 2 channels
URL.......: http://discogs.com/artist/395731-A-Challenge-Of-Honour
Tracklist:
----------
1. No Way Out                                                      6:30
2. Slavery Called Democracy                                        6:26
3. Walls of Jericho                                                5:58
4. Fall From Grace                                                 5:22
5. Nakba                                                           6:47
6. Thinking About Ernesto                                          5:14
7. We Will Reach That Certain Point                                5:14
8. A Last Goodbye                                                  5:02
9. No Way Out (reprise)                                            5:36
10.City of Decay (bonus)                                           4:06
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                                                                  56:15
                                                 Total:372.80MB / 56:15
Release Notes:
--------------
A CHALLENGE OF HONOUR (ACOH) is a well-respected name in the martial industrial
scene, with early albums like The Right Place and Wilhelm Gustloff being
regarded as classics of the genre.  No Way Out, released on Vrihaspati, the
ACOH-specific imprint of Steinklang, is the projects first new release since
2005s Seven Samurai.  Since No Way Out was released earlier this year, there
have been two more ACOH releases, the Leonidas album on Old Europa Caf, and the
1666  The Great Fire Of London MCD on Vrihaspati, as well as a deluxe boxed set
of No Way Out, so it seems as if ACOH is back in business.  Whether this is a
good thing, though, depends on what youre expecting.  I didnt hear Seven
Samurai, so I dont know how different No Way Out is from that, but its
certainly a radical departure from the earlier ACOH releases.  Imposing martial
bombast has given way to synthetic, 80s synth-pop with occasional neo-classical
flourishes.
No Way Out contains ten tracks totalling 55 minutes, and it opens with its title
track, a wistful piano-led instrumental piece which develops into swelling,
anthemic symphonic pop, played over a brittle synthetic rhythm track.  Its both
banal and appallingly mainstream, sounding like the kind of pompous orchestral
overture that a band like Queen would put on an album.  Slavery Called Democracy
manages to be a bit darker and more credible, with brooding, minor-key synth
chords and spoken-word vocals something like Ordo Rosarius Equilibrio, but
again, the programmed percussion really detracts from the songs impact.  Worst
of all is the eighth track, an instrumental called We Will Reach That Certain
Point, which runs a lachrymose piano melody and jazzy clarinet over a horribly
cheesy Bontempi organ-style rhythm track.  This song wouldnt sound out of place
on a Michael Jackson album  seriously.  Fall Of Grace is a more neo-folk
oriented song, with a sparse arrangement of bright strummed guitar over the
synthetic beat, something like the later work of Orplid or other
electronics-reliant German neo-folk acts such as Seelenthron.
The albums last track is A Last Goodbye, a glossy, upbeat pop song with
accordion and strummed guitar which sounds disturbingly like Simple Minds doing
Dont You Forget About Me (the song which plays over the credits at the end of
The Breakfast Club, 80s pop-pickers!).  This is followed by a reprise of No Way
Out, which sounds quite similar to the opening version, though without the
drums, and a bonus track. City Of Decay, which is another neo-folk song like
Fall Of Grace.
No Way Out does feature two songs which stand out as being superior to the
others.  Thinking About Ernesto, a tribute to Che Guevara, uses Hammond organ
and reverbed tremelo guitar licks to good effect, producing a kind of sparse
Latin pop like Spiritual Front.  And Nakba mixes a brooding darkwave melody with
violin and ululating, middle-eastern female vocals (uncredited on my review
copy), sounding like Mothers Destructions Amodali.  Apart from these two
tracks, though, I really couldnt find much to enjoy about this album.  Some
reviews of No Way Out have compared ACOHs new sound, and Peter Savelkouls
vocals in particular, to Joy Division, but this seems pretty wide of the mark to
me.  If only this album sounded as cool as Joy Division, but alas, I found
myself reminded a lot more of such credibility-free 80s atrocities as Simple
Minds, Tears For Fears and Yazoo. Ive been here before with bands I previously
admired, who suddenly take off in a direction I really dont want to follow them
in, most notably Orplid and Ostara.  So farewell then, A Challenge Of Honour,
bon voyage.  Ill see you when you get back.
www.a-challenge-of-honour.net
www.myspace.com/achallengeofhonour
www.steinklang-records.at
www.myspace.com/steinklang
Reviewed by Simon Collins. Reprinted with acknowledgements to Judas Kiss
web-zine.

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40M	01-a_challenge_of_honour-no_way_out.flac
41M	02-a_challenge_of_honour-slavery_called_democracy.flac
41M	03-a_challenge_of_honour-walls_of_jericho.flac
37M	04-a_challenge_of_honour-fall_from_grace.flac
43M	05-a_challenge_of_honour-nakba.flac
35M	06-a_challenge_of_honour-thinking_about_ernesto.flac
29M	07-a_challenge_of_honour-we_will_reach_that_certain_point.flac
37M	08-a_challenge_of_honour-a_last_goodbye.flac
28M	09-a_challenge_of_honour-no_way_out_(reprise).flac
27M	10-a_challenge_of_honour-city_of_decay_(bonus).flac
358M	total