“Taking their name from a fictional terrorist group in Luis Bunuel’s That Obscure Object of Desire, Revolutionary Army of the Infant Jesus may be one of the most obscure pseudo-Christian groups ever. … A blend of spoken word, traditional European folk, world/tribal music, and industrial/experimental sounds, RAIJ’s music (has) often described as apocalyptic folk and (has drawn) comparisons to Current 93 and Dead Can Dance. Permeating the band’s music, though, (is) a distinctly Christian spirituality, albeit of a more mystical and meditative variety.” –Jason Morehead, Patheos
Seeing as this is a box set contains an immense amount of music, including the remastered tracks from all three of their studio albums as well as two brand new tracks, I will approach my review of After the End in a “group” fashion. The music styles do vary from album to album, yet the consistency of the message remains quite static, keeping a very enclosed, sheltered thematic at the fore. In that light, I will attempt to cover their works as a singularity, as it is packaged, and as it spoke to me upon multiple listens.
The Revolutionary Army of the Infant Jesus is one of the most interesting and unusual musical experiences that I’ve ever encountered. A mix of Christian, European, mystic and experimental sound, they have easily defied genre-specific categorization throughout their three albums. They are also notoriously obscure, making it a challenge to find any information about them. Google “Revolutionary Army of the Infant Jesus” and you’ll find a handful of references to the band; most provide a discography without much elaboration. A few discuss the apparently deliberate anonymity the band seems to relish. For the average consumer, this might be enough; for me, it wasn’t. Come to think of it, the average consumer will probably never even hear these works. I think that’s for the best, however. After all, it has taken me years to get to the point that I can not only appreciate this unique blend, much less absorb and enjoy it. This box set feels as if it encompasses a different world: a panoramic picture of a group that spans time itself.
Having grown up under the influence of bands such as Dead Can Dance and Current 93, I’m no stranger to the Apocalyptic Folk genre, and while Christian imagery and liturgical extracts reside within both of these, en masse, there really is no comparison to The Revolutionary Army of the Infant Jesus (or RAIJ as I’ll refer to them for the duration) as far as thematic efforts are concerned. Possessing an eclectic world mix of chants, percussion, and even jazz elements, they stand alone in the ever-expanding sea of the Apocalyptic genre. Theirs is an otherworldly mix of haunting fragility and strong brodaccio wrapped into one esoteric and beautiful package.
He went into a grey day
A damp wind filling the sails
With mirrors;
He went into the strange
Salt-film of memory
Where he makes familiar gestures
Eternally
He left us the print
Of his bare feet in the sand.
He left us summer and sorrow.
He left us empty shells
Echoing with the sound of the heart.
Most likely, RAIJ’s thematic and spiritual leanings are what have kept them on that elusive fringe between secular and Christian communities. While they do use and embellish many Christian ideals and doctrines, I find them to be much more than their titles, pictures, and lyrical expressions imply. Though they draw heavily on Christian iconography and themes, RAIJ are not a “Christian” act, per se. The Christian images and language form the route map as well as the vocabulary for a pilgrimage towards something both lost and familiar — the sacred space dwelt within by the Divine Name. The angels break and turn, a monument to idealism, and embrace spiritual mystery rather than define spiritual truth. Each journey is marked by a new track, the continual search for knowledge and inner peace.
In reference to the music created over a 25+ year span, one needs a bit of clarity before ingesting such a volume of sound. Discovering RAIJ through After the End was to be a catalyst to discover more. To my disappointment, I found precious little. Only a few songs had been uploaded to YouTube, and any additional information was scarce at best. After some hefty scouring, I did turn up a few additional videos that had been incorrectly named/tagged. Then came the Facebook page, followed by the official Youtube channel which had uploaded two new videos. Then came the album announcement, followed thereafter by the day I arrived home from work to find this object of my unsated desire waiting for me on the hall table. Comprised of three CD’s, each containing 9-10 songs, After the End understandably contains the pure essence of the band; a full catalog of all their released works. Time alone is a major factor in being able to absorb the full experience that this collection presents. The sheer volume of work is a daunting, yet thoroughly enjoyable task.
The music itself is a mystery. It appears to creep as spiritual smoke from every corner of the room. Possibly due to the remastering efforts, each separate work sounds equally consistent in regard to sound quality, volume, etc. The work is at once haunting, fragile, and yet full of power. Strong male vocals and chants intercede before, during, and after the lilting female expressions. A wide variety of instrumentation is utilized to create sonic environments where multiple audio wish lists can be fulfilled. Reverb is used well and often, creating an atmospheric veil around the base elements. A note about separation: The earliest work, The Gift of Tears, is rooted most in the atmospheric folk sound, with a few jazz inspirations to be found. Mirror, the sophomore effort, relies more on liturgy and chant, as well as canonical reference than the other two. This second work fulfills the likely association with Dead Can Dance and would be most accessible to fans of the project. The third and final album, A Rumour of Angels, finds its expression to be a lovely jumble of live performances, remixes, and two new tracks recorded just last year. As noted before, though the music changes between the three, that ever-present continuity and congruency is felt. I love the fact that the music, though varied, manages to live with itself in absolute harmony and satisfaction. The continual addition of synth and sound to each track keeps them interesting, and the selection of track order surely helps each album achieve that end. Distortion is introduced during key moments, roaring yet contained. The mystery of the message pours out in cascades, blending effortlessly with the musical Hermes it descends upon.
I found that, as beautiful as the music truly is, the feeling of underlying discomfort and impending doom is ever-present. There are two versions of the track “Psalm”; while the studio version is serene and comforting, the live version, found on A Rumour of Angels, is grating and quite nearly frightening. The beautiful vocals remain, but have been distorted, saturated in reverb, and echoed into a huge wall of sound. This is the beauty of the project, reflected beautifully through this collection — the ability to keep singularity of essence while manipulating the sound by which that essence is delivered. Another good example of this impression is illustrated in the track “Nativity”, also off of Mirror, as well as “Beauty after the Fall” and “Lament” from The Gift of Tears. At once soothing and intricate, they proceed to a darker and darker pitch throughout, leaving behind a palpable fear in the wake of the orchestration.
It is important to mention the extended use of vocals and their varied styles. Male vocals, somewhat similar to the work of Douglas Pearce and Brendan Perry, are mostly spoken, intoned, or sung in a liturgical fashion. The female vocals add a stark fragility to the mix, accenting the underscore of the harmonies, as well as that of the masculine counterpart. Not simply content to ride along with the music and the percussive elements, the vocals are a powerful and necessary part of the overall music experience. Add to that the use of Orthodox chant, as well as Latin recitation of scripture (particularly psalms), and you’ve got not only an exciting blend of musical and genre elements, but a fantastic overall experience. Easily as memorable as any of the work of their contemporaries, this collection serves as a memorial to a period in music where, though hidden, giants stood. Immortalized in a beautiful 3-CD box set, this collection will remain a cherished piece in the collection of any lover of apocalyptic folk, or music and art with substance.
In conclusion: transcending the limits of musical categorization, RAIJ creates a separate reality that is both darkly ominous and hauntingly beautiful; a subtle blend of spoken word, traditional European folk music, and old-school industrial, infused with Orthodox chant and jazz rhythms. Listening to this collection, I am struck by the timelessness of RAIJ’s music, evoking as it does a sense of the circular pilgrimage and return to Source. Time, as they say, moves on, yet the significance of RAIJ remains, and will continue to remain for years to come.
Rating: 5/5
Written by: Asche
http://heathenharvest.org/2013....the-end