This is the sequel to Absinthe: La Folie Verte, the conceptual album dedicated to the dangerous green liquor. Again it comes in an elegant digipack with vintage illustrations. The music on this new album by the two collaborating artists is not much different: tranquil soundscapes, with classical sounds, sample collages and spoken texts about absinthe and its delusions.
Absinthia Taetra is apparently named after a poem by Ernest Dowson, the English poet who coined the phrase “Absinthe makes the tart grow fonder”. This release combines the music of the two 10″ records from the limited “Folie Verte” box on a single CD with remastered sound.
The first part of the album includes studio tracks: alternate versions and additional material from the original Absinthe sessions. The second half of the cd contains a concert recorded in Sintra (Portugal), the only time Blood Axis and Les Joyaux de la Princesse ever presented Absinthe on stage. The live tracks add some extra power and directness to the studio versions.
Absinthia Taetra contains some pleasant music, but does not add too much new to the Absinthe: La Folie Verte album, so if you liked that one you will not be disappointed by this sequel. Otherwise this release is mostly of interest to people who collect the material of the involved bands or who have an above average interest in absinthe. Prosit!
