First Law is the project of Andreas Wahnmann, a dark ambient producer from Germany. Well, if you compare him to other Loki acts like Inade and Herbst9, then Fir§t Law definitely sounds less ‘ambient’. His mainly electronic music is too melodic and dynamic for that. Influences from krautrock, psychedelica and symphonic music also seem to play a part. “Chaos Structure” is already the fifth Fir§t Law cd on Loki Foundation, after the project started back in 1998 with a mini cd on Stateart.
“Chaos Structure” contains six tracks, that (apart from the short intro) last at least seven minutes. The core of the album is formed by ‘Entropic’, a composition consisting of six parts and taking up 25 minutes. The introduction track is a minimal soundscape with clear references to space and travelling in a void. ‘A Cold Blank Stare’ is considerably less tranquil, it has a full overwhelming, almost orchestral sound. ‘Spoil Tactics / Negative’ is again quite different, just like the whole album is very varied. The track starts with strangily hallucinetic flows of sound, after which monotonous percussion and cold melodic electronics enhance the hypnotic effects.
Listening to “Chaos Structure” is really a spacy affair. As the album continues, this becomes even clearer. ‘Three Cheers For Heresy’ is a slow and brooding piece with mysterious ritual elements, while the epic ‘Entropic’ is the most clearly inspired by classic krautrock. The final piece ‘Bad Influence’ is a nice trance-inducing electro-ambient creation, which feature vocals as well. “Chaos Structure” is a well-crafted fascinating album, which can accompany you on multiple trips on the verge of dreams and reality.
