Bipolar by Ephemeral Sky

I wrote this album back in 2012 during my semester abroad in Canada. I used a cheap DAW and "recorded" everything in midi using stock plugins and my laptop's keyboard as midi-input (if you are interested in hearing what that sounded like, I have the complete 2012 demo uploaded to my Soundcloud account).

Back then I was heavily influenced by Atmospheric Black Metal bands like Wolves In The Throne Room and Agalloch. I was also listening to a lot of Neofolk, like Of The Wand The Moon and Neun Welten. I knew I wanted to add some folk elements because I just love the atmosphere they create and I thought it would be an interesting choice to pair that with Black Metal and Explosions In The Sky-esque Post-Rock.

Originally I intended the album to be completely instrumental. However, I quickly grew to realize that it was a bit too repetitive and stale for that (at the time) and really lacked a center piece. The lyrics for most of the tracks were also written in 2012-2013. In general that was a very dark and dramatic period of my life. And even though I presently no longer identify with the lyrics I wrote back then, I decided against re-writing them, since they are sincere and that was how I felt. I see this album as a time capsule of sorts.

The reason it took so long to record the album was partially due to my inability to play the guitar and do vocals (I'm a trained pianist), partially due to unreliable session musicians and partially due to the recording studio I booked around 2015 just being a major fuck-up, losing files and not keeping appointments (if you're reading this, Mike, go <3 yourself).

However! All that turned out to be good, because the album as of now turned out better than I could've ever hoped for! Plus, I can truly say it is MY album, since I played all the instruments and wrote all the music for it myself (except the cello, which I wrote but was played by a dear friend of mine; and the drums, which were played partially by a session musician).

For those who also listened to the 2012 demo, you will notice that I made a lot of changes to the some songs. That just happens. Over the 8 years since I wrote the album I just grew a lot as a musician and also diversified my musical taste. So for example, you will find a lot of progressive-like Leprous-inspired groove riffs that made it in the final version.

All in all, I am incredibly proud of finally releasing this album and 15-year-old me could have never imagined how great it would turn out! Thanks for listening to it and stay tuned, because the next release is already in the making!

- ZB

Post-Metal from Graz, Austria.

Ephemeral Sky means to elevate itself above well-defined genre distinctions and to create music which evokes deep, primal and often conflicting emotions. It's an exploration of humanity's most radiant victories and most devastating cruelties. It's a manifest to what was, is and could be. It's a means to an end, the end being feeling.

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