While Caligula was rich in grandeur and heavy on the harshness, Sinner Get Ready is rooted in traditional American music. Inspired in part by Kristin’s new home of rural Pennsylvania – described as a “severe” and “derelict” place where the influence of a particularly austere form of Christianity hangs heavy in the air – the album also uses traditional instrumentation; there are bells, woodwind instruments, and even a banjo. Kristin’s goal was to create dissonance, decay, and abrasiveness using these instruments – and in doing so she captures the eerie feel of her locality. But of course, this being Lingua Ignota, there are many layers to the sonic palette – with nods to avant-garde and modern compositions. Her voice is a focal point, and veers from severe to stunning – from the anguished howls and cries on I Who Bend The Tall Grasses, to the multi-part harmonies that highlight the glory of her towering, rich voice.
While less sonically brutal than Caligula, there is still a deep sense of unease bubbling throughout Sinner Get Ready. Kristin intertwines her personal experiences of pain with the album’s themes, which are focused primarily around religion specific to the Pennsylvania locality – from Amish Country to the 18th-century religious community, Ephrata Cloister. The blood of Jesus is a major lyrical motif, while The Sacred Linament Of Judgment includes a sample of disgraced evangelist Jimmy Swaggart begging for forgiveness. There is a cinematic, storytelling feel to the album, and it could also soundtrack a folk horror film with Midsommar and The Wicker Man vibes, but set in rural Pennsylvania.
A haunting, intricate, yet wonderfully complex piece of work, Sinner Get Ready is uncategorisable – still instantly recognisable as Lingua Ignota while managing somehow to sound like nothing you’ve ever heard before. From Louder
Released Early Augutst by Sargent House.
Track Listing:
01. THE ORDER OF SPIRITUAL VIRGINS
02. I WHO BEND THE TALL GRASSES
03. MANY HANDS
04. PENNSYLVANIA FURNACE
05. REPENT NOW CONFESS NOW
06. THE SACRED LINAMENT OF JUDGMENT
07. PERPETUAL FLAME OF CENTRALIA 05:34
08. MAN IS LIKE A SPRING FLOWER
09. THE SOLITARY BRETHREN OF EPHRATA
English