Cemetery : " Wind and Shadows"

It's taking some time for the Chicago death-punks' new one to grow on me as it's very different from their 2011 demo. The vocals are more monotone and pushed way back behind the guitar, which is odd to me because they seemed to have so much personality. They band has grown in other ways sonically, the guitar sound is improved so there are comprises. The first two songs have a similar feels as effect drenched guitars creep around some times tribal drum patterns. The drummer is another on in the much improved category. But the vocals are somewhat of a sticking point I am having a hard time getting past.

The title track has a more melodic guitar line. All of the songs are pretty up beat and the recording has a very raw quality to it almost like the last Anasazi album, but soaked in more effects.The vocals take on a more urgent and emotional tone on the title track. It races into one of the few riffs on the album that still retain the metallic undercurrent their early work had. The drop the pace back and get goth on "Almond Eyes" here the vocals sound improved as they go into a baritone croon that is hidden some where apologetically with in the guitar, in some ways this feels like it's being done in a similar fashion as the vocal placement of some shoe gaze bands. They cover " the Fan and the Bellows" by the Chameleons and knock the dust off of it's coffin.

"Where the Worms Never Die" comes back in with more of a head on collision into punk, which is the momentum that carries the rest of the album away.The vocal punches of "Xvvx" have a catchy anarcho element to them. The last two songs have a much more lo-fi production quality and sound like they were recorded live in their practice space. The more deliberate thump of  the " Raven's Chant" bass line , hold my interest even when the over feedback sit harsher in your ears. The album ends with a track that is just sound effects rain and feedback, more of an outro than a real song. This one is going to take more growing on me I'll leave it at an 8.5  just delete the last track and see where it grows on me from there.