Seagrave: "Stabwound"

This was much better than expected. Sometimes if the art is blah, then I think well how creative can they really be if they didn't put more though into that and then named there album "Stabwound" which sounds like something a glue sniffing death metal band would do .  The sample in the first song must be from the movie 'the hours".there is just as much post-hardcore in this as there is the black metal that this wants to be. The production is a little rough around the edges, but it doesn't distract me too much from the final product. The vocals are hard core shouts , not raspy screams at all.

The pace picks up, but the hardcore vocals stay the same. There is more black metal to this song than the first, however that does not mean it is a better song, as it flattens the dynamics. I know a genre that lends it self to atmosphere would cause that , but when you are trying to hard to go in a direction that isn't you that is what happens. The third song takes a more post-rock approach from the get go, though the hardcore tendencies could be waiting around any corner. Things get kinda emo , but in a good Mineral kind of way, there is even a jerky indie rock kind of riff, but this album doesn't have any darkness to it. The clean vocals that start off "Manifest" are impressive and I can't figure out why there hasn't been more of that going on here. Though it almost brings a Brand New like cadence with it. While it boast more metallic power than some of the other songs on this album " Down with the Wolves" isn't the strongest song, though the way the vocals are placed shows a different take on the hard core yelling that goes on for the bulk of the album. Sure the blasting section is powerful at the end of the song it's the break down that is more convincing.

The album closes with "Bonjour Tristesse" that gets off to a slower post-rock feel, like older Alcest perhaps.They blast beats work a little better and this song seems to succeed where at other points in the album he was just trying to hard.  There is a pretty sweet chugged build up section. It does begin to make me drone out and zone out a little brushing the song in the back ground, but there are some good sounds captured here. I'll give this one an 8 as it has some cool moments and a great sense of dynamics, the only weakness is what I mentioned early this project is going for black metal when that is not what is at this album's heart, so go in not expecting blackened anything and you will be pleased. the Coming out this week on Art of Propaganda.


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