Negative Voice : "Cold Redrafted"

This Moscow band is not what I thought they were going to be going into this. Hypnotic doom is a black metal/ doom label, and while those genres might have an influence on the end result here, this is more progressive than I anticipated. I like prog metal. There is a weird blend of post-metal with more shredding solos that invoke a more traditional metal back bone, that is also brought out in some of the galloping chugs that crop up here and there. The clean vocals on the second song really push the Katatonia influence in your face. they eventually build into some heavier, but the intricate emotionally charged grooves are on of the album's signatures. The Katatonia thing still colors their sound on "NightMare Everlasting" but is dialed back some even with the clean vocals on what might be considered the chorus. The harsher vocals on "Instant" keep the song which eventually wanders into darker waters from becoming another progressive metal cross over.

"Impasse" finds me having to remind myself about the rule around here that cool riffs alone don't make a good song, as their are plenty of those just not sure what the glue that binds them together is. That is more clearly answered on "Karmic Pattern". When they do hit you with the 'cool riff" it has more dynamic effect here. This is easily the best song on the album. They get heavier and even touch on black metal for " lighthouse", but are quick to also get mired down in Katatonia, influence. The new Katatonia is awesome, so we are good with that album and don't need another. "Draft Life" feels like it is an extension of the previous song. There are some cool sections that crop up, and the harsher vocals help keep them from returning back into the Katatonia thing, but like "Impasse" it is a case of me wondering what is really holding this song together.

Overall this album is a good experience. I really enjoyed "Karmic Pattern". It is one of those things where I am unsure how much of this I will actually get to listen to since I do have the new Katatonia, so if I need that itch scratched it's the album I would more than likely turn to.  But if you are a fan of melo-death and want something new with a progressive slant you can't go wrong here. I'll  round this one up and give this album a 8.5