The mid paced chug of the song is powerful, but the oddly sung vocals are what gives this band it's personality. Pulling a Genesis it's the drummer Pranjal Tiwari who is handling the vocals. They are joined by Leila from Vastum / Hammers of Misfortune who I can only guess is playing bass to round out this odd trio. On the first song the vocals have almost a death rock quality, then take on a more metal croon for "the Resonant Dead". There is a more folk slant to "Lost Orlson" which adds yet another bizarre element to this band's sound. The rumbling bass that opens "Grave Passage" doesn't try to suffocate you with it's vibrations. Instead it still leaves room for the guitar to creep in behind it and cloak the song in atmosphere. It evolves into one of the album's heaviest song, though the clean sung vocals don't feel as focused.
The more sleek and sinewy dance of "After the Dry Years" finds the band back flirting with their gothier sound. The bass provides the glue and the band weaves a more death rock element into the song in a manner much different than how this occurs with a band like Atriarch. The trade off with the female vocals on the chorus is a smart choice. The album's longest song "Soul Devouring Fog" closes out the album. These guys do not rely on having to drone you into apathy and invest in the songs. It one of the more solidly doom paced songs on the album. The solo at the beginning seems to wander too long into the verse. This in turn makes the vocals seem not has sure of themselves. It all converges into more solid heaviness. I'll give this album an 8. It has some strong moments, but wanders off at time when it gets heavy rather than fully committing to some of the darker and more melodic moments which are this band's strength.
This album is being released October 14th.
No comments:
Post a Comment