Attic Frost : "...And Some Will Meet Their Shadow"

 

Not our first dance with this German project, as we reviewed their 2023 album "A heart is the deepest dungeon", I was less impressed by that one, as it scored a 7 due to being plagued with production issues and the songs just bored me. They have more energy and emotion invested this time around that add urgency to "Partytime", which is not the 45 Grave song. The synths do still tend to creep up and obscure things in the mix. 'The Void Inside Her Head" uses atmospheric guitar, but the synths are the backbone of this album. They mope on this one, and the beat drags with a more depressive flavor. The pace picks up when the more sardonic post-punk vocals come in. One of the improvements with this album is that three songs in, it is evident they are trying to cover a broader range. There is a murky mi here, but it gives some charater.

"Further Down" sounds liek they might have even brought in a drummer, or the programming has improved. The bass line gives things some balls. The bass line also leads "Trust" in a more melancholy direction like "Faith" era Cure. The vocals fall into the mix in a manner that echoes from the back of the stage rather than fronting the band; the tempo shift in this one feel arbitary. Though I understand why they are building things sonically here, "An Outry" moves at more of a punk pace. They needed this most organic touch they did not have before, so this works even if it is not the most original thing.

"Promise Me" guides you back to the intersection when post-punk gave way to its darker emotions to create goth. This will once again bring the Cure to mind. There are some good creepy chords in this one. I liek the darker almsot deathg rock slant to "When the Night Calls".  "A Familar Sound" is aptly titled as it is a return to the more morose early Cure sound. The mix here is too murky for their own good. The drumming takes an odd turn midway in as well. "Fading Echo" closes the album with a little more of a new wave-ish touch. The more depressive ure influence returning. This album is a hug improvement over the lat album I checked out so I will give it a 9. 

pst327