Bereft : "Lost Ages"

The 3rd band to use this name, this one hails from Wisconsin. Their debut album opens with the title track. If your first impression is that these guys are like a  darker, more metal take on Isis, you wouldn't be far off. The album sounds great production wise, but a drummer who hits things with a keen eye for detail.The bulk of this album I have heard on shuffle mode mixed in with other things so taking it as one solid body of work, puts a better perspective on it. They start of making you think they are a black metal band. If this were the case there would be little impressive about them aside for the ability to back away from the blast midway into the song. This brings them into a more sludge ridden place that is a better fit for them. The song ends up in a more sonic place with a call and response like vocal.

The fuzz caked bass that opens "Unwelcome" doesn't prepare you for the almost Jesu like soaring that is about to lift off. The good cop/ bad cap dynamic of the clean and harsh vocals is well played here. Each chug serves a purpose.There are some very haunting guitar melodies on this one as well. The best use of a sample that I have heard in some time is the dialogue they lift from True Detective on the little interlude called the "Secret Fate of All Life " that serves more as an intro for "Loss' which follows. "Loss" borders on having a depressive suicidal black metal feel.They don't invoke this in a contrived manner it's just where the feeling goes. In the final two minutes the Jesu like vocals return.

The album closes with "For Nothing" that is more driven than the bulk of the album. It takes the fight to you head first until the post- rock elements sweep the violence away two minutes in. The harsher vocals year are more one dimensional than they have been earlier in the album. At this point they have thrown their kitchen sink at you, so no surprises. Well executed even if not as inspired as the other songs whose heaviness was more from the feeling rather than the sharpness of the riff.The tight chug that comes after the black metal temper tantrum towards the end is the song's best moment.This is a surprisingly solid release. I'll give it a 9 and look forward to hearing a proper full length from these guys.