Rope Sect : "the Great Flood"

This German band has more aggression that you other so called death rock revivalists . Their is a metallic drive to the verses of the opener than are give an add juxtapostion of the calm baritone croon to offset this. In Solitude comes to mind when the two styles are combined like this. The vocals are better than I remember them being on previous releases. They do not stick with this sound instead opting for a more frantic rock jangle . This sound owes more to punk. Things continue to mellow from this point which is fine as long as it serves the songs. The plainitive vocals are pleasing, yet flatten the range of dynamics. It is when Khvost lends his voice to "Prison of You" that you hear what this could be with a wider range of colors. Even then he does not belt it out in his proto Danzig, but does emote more than what happened in the first three songs.

Things improve on the ghostly vs palm muted tension of " the Underground Paradise" . The guitar harmonies even more metal... think Judas Priest of early Maiden. From this point they go with a more dusty western jangle. The guitar tone does kept this from going in a total metal direction. The vocal keep their cool even in the moments where explosion might be impending. I think midway in the album is where I begin to need a dynamic shift so the sullen uniformithy . Khvost returns on "Flood Flower". Rope Sect's singer did take some notes after working with him on this album as there are times between this on "Prison of You' where I had to listen closer to see if it was him. The haunted desert mood continues. I do want a new Grave Pleasures album as Hex Vessel is getting too hippy, this however serves as a decent replacement. "Non Serviemus" is a chugged instrumental that is a weird fit for the flow of the album. It is not out of place as a whole, it might just be where it sits on the album .

"Issohadores" is a return to the more brooding indie rock flavoured post punk. It is not as tensed with more room for the storm clouds to move in. There is a more melancholy shadow over the last song. I will round this up to a 9.5 as I think this is going to grow on me. The direction they took making this almost metal was unexpected for it to come about like this , but I am for it. This is being released on Iron Bonehead Records.