Eight Bells : "Legacy of Ruin"

The Portland band's 3rd album finds them joined by Cormorant bassist Matt Solis and Drummer Brian Burke of Cave Dweller. This has resulted in a more overt metal attack, that is balanced out by the mournful atmosphere they are known for though is much less doom on the first song and more black metal. The dynamic shifts going into the more melodic "the Well". After four minutes of melancholy into this sprawling 11-minute song they go in a black metal direction, though this is short lived as the song weaves around other sonics. Then it slows into a more doom feel. I really enjoy these hypnotic passages and would like to hear more of this doom feeling sound, 

This gets more progressive with "Torpid Dreamer". There is a more metal tension that keeps things flowing. The vocals are the only hypnotic element. It is really well executed. The production on this album is crisp and big, it is also a shade brighter than their last album. "Nadir" is really well written even if the focus in the first half of the song is more about the ambiance. It does go somewhere, which is one of the things I need from music. "The Crone" finds a continued emphasis placed on the more drifting atmosphere and mood. The formula has room to grow as the shift occurs here with a more violent black metal climax though the previous song connected more with me.

The last song is big metal with more of a Cormorant vibe than what I would expect coming from this project. There are atmospheric guitar melodies diving from the corners of the raging storm that comes down on your ears. It is really well done but sound more like what they current tone of metal is these days than what makes the band most unique which is their exploration of darkness and outside of the metal norm. I will give this album a 9, the more metal direction worked and there are no bad songs, I just wish it was overall darker and some of that might be production.