Austrailia's Karnivool have been around for almost 30 years, but this is their fourth album, meaning they are very calculated and meticulous when writing and producing music. Which can be heard on this album. They are not prog in the sense that there is a ton of guitar solos, but subtly shifting arrangements with djent like times changes bubbling up under anthemic rock songs that are also very moody and melodic. The second song has a little more groove. They are obviously influenced by Tool to some extent, and thankfully not trying to be Dream Theater.
The nuanced tenor of their vocalist is supple and slides gracefully up into its higher register on the chorus. The guitars carry enough punch to appeal to metal fans, but I would not call these guys a metal band unless something takes a dramatic shift midway into the album. They seem less metal-adjacent than Porcupine Tree, who had the Opeth connection to draw on. There are some formulas in place when it comes to their songwriting, but it works well, so I won't complain about them. "Animation" is the catchiest song thus far, which says alot as they write in a very hooky fashion for a prog band. "Conversations " blends pop vocals with what A Perfect Circle does in an effective manner.
"Reanimation" feels like the aftermath of " Animation", more nuanced with room to show off the singer's voice to a greater extent. There is a grittier groove that drives "All it Takes". In many ways, these guys also remind me of Pain of Salvation. But on a song like "Remote Self Control," you can hear the Rush influence. Lyrically, there seems to be a similar theme of self-control, mental health, and perhaps a struggle with addiction that is revisited on the ballad "Opal." The last song finds the bass line getting it moving. These guys are making this kind of prog mental relevant in a thoughtful manner that doesn't rely on shred. I will round it up to a 10.
It's been 2015 since we covered Void of Sleep. I remember the album being on the harder rock side of sludge, but let's see how they have evolved as a band in the past decade. The first actual song on this album feels more atmospheric than what I remember from them. The vocals fall in a manner not unlike Mastodon's more melodic moments. The vocals are belted in a more doom-like manner when things build dynamically. "Misfortune Teller" works along similar lines with a more syncopated Tool creep to it than the previous song.
"Lullaby of Woe" is more moody and progressive, with the vocals just riding the riffs rather than being a hooky focus on the songwriting. The vocals sit back in the mix to make this more apparent, and a thick atmosphere hovers over the guitar. At almost 10 minutes, they milk the mood for as long as they can. It slowly builds up for a simmering breakdown. They jam off this for almost half the song. Around the 8-minute mark, a guitar solo creates the chance to build things.
There is a similar shadowy pulse to "From an Unborn Mother," it gives the vocals more room for introspective crooning, though they still still back in the mix. The hypnotic brooding that weaves into form certainly shares some common groove with Tool in the almost Middle Eastern feel that slithers from it. A saxophone solo provdies a sonic change of pace that is preferred to just having another guitar solo, not that they are obsessed with shredding, but needed the change of sonic colors.
They continue to stay in a jammy midset for "Phantoms of Nihil". The vocals do not come until the two-minute mark, and while they are more forward in the mix, they are not as nuanced as what we heard earlier in the album, though they do build into a more aggressive tone. It feels a little awkward at times. It does not feel like they have spent the last decade working to perfect this element of their sound. The breakdown at the five-minute mark was well timed, though it offers nothing new from them when they jam over it.
The last song is the darkest and heaviest mood of the album. The vocal harmonies create more of a grunge vibe. I will give this album an 8, which is what their last album received, meaning that these guys are consistent. If you like grunge and progressive rock and wish the two were married more often, then this album will be worth checking out. It drops on Aural Music October 17th, so fans of the band have something to look forward to.
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I enjoy post-rock, but I have to be in a particular mood for it. Having a headache and not being able to listen to anything more aggressive is such an occasion. This might be an even more melodic direction for the Irish band as the song focuses on central melodic themes, and sails off. Graceful is one word that comes to mind. There is a more exotic touch to the chord voicing and it often sounds like sitar is being used. This takes things on a magical mystery tour with its more psychedelic leanings. Sometimes they are subtle as the second songs gradually build up to them at the end, while songs like "Odyessy" find them carrying the main melody as a dynamic shift from the more rock-oriented riffing.
"Heart of Roots" is a moodier exploration with piano taking center stage. The rock guitar colors the background and lets things progress with a more jazz-like layering. "Embers" finds both drone and groove working off one another. Great drumming and excellent guitar tones certainly help this song's case for greatness. It borders more towards prog. Even though it's over four minutes long "Realms" feels like it's the atmospheric intro to "Oscillation" which is a proper song with melody and direction rather than just a sculpt of sound.
"Prism" works off a pretty simple melody they drone off of, but does not go anywhere dynamically. Sure it sounds cool, but instrumental bands have to work harder to compensate for the lack of vocals, or they just kind of fade into the background. "Hourglass" proves they can not only compensate but hypnotize you with layers of lush dynamics, making it one of the album's strongest songs. I will give this album a 9, they have improved as a songwriter, and this will give fans what they want and more than they expected.
When it comes to bands I love, I am ready to write the most bloated praise-filled tribute possible. This however comes only after a perilous first listen. You see by placing them on the pedestal of what other bands should aspire to. they must meet these exalted expectations. If they are one of the best bands I have ever seen live then expectations are even higher. If they are coming back 17 years later, after you lived thinking their last album was the final chapter, then you can only hope for the best album ever, and Sleepytime Gorilla Museum has reopened to attempt to make their best album yet. 2007's "In Glorious Times" is a perfect album, so they are not trying to take it head on but in a more mature step forward with the emphasis on more of the chamber music side, while employing all the creepy dissonance they are known for.
This is not to say the album is not empowered by strong grooves as they pull out the jams for both "El Evil" and "S.P.OR.". Which are the two strongest songs of the album's first act. After the vaudevillian parade of "We Must Know More," they break into the more metallic chaotic tension of "The Gift", which recalls the mood of "In Glorius Times". To show the breadth of their sonic range there are also songs like "Hush, Hush" that sound more like Bjork than the kind of syncopated wizardry they are known for until the song climaxes. Things take on a more King Crimson level of prog on "Save It" which is the first song I would not call dark. In fact, it might be the first upbeat song I have heard from this band.
The angular groove of "Burn into Light" is highly effective, as the vocals fall in line with where they are going. The more Mr. Bungle-like thrashing is an undertone of the song, but not its main theme. The bass player takes the mic on "Old Gray Heron" and finds a Pink Floyd-like guitar solo wailing in the distance to give more of a rock effect than you normally hear from these guys. I have never heard him sing aggressively, but he does eventually here. When thinking of this album as a whole, I must think about the moments that required multiple listens to set in or things like the closing song which is an instrumental that stays true to the angular moments of ambiance. 'Silver Fish" is the song I had to return to the most to fully embrace it. It ventures off into the more Bjork-like tenderness. It does not conform to where you think most ballads of this sort might go. I will go ahead and give this one a 10 as those moments take time to process.
After 21 years Gabriel is releasing his first album of new original songs. At the ripe age of 73, Gabriel's voice sounds great on "Panopticon" . These songs have both a light and dark mix. So I am going through both mixes at the same time as I go through the album, but I am only going to score the song once, which for "Panopticon" doesn't affect much, since the difference is the dark mix has more atmospheric sounds at the edge and a little more rock punch here and there. It is progressive rock that is more adventurous than other artists on mainstream rock radio though not as wild as say what he did with Genesis back on "the Lamb Lies Down on Broadway".
"The Court " finds him continuing his narration of modern society, done in a smooth almost new-wave pop fashion, with moody piano wandering in. These sessions were recorded with the trio that has been his core band for some time with former King Crimson bassist Tony Levin, guitarist David Rhodes, and drummer Manu Katche. The dark side re-mix of "the Court" is a more different take than what they did with the first song. His melody remains intact, but the way the verse breaks down creates more space. "Playing For Time" is a typical ballad for what he does, granted this is not my favorite flavor of what he does, but it's on brand for him. The Dark side mix of this one is even more stripped down.
The title track has a little more groove to it. He muses more metaphysical matters on this one. It gets more upbeat than what I normally listen to but it works for who he is these days. The darkside mix of this song feels similar maybe the guitars were brought up in the chorus. I really like the moodier "Four Kinds of Horses". Lyrically powerful and vocally emotive it's what I want from him. With lines like "This is how you travel, if you live to see the world explode". The darkside mix is a little more orchestrated and jammed out into the ambiance. "Road to Joy" feels like one of his pop songs from the 80s, think perhaps "In Your Eyes" when it comes to the jubilant vibe it builds into, the groove being more like Bowie's "Fame". The dark side mix only differs in where things like the guitars and synths sit in the background.
"So Much " finds us back in the mode of Gaberiel's more delicate ballads. The dark side mix is more interesting, as vocals have a little more effects and there is more ambiance hovering around it. "Olive Tree" is another great song that finds his vocal chords at perhaps their most supple yet, before it bursts into a joyful chorus, that recalls Paul Simon's solo work in the 80s. The dark side mix gives the verses a moodier touch. The guitars are also more present in where they sit. "Love Can Heal" floats on a delicate cloud of ambiance, but works for the mood it is meant to convey. The dark side mix has deeper layers of this ambiance. This album does not touch on world music as much as what he has done in the past though the influence is hinted at on "This is Home". It flows with the grace you expect from him. The dark side mix feels brighter in terms of the more organic manner the sounds sit in the mix.
"And Still" is another delicate ballad that is not what I prefer him to do but that does not mean he does not do it well. The last song is more middle of the road but is on target for what he does as well. There are some more interesting sounds brought to light in the darkside mix which I prefer over the first presentation of this song. I will round this one up to a 10, as the parts that I am not into as much are sure to grow on me and are balanced out by the stellar moments. Impressive that he is still capable of doing this into his 70s, as his work is more vocally challenging than say the Rolling Stones.
They crash right into the first song which is a mid-paced rocker with a big chorus, not unlike what they did on their previous album. For Jonas the verse in in a slightly lower register than where he normally sings. I like this approach as it carries a little more heft. Is it the hookiest song they have done in the past decade? No, but it works for what it is. I prefer the darker heavier mood to "Colossal Shade". This album is not at all produced like a metal album. This can really be felt on "Opaline". There is some interesting jazz like layers of guitars, blended with a wide scope of electronic sounds. This is clearly more of a progressive rock album and thankfully falls on the darker side of that genre.
"Birds" marks the second time I had to pause this album to see if I had left Pat Metheny playing in another window of my computer. It is somewhat upbeat with the kind of atmospheric nuance that a Pat Metheny fan might also mistake for the jazz icon to be noodling in the background. "Drab Moon" is the kind of classic melancholy we have come to expect from the band post- "Night is the New Day". "Author" builds off a similar mood, with more of a straightforward rock dynamic. Many of these songs took repeat listens to fully ingest everything that is going on here, the more power ballad like "Impermanence" being one of these songs that a few listens to wrap my head around. Jonas doing different things with his voice and the moody phrasing of the band swirling around him.
Every album has found the sound of this band progressing. This album marks another noted changed though a logical stepping off point when you consider the guitar heroics that could be heard on "City Burials". "Sclera" simmers on a more reflective tone that is perhaps more familiar than not. "Atrium" is one of the few straight forward rock tracks. It is no surprise this was one of the album's lead singles. It's more upbeat than the bulk of the album. The more progressive direction is even more obvious amid the groove of "No Beacon to Illuminate Our Fall". I am fine with this more progressive direction when it comes coated in slithering darkness like it heard on "Absconder" I will give this album a 10 as it finds the band evolving even this late in their career. This drops on Napalm Records January 20th
For some reason I always forget these guys are from Germany. The album opens with a sea of retro synths before the first song "Crawling' bounces into its jerking bounce of a groove. The vocals are throaty and ride the staccato riff of the guitar. "Trapped in an Endless" has a crashing thump to it, the quirky almost post-punk vocals are given room as they sit on the bass line/. There is a darker current to this song. The vocals shift in a starker baritone to accommodate this mood. There is an oddly reserved tension to the more compressed indie rock like riff of "Almost" that spins around your ears rather than engaging hem fully like a rock song.
"This Flow" finds them to go further down the road of odd mellow grooves, much different than what I have heard from them before. It reminds me almost of Tears For Fears or Peter Gabriel. They are obviously hitting the bong pretty hard, but it is moving with a more progressive grace. What it does not have are any grandiose window dressing or pretense, things just flow naturally. "Shine" is the first song with any metallic intentions in how the aggressive riffs attack to provide a contrast to the vocals croon in the background. They continue to work off this almost new wave feel being thrown up against the more bong laden metal. The title track is possessed by an almost robotic bounce to the beat, like a cyborg Primus, though the bass is less chaotic.
The singer proves he can belt it out with power and aggression on "Beautiful" which is a generally darker song. There is also the first hint that I can hear where his German accent betrays him. This melody doe an odd dance almost like something Danny Elfman would do. "Fear No More" it not far removed from the shadow-tinged dance of the previous song. The vocals are emotive hear as well. There is a more exotic tone to "In Dust: it reminds me of when New Model Army went into a more progressive direction. There is a more metallic guitar riff that creeps in. They continue to elegantly creep around with a darkly beautiful shimmer on "Leaving the Hill". "Whisper' almost sounds like a System of a Down ballad if run through the filter of the 80s.
They continue to take you one sonic journey that are expansive as they are quirky from new dances in dark alleys to wild wandering prog excursions colored by metal guitar slithering around it. The closing song is a ten-minute epic that might have a slight amount of fat to trim but that is largely forgivable when you consider where they go with and what they do on the way. At five minutes in the drop an impressive metal riff that is pretty powerful. If you think Dream Theater is prog then you do not know anything about music and might not be as into this album as there are not songs to shred over but music that goes somewhere, it is a wonderful album I will give it a 10.
A band where another review inspired me to check it out so paying it forward. These guys used to be more of a metal band than they are now, though if we are talking about perhaps late 70s metal then this would still count. They are about as heavy as Deep Purple. The melodic vocals work well. There is also something darker than your standard retro retro metal, almost reminds me of Beastmilk. Which is a huge compliment as they were one of my favorite bands. With "There is No Freedom but the End" there is a cool tension to the verses . The chorus at first seems too happy for me, but it grows on me and when compared to the rest of the album is far from the happiest moment. ..
The happiness is kept at bay for another song with the more brooding throb of "Where You Go You'll Bring Nothing", though the chorus once again is brighter than what I typically prefer. It reminds me of perhaps some of the more folk influenced moments of Borknagar in terms of melody. *The Shovel and the Cross" has a bounce it it\s rock infused. The lyrics are darker than the music which I can appreciate. Metal is in this band's DNA despite the fact they ride the border of rock and metal. The way the riffs sit are often more metal in execution than intent. Sometimes they remind me of what a post-punk version of Uriah Heap might sound like. When the double bass kicks in they are heading in a more metallic direction.
Things get more melodic on "This Apocalypse is For You" . The more tempo the song is the less the vocals feel like they are holding as much purpose. This is the first song that feels a little more like filler. There is a more proggy frolic going into "All Chains Rust. All Men Die" . The verse darkens and then the chorus brightens . This is a dynamic , though I am not sure about how happy it is for me. In casual listening typing this up it is fine , but not sure this is something I will listen to when I am out and about. This song kind of loses me mid way into it. It is certainly more happy than what I think should come out of Norway, though I can hear where band like Shining or Leporus might have common ground. I prefer when they dip into the darker riffs of "the Fucking Violence of Love" which is still much happier than the title might suggest. Two minutes in things brighten a little but I can still deal with it.
The thankfully close the album in a more aggressive manner. The keyboard tone shifts. They still have the progressive rock tone to their sound. The riffs might be the most hooky and more along the lines of Yes meets Muse. I will give this album a 9, due to the happiness that sometimes makes me less invested. They are great players and songwriters with a ton of potential they just need to get depressed or addicted to drugs.
These guys are highly talented. What they are not and this needs to be said as there always seems to be confusion when people are making their end of their year lists, is metal. There is a more ballsy Baroness like approach to the opening track of this album. I recall the vocals not having this much testosterone behind them on previous listens to their stuff. But this is there fifth album and I have only really listened to the first one. There is a jammy quality to their brand of prog rock. If you were to guess why I am not totally sold on these guys you would not need to get much further than the first five minutes of the ten minute opener to hear these guys are not particularly dark. If you know me and my tastes then you will know 88 percent of what I listen to not matter the genre falls under dark. In fact that is the mission statement of this blog to spread sonic darkness. With that said good music is good music so I am open to veins of it that are not wrecked with despair. I do not smoke pot any longer, but when I did I was much more impressed by this sort of thing. Time stands still and you do not realize you have been listening to this song for that long and your Hot Pockets are still in the microwave.
Midway into "In Procession" it feels like they are caught up on the math of the notes they are playing and the song itself is meandering a bit. If you play guitar then perhaps this kind of razzle dazzle is your thing. I like it when King Crimson is doing and I like old Minus the Bear, after that I am not impressed unless it is flowing. It begins to flow around the six and a half minute mark. At that point it's beginning to fade into the background. I think this is better executed on "Halcyon". Here most of what they do is firing on the cylinders that my ears find most pleasing. At almost 13 minutes we still have a lot of time for the song to wander off . "Embers" finds them taking a more upbeat slant on what they have already been doing up until this point. I do like the subtle sonic build this song uses .
The album closes with "One Light Retreating" which has more groove to it. I think if I could have asked anything more from this album aside being dark it would have been for more groove. This album is not the first time I have picked up on the fact that before this band it is more likely that these guys were playing indie rock rather than 70s prog. The prog must have come once smoking weed became cool again. The good and the bad can be summed up like this . This is an album I can just leave on an let play, that's good. Not as good as when I do this I can not tell which song I am on as they all run together, so not big points on songwriting they are more jammers. I will give this album an 8.5.
The first album after their Grammy nominated "Purple Album" and their first with new lead guitarist Gina Gleason,...who has played in both all female Metallica and King Diamond tribute bands, along with sitting in with Smashing Pumpkins. The stakes are high if they want to keep their momentum as a high profile hard rock band. Even with all of the interludes this still proves to be a double album. The album opens with an uptempo song with a great deal of drive, but otherwise pretty straight forward. "I'm Already Gone" has a more interesting groove. The bellowed baritone vocals still feel a little like a one trick pony here. The atmospherics find it heading in better direction."Seasons" is more progressive and aggressive than the first two songs. At first it seemed to just try to dazzle with it's dynamic range, but it grew on me.
Then things take a jarring turn to an acoustic folk infused song. It doesn't feel like a power ballad , but it gazes in that direction,until it cranks up midway into it. The bass playing on this album is impressive. They also uses a wider array of guitar tones. "Throw Me an Anchor" starts off as more of a Mastodon like ditty, then transitions into a big classic rock like chorus...think Thin Lizzy here. The verses don't do much for me on this one. "I'd Do Anything" is very emo...and yes I mean Dashboard Confessional. "Emmett Radiating Light" is another slow song, though more somber than the emo moments. The guitar to "Cold Blooded Angels" reminds me of "Blackbird" by the Beatles. The song gradually builds and has what is likely the album's best vocal performance and showcases harmonies with Gleason lending her voice. They get heavier with "Broken Halo", by heavier not really metal, but more rock and not leaning towards a ballad. For what they typically do these days it is pretty par for the course.
The more throaty croon of the chorus to "Borderlines" does more for me than the angular mathematics .There is a more psychedelic tone to "Pale Sun" that closes the album. It has texture and groove which are two things important to me as a listener. I will give this album a 9. It was pretty ambitious , but they pulled it off. Very pristine production wise.If you are a fan and ok with hearing their more introspective side then you should like this.
This album came out in January, so I would say it slipped under my radar, but since I am rarely looking for prog there was no reason for it to crop up. I like prog, o I am open to new prog the problem is it either sounds like Porcupine Tree or is busy noodling power metal with Journey like vocals. And rarely ever dark enough. So I am content with my King Crimson and old Genesis albums. This band pulls from that time period, This sounds like it could have come out in the 70. There is a very angular labyrinth melody to the opener. The bass hold most of the grit. There no metallic elements in play. While it is not dark there are some shades of gray coloring it and I would not say it is happy.
There is a less angular and more introspective mood to "Lost Crowns" . They get back to the more angular progressive sound on "Sound as Color" . The lyrics are pretty interesting. The vocals are sung to fit in with the winding syncopation. He doesn't have the best voice, but it works with what they are doing. I might not have mentioned the odd instruments they also incorporate to create this weird symphony. They bring in bassoons, Clarinets, harmoniums and hand bells into the equation. The last two minutes of "Sound as Color" finds the bass leading them into a cool groove, but grooves are something that happens by chance here. Female vocals also crop up in this section of the song.
By "Midas Xray" the angular and atonal sound is a dissonance you now come to expect. There musicianship is impressive, it just seems like they are not progressing and we are getting theme we have already earlier in the album until a weird watery effect is placed over the vocals . An interesting melody does crop up, but it is less adventurous than the previous songs. I prefer songs like with the more solemn mood like "She Saved Me" this doesn't have the noodling in circles feel that their music an take on. The vocals are more layered.These guys are very British, which might play into how they get the classic prog sound. "Sandy Doesn't Know" is not as focused as the other songs and is almost intangible.
They pull things back together on "Let Loving Her be Everything". It bounces around with a smooth dizziness. You can hear the jazz influence on the drummer here. The album ends with darker " Star of My Heart". It is a more abstract song with jazz like piano passages as it floats into ghostly realms. I will give this album a 9, it's pretty solid m not sure how many spins I will get out of it , but if you are a fan of progressive rock you need to give this a listen.
So I found these guys in the comments section of a post Revolver Magazine made asking who was going to be the break out band of 2019. I listened to a few of these bands and that review is here...
This is the band's second album and it opens with a faster more metallic take than what I heard the band do previous , which was the more ballad like title track from this album. It sounds like a pumped up version of Sliversun Pickups. Not really blown away by it. I can also hear less proggy stabs in the direction of Coheed and Cambria on "Omega". I think the more uptempo stuff fails to let shine the previous ear for melody that made me want check out an entire album in the first place. In this song when they do slow down it's an improvement. It is not until "Through Ash" that I hear any of that. The guitar playing is skilled and well produced. "Through Ash" is a vast improvement as it feels like they are not trying so hard and it flows in a more original direction. When they do build it up there is a greater sense of dynamics.
I think the problem with their more upbeat stuff is it all begins to sound the same. "Thorns" sounds like half the songs I have already heard on this album. Perhaps a more well done. Some of the more rock moments where they let up on the gas work well, and perhaps it's the drummer's fault as he tends to only have 3 variations of fast beats. "Motionless in Sky" . In the more restrained progressive they are like a hard rock version of Dave Matthews. When they can create a blend of melodies and grooves like they do on "Thumb Spike" , why are they not doing this on a more regular basis as it is obvious this it where there strength lies . "Awe at All Angles" shows they can play at faster speeds and not have it sound like all the other songs. The title track does get metal at the end employing harsher vocals. The last song is kinda lukewarm, better than some of the fast shit though. I will give this album an 8.5, fun listen, nothing profound or ground breaking in any way.
Since actual friends of mine have been asking me to review this , I will. I used to like this band in my late teen years. "Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence " was the last album I liked. Shredding no longer does it for me. I do a 10 progressive albums every year, so I still like prog and listen to it. I prefer the more Peter Gabriel era Genesis or King Crimson style where it's darker and more cerebral. The songs actually progress rather than wank around. So what is Dream Theater to do in 2019, when metal is something much different than when "Awake" was released. Well their 14th album is not a drastic shift from what they have been doing. The first song works until you get to the chorus and then thanks to James they pour the cheese all over the chorus. The verses are fine with me. They are taking a stab at being metal again though I am dreading the power ballads that are sure to come. You can here the groove of Tool's influence on these guys. The riffs are winding. Labrie's main challenge is not to muck it up with vocals that sound like Journey and to try to find some balls , which he has yet to do here. There is not as much wanking and more focus on songs which plays in their favor. The guitar solo on "Paralyzed" is pretty tasteful as these guys go.
They bring a more old school metal feel to the riff leading into "Fall Into the Light" once again the chorus fucks things up with the cheese. "Barstool Warrior " is more about the kind of showy acrobatics you expect from these guys , with more than enough guitar solos. When the vocals in they are rather subdued, and then once again sound too regal on the chorus. The drumming is great and the bass playing is pretty top notch as well. There is no question that these guys lock in like a fine tuned machine. Some of the melodies just sound like they belong in a Disney princess cartoon. The piano balladry begins to creep in midway into this song. They get to more syncopated grit that reminds me of " the Beautiful People " on "Room 137". It does not suck, it just doesn't feel all that inspired. It's not like they are punching a clock like some of the more recent albums. It just doesn't have any feeling.
A bass solo opens "S2n" which is more interesting than opening with a guitar solo. The vocals sound better with the robotic effects on them. When it speeds up then when get the same wimpy tenor that is their trademark. The synths begin to take more of a presence next to the guitars. I think if they band just plugged into their amps and went for it , the results might be more interesting than the over production here that gives things such a clean sound it feel sterile . Things begin to get even more "proggy" as in gymnastics , not really telling the kind of shifting landscape of a story a band like Rush or Yes does. It is something I am sure people masturbate to at Guitar Center or NAAM. Labrie's voice does have more feeling on this song. It comes closer to being aggressive than anything I have heard on the album so far and the anthemic chorus is not as sugar coated. Midway into the song it goes off into a Meatloaf like piano interlude, which I can only take in small doses so here it works .
"Out of Reach" is the kind of ballad I have been dreading. If you read my work here you know I have nothing against ballads in and of themselves, I think if this song was darker I might not mind it, but it invokes sappy 80s radio rock like Richard Marx too much for me. When the guitars bring in a little tension it is an improvement. I will say the build up on this song is not as cheesy as the chorus to some of the so called heavier rock songs. There is a bonus song I am not counting for the purpose of this review so I don't have to draw this out too much longer so we will say "Pale Blue Dot" is the last song. For these guys the song is dynamic but business as usual with no new tricks up their sleeves. I will give this album an 8, it is well done and a step back toward their more classic sound with keeping the cheese to a less than expected level. If you are a fan then this will sit right where you want it.
Living in Atlanta it's hard to gauge just how big of a deal a new album from Mastodon is outside of the microcosm here. It feels like more of a fully realized vision that the past two albums.
More often than not we do not see eye to eye with Metal Sucks here. But here is an exception to our normal disdain for mall metal. There is a commercial element to this dark progressive hard rock project, but it has enough heart to somehow win me over. The harmony vocals are very Alice In Chains if they went Djent in some respects as this isn't trying to be Meshuggah, but the multi-layers of ambiance and shimmering staccato passage would appeal to fans of Periphery. The prominent bass groove furthers the modern metal take on this post-nu metal grunge like affair. He opens this three song ep with the ominous build of "the Departure" and while the harmonies smack you upside the head reeking of Alice in Chains, they sound much more to me like post-Layne "Black Gives Way to Blue" era.
The songs sound very pristine every thing is perfectly placed, I was thinking who ever mixed this is a genius , then checked the credits and saw Ozmucur himself is responsible. I think he might be an even more talented producer than he is a song writer. They way this project has taken form as more of a solo outing / studio project the two work hand in hand to the point of where it's hard to hear where the production end and the song writing begins. His influences are easy to hear and these riffs are often pretty stock radio friendly metal/ hard rock, but the placement and layering of them is where the originality comes in. In other words He is painting these songs with primary colors, but it's where he puts them that makes the masterpiece.
I think "Far' is actually the strongest song on here. It is heavy emotionally and the bass line weaving around the guitar give the song an eerie ring. The big build has been done before, here it connects in a way that it normally doesn't speak to me, I think all the hidden layers within it's whirl wind contribute to this fact. The lyrics are so ambiguous it's a testament to his delivery for them to come across as impassioned as they do. On "the Clouds" this is done with more of a Katatonia feel. The tight harmonies give it a little more balls than Jonas normally injects into his passive aggressive introspection.Is this metal if we are comparing it to what we call metal here like....Darkthrone or Emperor, no, but if you like rock bands like A Perfect Circle and Katatonia that flirt with a more metal tone to their guitars and are heavy on the melancholy then this is worth a listen. I am curious to hear a full-length from this guy as he has raised the bar pretty high for him self.
