 9.4 Having listened to all maudlin of the Well/Kayo Dot related albums, this was the only last one I heard. What I heard about the album wasn't fascinating at all: it was said to be a raw, badly written and producted release by an unexperienced group. I, however, didn't mind all the negative responses and got this album to hear what the music was like when it all started. Now, the first listen didn't seem quite promising: some parts seemed badly crafted, some too poppy, others just plain boring and unremarkable. It seemed right for me to blast Bath or Leaving Your Body Map instead at the time, which, frankly speaking, are easier to listen to and "get", yet still very deep. It wasn't until one day when I was in the mood for giving this album another listener and, fortunately, that time I "got" it and since then I listen to it just as much as its successors. The sound of the ... -> show full review Ferocious Weights 7:35
 9.5 A Conception Pathetic 7:03
9.5 Undine And Underwater Flowers 8:47
9.5 The Ocean, The Kingdom and The Temptation 11:21
9.5 Pondering A Wall 6:20
9.5 Catharsis Of Sea Sleep And Dreaming 9:33
 10.0 Blight Of River Systems 5:50
 7.5 |
ivansfr0st's Other Reviews
Rating by ivansfr0st
Ashes Against The Grain 2006  by Agalloch
10.0 The crowning achievement of Agalloch's career. Rating by ivansfr0st
Materia 2006 by Novembre 9.5
A fine example of a group improving after "mellowing up".
Nowadays there has been a common opinion that once musicians remove the heaviness or the complexity from their sound, their music gets watered down and loses some of its quality and inspiration. In the world of Progressive Metal, some of the confirmation of that theory are numberless: Opeth, Green Carnation, that list goes on... Fortunately for us, Novembre's latest release Materia is an exception to this rule. Since the group has just been added to the archives a few days ago, a short introduction in this review wouldn't be out of place. Novembre are from Italy and were among the pioneers of ... -> show full review
Pale Folklore 1999 by Agalloch
10.0 Agalloch's first full-length album Pale Folklore, often underlooked even by the band's most hardcore followers, is more than just an outstanding debut. Utilizing influences from various sources, from 80's Gothic Rock to Ethnic Folk music, from Italian 70's Symphonic Prog to Norwegian 90's Black Metal's scene, and much much more, Agalloch managed to create a unique, extraordinary style of their own, achieving something nobody had achieved before. Opeth are famous(well, in our circles anyway)for combining two parts - mellow and heavy - to create a very special sound. Agalloch, whose influences were as diverse as Opeth's, from the fusion of all elements gained one sound that is very easy to recognise if you have experienced this amazing band. The album starts with the atmospheric She Painted Fire Across The ... -> show full review
Turn Loose The Swans 1994 by My Dying Bride  9.6 Revolutionary. Turn Loose The Swans, the sophomore effort by My Dying Bride is an extremely unique album when considering its historical importance and the mind-boggling progression between this record and the debut As The Flower Withers. A dramatic change can is easily noticeable in that the group no longer plays the powerful Death/Doom exclusively, and has implemented such features that make their sound truly uncategorisable and impossible to put in whatever box you have got prepared for them. Martin Powell, now a full group colleague of the musicians, plays a greater role on this record, two of the seven total ... -> show full review
Purgatory Afterglow 1994 by Edge of Sanity  8.1 Although I do not understand why many Swanoheads consider this to be the best album by Edge Of Sanity, I have to admit this is a great experience. Compared to its successor, Crimson, released two years after, this is a weaker effort lyrically, technically and conceptually. I really enjoy this album, but its progressiveness, honestly speaking, is rather questionable. Besides the synth in the first track, which, in my point of view, is the only progressive song here, the album is just a great Death Metal record in the style of Dark Tranquility. The riffs and melodies are written incredibly well, the choruses are very catchy, and Dan's growling vocals are much better than on any of the previous releases. I know this isn't an aspect to attract Progressive Rock fans towards this album, but the extreme vocals are quite possibly the greatest done in the genre. Dan also ... -> show full review
Dowsing Anemone With Copper Tongue 2006 by Kayo Dot
 9.7 After such an unexpected, earth-shattering debut as Choirs of the Eye it is not surprising that Kayo Dot's fans had high expectations for this album. Well, what did they expect? An album done in the traditions and under the borders of the first release? A return to the roots of maudlin of the Well? Or a an album that sounds like nothing you've ever heard before, let alone the group's previous efforts? I am proud to say that, in this case, it is the latter. When Choirs of the Eye was released, many loyal fans of the group couldn't accept the metamorphosis, which was the transition between Bath/Leaving Your Body Map and CotE. The "songs" were hardly songs anymore and would be better described as "free compositions, which opened new inspiration sources to the artists, however, with it also became more challenging for the average ... -> show full review |
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