Music Banter - View Single Post - The Playlist of Life --- Trollheart's resurrected Journal

Trollheart · 03-26-2013, 06:00 AM

Darkling, I listen --- The Black Atlantic --- 2012 (Beep! Beep! Back up the truck)

Yeah I know: I'm listening to quite a few EPs recently. They've all been really good though, and hell, if there isn't an album to buy then an EP is the next best thing. The only trouble is that it leaves you often with little to review, as they usually only have four or five tracks. This one has five. You wouldn't expect this at all from an ex-metalcore founder, but I guess that just goes to show that you can't always judge a book by its cover, or an artiste by their previous work. This EP is a masterpiece of dark ambient melancholia, while yet retaining enough of an upbeat edge that my wrists are completely free of razor-marks.

Now admittedly I know nothing of the band called Shai Halud, but apparently they're an American metalcore band which mixes punk, thrash and progressive metal into their music, and Geert van der Velde was their frontman for some years, before he decided to take a course in philosophy, it would appear. During that time he wrote a song for his girlfriend (later wife) which he posted on Myspace and which then got so much interest that a label signed him to produce a whole album. This is the second album as such, although it's an EP. Mind you, I don't know if there's an album to come after this, but I do know that The Black Atlantic's first album is available for download from their website on one of those "pay what you want" deals that are becoming so popular now.

There's a soft gentle acoustic guitar to open "The aftermath (of this unfortunate event)", and it's very moody and melancholic indeed, with some strange sort of sliding percussion and then a nice electric guitar with the vocal quite folky in tone and not too far removed from progressive rock in places too. Gets a bit more animated as it nears the end of the song, sort of reminds me in places of Travis. Some nice lush keyboard then in the bluesy "The flooded road (Built on sand), van der Gelde gets to exercise his vocals a bit more, stronger and more forceful delivery than in the first. This one reminds me a little of Deacon Blue at their laidback best. Again, strange percussion, this time sounds like it's echoing. Lovely arpeggios on the keys from Matthijs Herder and a fine soft yet insistent little guitar line, then we're into the definitely more upbeat and uptempo title track, with the drums sounding "normal" for the first time in the EP, as they trundle out the beat, and some really effective vocal harmonies on the chorus.

A sweet little piano line from Kim Janssen joined by Geert's guitar, then it all stops for acapella vocals for a moment against just the pounding of the drums (sort of like listening to the sea crash against the rocks, very atmospheric) before a solid synth line that reminds me unaccountably of Genesis's "Watcher of the skies", the opening part anyway. There's a gentle little progressive, pastoral feel to "An archer, a dancer", and it's a slower song but some hard percussion cutting in ups the tempo slightly before it drops back to its original folky feel. The members of The Black Atlantic all appear to be multi-instrumentalists (bastards!)

as they all seem to play about three instruments at a minimum, from guitar and piano to percussion and ukulele! Well, all except the drummer. Very talented bunch. The song gets a little psychedelic near the end, falling into something of a Beatles vibe, and certainly seems the most upbeat of the tracks.

And all too soon we're into the closing track, as "Quiet, humble man" brings the curtain down with a beautiful little ballad right out of the early Genesis playbook, rippling soft guitar and flute, muted percussion and a really, again, pastoral feel. A lovely little laidback track with a ton of passion in the vocal and a really nice way to end the EP. Just wish there was more.

TRACKLISTING

1. The aftermath (of this unfortunate event)
2. The flooded road (Built on sand)
3. Darkling, I listen
4. An archer, a dancer
5. Quiet, humble man

Actually, there is, because as I say there's another album. It's available from their website, The Black Atlantic (you should go there, if only to see the video running live on the page) and you can purchase it; they now have a set price structure but it's still very reasonable. I'll be watching for more from these guys, and once I get their first album downloaded and have a few listens to it, expect a review here in the not too distant future.

03-26-2013, 06:00 AM	#1741 (permalink)
Trollheart Born to be mild Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: 404 Not Found Posts: 26,996	Darkling, I listen --- The Black Atlantic --- 2012 (Beep! Beep! Back up the truck) Yeah I know: I'm listening to quite a few EPs recently. They've all been really good though, and hell, if there isn't an album to buy then an EP is the next best thing. The only trouble is that it leaves you often with little to review, as they usually only have four or five tracks. This one has five. You wouldn't expect this at all from an ex-metalcore founder, but I guess that just goes to show that you can't always judge a book by its cover, or an artiste by their previous work. This EP is a masterpiece of dark ambient melancholia, while yet retaining enough of an upbeat edge that my wrists are completely free of razor-marks. Now admittedly I know nothing of the band called Shai Halud, but apparently they're an American metalcore band which mixes punk, thrash and progressive metal into their music, and Geert van der Velde was their frontman for some years, before he decided to take a course in philosophy, it would appear. During that time he wrote a song for his girlfriend (later wife) which he posted on Myspace and which then got so much interest that a label signed him to produce a whole album. This is the second album as such, although it's an EP. Mind you, I don't know if there's an album to come after this, but I do know that The Black Atlantic's first album is available for download from their website on one of those "pay what you want" deals that are becoming so popular now. There's a soft gentle acoustic guitar to open "The aftermath (of this unfortunate event)", and it's very moody and melancholic indeed, with some strange sort of sliding percussion and then a nice electric guitar with the vocal quite folky in tone and not too far removed from progressive rock in places too. Gets a bit more animated as it nears the end of the song, sort of reminds me in places of Travis. Some nice lush keyboard then in the bluesy "The flooded road (Built on sand), van der Gelde gets to exercise his vocals a bit more, stronger and more forceful delivery than in the first. This one reminds me a little of Deacon Blue at their laidback best. Again, strange percussion, this time sounds like it's echoing. Lovely arpeggios on the keys from Matthijs Herder and a fine soft yet insistent little guitar line, then we're into the definitely more upbeat and uptempo title track, with the drums sounding "normal" for the first time in the EP, as they trundle out the beat, and some really effective vocal harmonies on the chorus. A sweet little piano line from Kim Janssen joined by Geert's guitar, then it all stops for acapella vocals for a moment against just the pounding of the drums (sort of like listening to the sea crash against the rocks, very atmospheric) before a solid synth line that reminds me unaccountably of Genesis's "Watcher of the skies", the opening part anyway. There's a gentle little progressive, pastoral feel to "An archer, a dancer", and it's a slower song but some hard percussion cutting in ups the tempo slightly before it drops back to its original folky feel. The members of The Black Atlantic all appear to be multi-instrumentalists (bastards!) as they all seem to play about three instruments at a minimum, from guitar and piano to percussion and ukulele! Well, all except the drummer. Very talented bunch. The song gets a little psychedelic near the end, falling into something of a Beatles vibe, and certainly seems the most upbeat of the tracks. And all too soon we're into the closing track, as "Quiet, humble man" brings the curtain down with a beautiful little ballad right out of the early Genesis playbook, rippling soft guitar and flute, muted percussion and a really, again, pastoral feel. A lovely little laidback track with a ton of passion in the vocal and a really nice way to end the EP. Just wish there was more. TRACKLISTING 1. The aftermath (of this unfortunate event) 2. The flooded road (Built on sand) 3. Darkling, I listen 4. An archer, a dancer 5. Quiet, humble man Actually, there is, because as I say there's another album. It's available from their website, The Black Atlantic (you should go there, if only to see the video running live on the page) and you can purchase it; they now have a set price structure but it's still very reasonable. I'll be watching for more from these guys, and once I get their first album downloaded and have a few listens to it, expect a review here in the not too distant future. __________________ Trollheart: Signature-free since April 2018 Last edited by Trollheart; 04-26-2013 at 02:51 AM.