Forum Member Album Reviews

[Frownland]

If James Hetfield didn't sing on it it wouldn't even border on cringey.

[MicShazam]

Yeah I actually think the Hetfield dominated tracks are the worst.

[MicShazam]

I finished this short 4 track album:





Tracks:

(1) The Hunt [02:49]
(2) Connect the Dots [04:09]
(3) Tarot Card [03:47]
(4) Tigris & Euphrates [04:03]

Total [14:49]

(The youtube video info has individual track links)

[Frownland]

That's short, I'll check it out.

Originally Posted by Frownland

If James Hetfield didn't sing on it it wouldn't even border on cringey.

I like how this is on the top of the page, making it look like we're talking about Hetfield's poor performance on a forum member's album.

[MicShazam]

Originally Posted by Frownland

That's short, I'll check it out.

Cool!

Originally Posted by Frownland

I like how this is on the top of the page, making it look like we're talking about Hetfield's poor performance on a forum member's album.

Ah, if only...

[Mondo Bungle]

Originally Posted by MicShazam

If there's some actual recognizable song writing/theme/structure to it, I'm up for anything you've got. It's just that I'm not good at saying anything about blobs of formless sound. So if "dissonant soundscapes of distortion" describes it well, it will probably be a criminally short review.

it is what I said it is https://ququmatz.bandcamp.com/album/well-of-sacrifice

[MicShazam]

Originally Posted by Mondo Bungle

it is what I said it is https://ququmatz.bandcamp.com/album/well-of-sacrifice

I'll take a listen when I have time. Maybe later today, maybe not.

[MicShazam]

1. Cave of the Crystal Sepulchre 14:49
Ok, that was quite the journey... and it's only the second shortest track, so I'm gonna need some coffee or some heroin.
The first few minutes and the last few felt a bit repetitive, but I liked a lot of what goes on in the middle.
The mixing workss quite well, even though the guitars (assuming that's what it is) are quite low in the mix.
There's a bit of pseudo-operatic warbling late in the track, which caught me off guard.
This is a lot more varied than I expected it to be.


2. Cave of Blood 13:51
Old sci'fi b-movie vibes mesh with some pretty odd black metal. At times it feels a bit like some actual old Norwegian BM bands I've heard, especially because of the drum sounds, which are really quite spot-on for a BM feel.
We get some spots of pure noise manipulation, but there's ultimately a lot of sonic variety and development in the track.
The melody being played alongside some goofy ultra-guttural vocals around the 9:30 mark... really odd sounding combo!
Then a sound that reminds me of the opening to the Depeche Mode album Playing the Angel... alongside some more weird ass vocals.
The part from around 12:00 builds into some interesting sounds.
Still... I find it difficult so far to say much about each track. Picking apart all the little shifts in layering and other details would take ages, and these are some long tracks.

Anyway, next!


3. Jaya-Vijaya 15:27
Some creepy siren sounds along with some really nice, skittering drums. Then a reverby surfer rock guitar that doesn't fall into meter at all. We're VERY far away from any black metal feel now.
Then things get jazzy... in a drunken surfer rock sort of way.
Then we get some tribal drums and more guttural warbling in the background. Around 11:26 there's a guitar that sounds a lot like what a looped guitar sample could sound like in an old tracker program. Maybe it's actally being played live on a guitar, what do I know.
Things build to something a bit harder towards the ending, but it never really explodes.


4. Ndaxagua 24:15
Slow start, but I like the guitar coming ind around 3:00. I'm getting predictable: Someone breaks off the noise with some guitar plucking and I'm suddenly much more on board with it.
Nice drums, which has really been a tendency of this album so far.
I know everything really goes when you compose music, but when a fast paced, driving double bass drum beat pummels along the highway later in the track, I don't feel like any of the accompanying sounds really match the feel of the drums. It's not until around 8:20 mark things really click back together again.
After that, things do get quite interesting.
A sort of breakdown kicks in around 11:00. Then... weird noises with some neat sounding keyboard notes in the background. Now, being the boring square that I am, I would probably have put that up front but that's my problem.
Pleased to hear that we get to sit with those keyboard/synth notes for quite a while! I'd totally expected it to disappear as quickly as it appeared.
14:20-ish: Robot T rex. Then some cool guitar. Subtle drums... yeah, there's some neat things going on late in this track.
The voice after 15:00 somewhere reminds me of a ghost from the muppets rendition of Dicken's a Christmas Carol. I think.
A bit later, the drums sound kind of rumbly. I think it's a tom that has some distortion to it.
Oh lookie here - now it starts feeling modestly black metal again.
Several interesting changes and instruments saved for last.
The latter third of this track is probably the most interesting part of the album.

------

Ok... So, what to make of this whole thing?
Undeniably, not really my kind of thing. I'm a traditional songwriting/melodic construction kind of guy.
No doubt that a lot of work has been put into this and it is quite interesting at times.
If memory serves, there seems to be more work put into it than things from the same composer I've heard a long time ago.
Would I listen to it again? Probably not, but it was an interesting little journey/exercise in forced-open mindedness all the same.
Oh and one more time just to make it clear: The drums were generally really well handled on this album. Good job!

Final rating:
/10

[Mondo Bungle]

damn, that's not even the one I was thinkin

[MicShazam]

Originally Posted by Mondo Bungle

damn, that's not even the one I was thinkin

Maybe you meant to post this one: https://troublesalad.bandcamp.com/album/clear-society ?
I can hear it's a lot more melodic.