TRACKLIST:
1.Blood Trails
2.Cavalcade
3.The Path that Lies Behind Me
4.Silence
5.Quantity of Sadness
6.Post Mortem
7.The Vulture's Feast
8.A Callous Mind
9.Reincarnation
10.Angry Again
TRACK BY TRACK ANALYSIS:
1. ''Blood Trails''
I have to admit I did sample this album on the band's MySpace page after hearing a wee bit of this track only to check if there was a bit more heaviness in store on this album.And I can safely say that make no mistake,these guys have got quite a few tricks under their belt.
This first song is quite a sweet slab of melodic metal.It has quite a fleeting darkness to it that you mostly can never put your finger on while listening to this type of alternative metal usually.I find the guitar melodies absolutely catchy,and the blend of James Malone-ish vocals and the cleans gives it a very human tone that definitely makes the track very efficient and quite a relief to hear when shit piles up in life and you need to hear a straight up rocker come out of your speakers.Good stuff,but I'm looking forward to hearing something truly metallic coming out of those energic little dudes.
2. ''Cavalcade''
When I said these guys have quite a few surprises in store for the listener,I was most definitely correct.This track takes us into a bit more of a viking folk terrain with a strong dose of Amorphis influence.This is a remarkable departure from the general direction the first track was heading into.It is a mid-tempo ''Sampo''-type track with a very immersive guitar melody that truly takes ya into the general feeling Amorphis always achieves: taking you into the dephts of dark woods in the dephts of Finland.The fact that these guys come from that area is quite undeniable when you look into the heart of this song.The clean vocals are particularly impressive at this point as the frontman reaches some very high notes and blend in quite successfully with deep haunting growls that display a raw emotion that totally grabs you.Simply beautiful and sacred.Fans of November's Doom and Katatonia also might want to turn to this song for a very similar feeling.
3. ''The Path that Lies Behind Me''
This one track is quite the unusual blend of styles.I have to admit I love it when bands achieve the challenge of infusing two very different sub-genres into one absolutely efficient and smashing display of art that's going to take you aback and tear you a new one when it comes to what you THINK you can expect from a record.
This one track stays within the mid-tempo folk-ish vein though it is slightly less obvious than on the previous track.The vocals are slightly more rythmic than pre-dominant,and the song has quite a soft personnality,but beware: there are some black metal passages.These are quite simply amazing.The driving melody of these blastbeat-furious moments is completely stunning,and I have to say I now crave hearing more of what these guys can pull off when it comes to this sub-genre in particular.Good melodic black metal being a rare gem as of late,I always get excited when I hear such a convincing display of excellency.These passages should have been slightly more frequent within the song,but this doesn't take anything away from these guys' impressive ability to make this type of malevolent darkness fit with folk-ish,slightly alternative metal-sounding innocence.It is quite a beautiful portrayal of the darkened human mind and its patterns.
4. ''Silence''
Yet another very melody-driven track that is slightly in the vein of ''Cavalcade'' but it has more of a sorrowful tone than a dark one.I would say this strongly reminds me of what I have heard on the latest Arsis album ''Starve for the Devil'',but stripped from its technical elements,and rendered as raw emotion retaining the strong melodious talent.The James Malone vocals are particularly impressive on this track,being absolute shrieks that efficiently grab you and keep your attention all through the song,while the cleans are more of a background presence than on the previous songs,but achieve the same kind of effect than on the first track.The choruses are a very interesting nod to Opeth,Mikael Akerfeldt-ian deep growls included,and I can also still hear a hint of an Amorphis touch on the guitar work,which does blend in beautifully.It is a very promising swirl of influences that does take the listener on a roll where they simply can't tear themselves from this listening experience.
5. ''Quantity of Sadness''
This is the straight-forward display of insane heaviness that I was waiting for after hearing the third-track.This is a bit of a blackened folk song to some extent,but still with a touch of Arsis fascination taking the forefront of the game.The vocals are most definitely at their peak as the James Malone compares continue to abund.I would say this one track is the most loyal portrayal of the ensemble of this band's work that could easily be the first song to pitch to someone who's completely new to this band's sound.It is most definitely an instant kicker,an instant love.I'm going to stream this track on my own radio show this week.I am truly convinced this is going to be embraced by all the listeners without a single exception.
6. ''Post Mortem''
I would say this song is a bit of a step back into the band's basic roots.It is what I would classify as a prime example of what Viking Metal was all about before Amon Amarth turned it into swedish death metal.The chorus' union of clean vocals and mid-volume shrieks make for an extremely interesting sonic result.While this track isn't the strongest on the record when it comes to blowing your mind to dust with beat variations and skillful nuances,it is still a very sweet track that all folk lovers will embrace with much enthusiasm.
7. ''The Vulture's Feast''
We are heading straight back towards the Amorphis sound with a clean vocal-driven track that is quite boldly beautiful.To me it is most definitely the main surprise on this record.It could probably be turned into an accoustic track and still have me nodding my head along.It is what I would call a folk ballad,if I'm gonna put this under a tag.There is absolutely no growling within,no agressivity,yet it does belong on this disc and it's truly pushing the enveloppe when it comes to how efficient such a soft track can be in the midst of a metal record.
8. ''A Callous Mind''
Yet another fucking grand smash into the skull in a ''Quantity of Sadness'' fashion.The same cards are being played here,to my absolute satisfaction,making it yet another song I will absolutely have to stream.I have nothing to add to this that hasn't been said about the fifth track.It definitely reaches the same level of excellency while being a breath of fresh air and a very welcome kick in the face.
9. ''Reincarnation''
I would easily attach this song to ''Post Mortem'' in the sense that it is a focus on the root of the band's sound,particularly mind-blowing clean-vocal-driven chorus atop.The accoustic passages of the song add a very,very nice touch to the body of the song.
10. ''Angry Again'' (MEGADETH cover)
I must admit I was quite surprised to find a Megadeth cover in here,since the band's sound is clearly not going in that direction in the entire lenght of the album,but I was quite pleased with this type of tribute to a band I personally can't get enough of.It is a very accurate cover of a classic track that easily ranks amongst my favourites.The band does keep its sound,even though it is very loyal to the 'Deth.Quite a sweet way to end the album.
RATING: 9.5/10 I must admit I am most definitely on a blackened-folk drive this time around and this album is exactly the type of disc I want to crank at maximum volume every single day.This band's influences are comprised of my idols of the moment,while embodying a very unique identity for themselves.I must note that the songwriting in here is absolutely impressive.It totally smoked me up with each and every single track,and the unpredictable twists and turns of this band's sound are absolutely unforgettable.
This is a must-buy.
-Noch
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