Slightly rugged, melodic black metal from Massachusetts in the form of lengthy tracks (all topping seven minutes each) that focus largely on speed and subtle melody with a somewhat spacious sound signifying that the band is indeed a trio. As players and writers they're quite good, but the glaring problem here is the mix and the variation/placement of the vocals. The lead vocals are fairly typical screams with a really nice sense of texture, and I like that a lot. The backing vocals, however, are quite bad - hoarse screams, inhumanly low growls, Cradle of Filth-esque shrieks and squeals... all absolutely horrible if I must be so honest, especially when layered. At first I didn't mind because variation is usually a good thing, and the backing vocals seemed to be appearing in small doses, but the more I listen to it the more bothered I am. The fact that the vocals (lead and otherwise) are very prominent in the mix only further hurts matters, as they sit too far in front of the instrumentation and clash with an otherwise nice, natural recording with that cold sort of black metal caliber. The guitar tone has a bite to it, but one that fits the genre, and I enjoy the thick, natural tonality/clarity of the rhythm section a lot. Were the mix a bit more cohesive and the vocals fighting for space just like everything else (in "true" fashion), I actually think things would come off as far more ferocious and powerful. The recording is really only a step away from being totally dead on for what they're doing, so that's worth overlooking for the most part. Now that those complaints are aside, the songwriting is what I'd prefer to talk about, because I think the band is starting off strong. Tremolo picking is almost constant, but the layered guitar parts work together well, and the drumming offers up enough fills to keep things interesting. The repetition is well handled as well, with enough back and forth shifts to hold songs above water for upwards of nine minutes. The quite creative acoustic break in "Red Boar Inn Revolt", for example, whereas the soft acoustic intro/outros to "The Piper's Tale" are a bit more "typical" in harmonic scale (and very strong nonetheless). In fact, "The Piper's Tale" can also be a bit bouncier in its dual guitar harmonies and riffing, offering good energy and some very memorable melodic chords delivered within intense speeds. To say that the chord progressions and general approach resemble numerous Scandinavian bands of this ilk wouldn't be inaccurate, there are definitely subtle nuances though (the vocal variation, for one, whether I enjoy it or not) that separate what this band is doing musically from that whole spectrum. "Old Man" displays a brief folk-ish set of acoustics, and more importantly nice dashes of flare to the drum fills with more emphatic cymbal work and rhythm patterns, as well as a few roaming basslines that really stand out on their own. Meanwhile "My Feast" is probably the most linear and straightforward black metal tracks herein. The layout's not bad, I'm not really into aspects of it, but it's not bad. It's cleanly arranged, legible, and consistent, I just think there are some elements that could've been handled more effectively on a visual level. The lyrics follow a theme, telling an almost poetically delivered story, and I quite enjoy certain phrasing decisions. Some lines that sort of sum up the concept: "Take up the scythe, our rage is deep, aristocratic breed we reap. I bid ye to hear those words. Brothers, fathers, our time is here. Let us no longer tend to these herds and into the night disappear. Lift thine eyes and leave thy plow, o dear swineherd thou whipest the wrong beast. Lift thy hood and uncover thy brow. Time is near for us to feast. Blazing torches light the streets, blackened brow with pungent soil, towards chambers of perfumes and precious meats, where we finally end our toil..." I'm definitely into the lyrical approach. All in all I think a stronger mix and a diligent vocal approach with none of the obnoxious backing styles could earn this a 7/10 from these ears. They're in a good position for future growth, and I like these songs, they're just not quite there yet.
[self-released]
Running time - 46:57, Tracks: 6
[Notable tracks: The Piper's Tale, Old Man]
Encrimson\'d - http://www.encrimsond.com
