Jesus... I was pretty into their last record, and this motherfucker opens up with a fucking bang: Somber acoustic guitars slowly evolving against well placed samples before introducing sick vocal screams and some of the most creative sludge/doom riffing you're ever going to fucking hear... period. Thick power chords with plodding rhythms and a bit of natural vibrato? You're motherfuckin' right. But there are also some amazingly interesting chord phrasings, innovative uses of dual guitar harmonies, a lot of emotion to the laying/writing... and just a general sense of intensity that so many of these bands lack. The time signatures are a lot more active and shifting than most bands of this nature as well, making for one of the best discs I've ever heard from this style, I do believe. Just check out the quick clean break and unexpected solo in "Forge". The riffs on this thing are just constantly winding, crawling, and shifting to and fro with ease. So fucking good... seriously. Another crisp acoustic passage with sample introduces "Sleep and Forget Forever", which begins slower and more rocked out in some ways, not shedding the immense darkness that shrouds this entire masterpiece. "Woodson Lateral" is a bit heavier and more straightforward than some of the other tracks, but there are still some unexpected little twists and turns in the noisiness of the riffing (and some nice drumming accents), which proves that these guys don't like to sit still at all. So definitely expect a core of dissonantly melodic, sludgy doom with a solid rock undertone, but expect far more threatening atmospheres, a lot more innovation, and tons of sheer force to these songs. If I had to cite one minor complaint with the construction of the songs, it would be the use of samples. I think they're slightly overused (notably in the aforementioned "Woodson Lateral"), even though they are handled very well, so they make sense, and often fit, but they still detract from some of the songs. The opening sample in "Dying Spiral Galaxies" is the most effective use herein, and the others, while not bad, can simply feel like unnecessary clutter on occasion. The production is good, too. If I could do anything it would be to give more low-end to the bass. There's a very subtle gap because the bass distortion so closely matches the depth and texture of the warm guitar sound, but the bass is still highly defined and plays just as central a role as the guitars. But the drums are nice and natural, things tend to be pretty dry without lacking density, and the vocals sound perfectly acerbic. It takes a few minutes to ease into the recording, but it works out fine in the end. The layout keeps it simple and consistent with some slick designs looking like a wood engraving and the lyrics printed in one flowing band underneath the tray. The lyrics reference things like space and witches and wizards and shit like that, but they're really weird, so it works, and there are some nice lines as well, "As the demons take grip your life's no longer the same reborn with a corpse in the kingdom of his name consumed by battle the ultimate destroyer the planet inhales itself and is swallowed by the void forever..." Anyone who's into this type of stuff that doesn't like this record is a fucking moron. Hands down. Just shut the fuck up and pick this up, because it don't get much better, kids...
[At a Loss]
Running time - 40:54, Tracks: 8
[Notable tracks: Dying Spiral Galaxies, Forge, Sleep and Forget Forever]
At a Loss Recordings - http://www.atalossrecordings.com
