alright
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This is definitely better than the band that succeeded this album's release, that's for sure. For one, it's not just 100% neoclassical boredom. Yes, there is definitely some of that; the first few tracks after the opener all kind of bore me though they aren't, awful. And the vocals are... hmm, I don't actually remember Artificial Language's vocals at all tbh but I think these are fine enough. But, as with that band, they're at their best not when showing off but when they're actually trying to evoke some kind of emotional reaction. Which is why Au Revoir, basically an interlude, is the best song on the entire album by a good margin. That's a track that I can really dig, as brief as it is, just the right amount of buildup with the right amount of payoff. Really, the middle of this album is probably the best stretch in general; Panacea is probably the most aggressive track, Reyes is probably the most fun, and Best Laid Plans is... kind of a mess actually but weird and enjoyable. The tracks after those four, they're all okay I guess, kind of lose my interest by the end of the album though. It's short though so I can't say I ever really get bored. There's just... a lot of tracks for how short they all are, I suppose. Some of these could've used a bit more refining to get a bit more meat on their bones & the weaker ones cut in favor of a few longer tracks in general. But overall? This one's pretty fine, yeah. Better than Artificial Language.
These words are about ariich with
Art by Numbers – Reticence: The Musical.
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Mmm... I kind of had a feeling just from the first listen that this would be the one cut. And honestly after the second listen I was ready to just call it there, because on second listen this really bored me. But then it grew on me on third listen and I really wasn't as sure anymore. I guess it's a grower then. I have to say though, this brand of melancholic metal is generally among my least favorite kinds. You brought up Foscor and boy howdy that's a good comparison - I don't think there's any song here quite as good as the one or two Foscor songs I liked off the album I have, but it's better on average, I'd say. Bands like that and like Junius, Katatonia, basically cross-sections of "emotional" and "atmospheric" metal that don't push strongly enough in either direction for me to really ever get into them. But I dunno. This is certainly fine enough but even after four listens I can't say this one really resonates strongly with me. And I don't exactly have a ton super positive to say about it either, it meets expectations but rarely goes beyond and despite four listens I can't really remember much of this one besides the opening guitar of the final track. I think at the end of these writeups this is definitely gonna be the one cut, unfortunately. But I'll make that decision once I'm done with all three relistens.
This is Elite with
In the Silence – A Fair Dream Gone Mad.
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This one is… not a good pick for a roulette, IMO. It’s just… too dense, too much going on in general, the kind of album you really need to sit down and give a lot of listens to. And I absolutely do like it, it’s pretty easily clawed its way up to the #2 spot of this round after relistens, just that I don’t think I’m -fully- into it yet despite four listens. But yeah, there’s a lot of little pieces of flavor around what is really pretty solid black metal & not much I really dislike here either. The spoken word bits, could take ‘em or leave ‘em but not really that bothered by them. The way the last track before the epic starts, not super into that. I feel like the ending is also a tiny bit anticlimactic after two killer metal tracks before it? It’s similar to Aathma by Persefone in that way but while that conclusion kind of felt natural for that album’s aesthetic it’s not a great fit here either. But for the most part though, I do like a lot of this quite a bit, most of the epic is great stuff and tracks 1 & 4 are probably my favorites besides but… yeah, I can dig this one a fair bit, I kind of feel like I’ll be giving it another listen & maybe checking out more of this band again, I think the last time I checked them out I wasn’t so into black metal so that could be why I wasn’t already a fan, but… yeah.
So yeah, last one to mention here is TAC with
A Forest Of Stars – Beware The Sword You Cannot See, clearly.
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And… yeah, even though I don’t really dislike any of these I feel there’s a clear loser now. Sorry Elite but it looks like you’re just missing the top 3.
1. The Faceless - Autotheism
2. A Forest Of Stars – Beware The Sword You Cannot See
3. Art by Numbers – Reticence: The Musical
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4. In the Silence – A Fair Dream Gone Mad
top 3 top 3 top 3 almost free