Author Topic: Parama's 2015 Retrospective List: #1: I'm Not Sorry For That At All  (Read 30661 times)

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

Offline jakepriest

  • Posts: 3965
  • Gender: Male
Re: Parama's 2015 Retrospective List: #35: Attack on Titan
« Reply #175 on: May 27, 2016, 03:40:57 AM »
 :corn

Offline Crow

  • Holy Guide of the 4/10
  • DTF.org Member
  • *
  • Posts: 26736
  • Gender: Female
  • tdjghjjkhliòujoàupougjyufkuyrkuyt
Re: Parama's 2015 Retrospective List: #34: (loud scream at the end)
« Reply #176 on: May 27, 2016, 09:42:21 PM »
#34: Intronaut - Habitual Levitations (Instilling Words With Tones)



If Valley of Smoke was a progressing sound that wasn't quite fully formed yet, lacking a song-based feel and leaving the album a haze of similar-sounding riffs and atmosphere that, then Habitual Levitations is Valley of smoke with better songwriting and sans the harsh vocals. I don't think the songs are any less heavier for it, though, not that Valley of Smoke had a ton of metal in it to begin with, but this is definitely still plenty heavy for me.

The biggest issue this album has, really, is that none of its songs are amazing; the first six are all quite good, and the last three are still pretty solid though not as strong. The very end of the album is also kind of obnoxious, three minutes of noise and then a vocal screech right at the end; I wouldn't mind the noise that much if it was a bit shorter, but the screech is completely unnecessary, just a weird way to end the album. Won't hold it against the last track though since it's basically disconnected.

One thing this album does in spades is have two-part songs; a heavier first half and an atmospheric groove in the second half. 5 of the 9 tracks do this, and 4 out of the 5 pull it off well enough that I don't mind them reusing the same structure so much. Killing Birds With Stones has a thrill ride of a first 5 minutes, with the last 3 pulling a guitar line used earlier in the song, putting it at a different tempo and straightening out its rhythm, and using it to build one hell of a great groove. The second bit of this groove is punctuated by some really punch guitar chords, and the bass throughout is fantastic. The front half of Steps is super sludgy and heavy, probably the purest sludge metal on the entire album, while the back half takes the brief guitar line at the very start and builds on it to get quite full by the end.

Milk Leg is a heavily rhythmic track with a lot of restraint for its first half, with a main chugging theme that repeats in the verses, and it takes this theme and builds on it with some really dreamy atmosphere on top while keeping that same rhythm going throughout, with probably my favorite bassline of the entire album throughout. One of my favorite moments on the entire album, for sure. Harmonomicon's atmospheric ending is a noticeable departure; for one, the first half of the track is very warm and laid-back, and the song actually gets faster-paced and less pretty at the end; instead of the ethereal dreaminess of the other songs, the song chooses to have a light post-metal groove followed by some really jazzy chords and, again, a great bassline. 'Tis a really strong ending to a great track.

The real deviation here is Eventual, which has an overly long back half that feels like it reaches its peak too early, leaving the last minute of the track to just fizzle out, and the atmosphere it builds isn't nearly as strong as the other four. It's a shame since the first half of this track has a ton of cool moments; a really unique and tense groove to start out, and a constantly shifting tempo between some grooving riffs and some laid-back sludge.

Another big strength of this album is its guitar works, especially the riffs; Killing Birds With Stones starts out with an excellent sludgy riff, later reprised for the chorus with some nice variations, and in the middle of the song is a strong triplet groove that I adore. The Welding starts out with some harsh chords and a nice sludgy riff, and the last third of the track introduces a frantic guitar line that makes its intense moments even more intense. Sore Sight For Eyes has a fantastic main riff to it that drives a strong post-metal feel. The Way Down has a pretty cool main riff and some wailing guitar lines, though the repetitiveness of this track takes a solid mood and kind of stretches it thin.

There's also the track Blood From a Stone, which is completely clean and primarily exists as an atmospheric breather between tracks.. that wasn't really necessary. The end of the previous track was also atmospheric, and the first two minutes of the next track are also quite atmospheric, and both those sections already felt a bit stretched out on their own; adding this track creates an 8-minute stretch completely based around atmosphere and lacking any real edge, which does cause the album to lose its momentum near the end. It's a shame since the track is really solid on its own, though nothing that special.

I'd also be remiss to not mention the lovely but brief bass solo at the start of Harmonomicon. Very lovely bit. I haven't commented on the drumwork much, but suffice to say, it's strong throughout; fitting the mood well and being technically pleasing all the while. And the vocals; honestly, I dig them, especially because of how often they're layered to create a very full sound, they sound soulful enough to convince me.

Really, the album as a whole would've probably benefited from being a bit shorter, since until halfway through the seventh track I have very little to complain about; and it's definitely a step up from their previous album, better songwriting and a better sense of direction, but it's not until their follow-up that I feel they really perfect the formula they had building here. That's not to discredit this album, though, as it's a strong progressive sludge metal record. Maybe still lacking in emotional depth somewhat, but in every other regard it's pretty strong and definitely worth looking into.

Favorite Tracks: Killing Birds With Stones, Milk Leg, Sore Sight for Eyes, Harmonomicon
Least Favorite Tracks: Eventual, Blood From a Stone

7.5/10

DTF Addendum: This is one of those weird albums where a lot of the songs are good and I enjoy them, but there's like, nothing really mindblowing here. I was a bit addicted to this when I first started spinning it but once the freshness wore off... well, I still liked it, just, not as intensely. Maybe this should be a few spots higher though, I dunno.

Offline Zantera

  • Wolfman's brother
  • DTF.org Member
  • *
  • Posts: 13415
  • Gender: Male
  • Bouncing around the room
Re: Parama's 2015 Retrospective List: #34: (loud scream at the end)
« Reply #177 on: May 28, 2016, 02:47:40 AM »
Didn't age as well as Valley of Smoke. Some good songs but overall it faded away for me.

Offline Crow

  • Holy Guide of the 4/10
  • DTF.org Member
  • *
  • Posts: 26736
  • Gender: Female
  • tdjghjjkhliòujoàupougjyufkuyrkuyt
Re: Parama's 2015 Retrospective List: #33: 2dark4me
« Reply #178 on: May 28, 2016, 09:14:19 AM »
#33: The Angelic Process - Weighing Souls With Sand



Honestly, my normal review process isn't going to cut it for an album like this. I could break down all the songs, but that'd be pointless. This is just not a song-focused album. It's an atmosphere-focused one. The proper way to listen to this is to turn up your speakers as loud as you can before your neighbors start complaining, sit down, close your eyes, and let the music destroy you.

This is a dark album. Not quite soul-crushingly dark, but very bleak and hopeless music. It's not an album I can listen to every day. It's probably one of the albums I've listened to the least from my 2015 collection, and not because it's bad or anything; I'm pretty sure it's actually amazing and I just can't fully appreciate it, but it's still pretty damn good.

The songs are all made of a lot of similar elements. Sluggish, sludgy guitar riffs, thick synth atmospheres, booming drums, ethereal, reverb-drenched vocals. Each song has a bit of its own flavor, but at the end of the day they aren't especially diverse.

The Promise of Snakes basically sets the mood, having all of these main elements in a pretty straightforward manner. Million Year Summer and Weighing Souls With Sand are slower and heavier though quite succinct. The Resonance of Goodbye and We All Die Laughing have some of the more interesting drum work and are both pretty moody. Dying in A Minor is probably the most subtle and bleak track on the album. World Deafening Eclipse has an out-of-character brighter intro but it's pretty brief. Burning in the Undertow of God is probably the most distressed and dissonant track of the album. The Smoke of Her Burning is pretty much the album in summary and a solid closer at that. The bonus track, How to Build a Time Machine, also has an oddly bright intro, though the rest of the track is particularly intense. I don't know why this was left as a "bonus" track honestly, it ends the album better than the actual closer.

Really though, I still wonder if I just don't quite "get" this album yet. It's kind of an exhausting listen but one that resonates pretty powerfully regardless, just not one I can say I'm full on board with quite yet.

Favorite Tracks: Dying in A-Minor, The Promise of Snakes, How to Build a Time Machine, Burning in the Undertow of God
Least Favorite Tracks: No point.

7.5/10

DTF Addendum: I showed this to Sacul and he turned around and liked it a lot more than I do, which is great  :lol But I still like this a fair bit. This is also the only album because the DMM ones that I didn't get a physical copy of, because this one's rare as heck and crazy expensive to get a CD of, unfortunately. Reissue it goddammit.

Offline Train of Naught

  • I sympathize, with a cockroach
  • Posts: 8008
  • Gender: Male
  • .....and a cockroach
Re: Parama's 2015 Retrospective List: #33: 2dark4me
« Reply #179 on: May 28, 2016, 09:16:28 AM »
Ahh Dying In A-Minor, my favorite song of all time
people on this board are actual music fans who developed taste in music and not casual listeners who are following current fashion trends and listening to only current commercial hits.

Offline Sacul

  • Spinettapilled
  • DTF.org Alumni
  • ****
  • Posts: 12115
  • Gender: Male
  • ¿De qué sirvió haber cruzado a nado la mar?
Re: Parama's 2015 Retrospective List: #33: 2dark4me
« Reply #180 on: May 28, 2016, 09:18:20 AM »
This record is fantastic  :hefdaddy

Offline Crow

  • Holy Guide of the 4/10
  • DTF.org Member
  • *
  • Posts: 26736
  • Gender: Female
  • tdjghjjkhliòujoàupougjyufkuyrkuyt
Re: Parama's 2015 Retrospective List: #33: 2dark4me
« Reply #181 on: May 28, 2016, 09:21:28 AM »
maybe it'll like really click for me one day, because i want to like this more than i do and it's probably the best them in terms of drone metal

Offline Sacul

  • Spinettapilled
  • DTF.org Alumni
  • ****
  • Posts: 12115
  • Gender: Male
  • ¿De qué sirvió haber cruzado a nado la mar?
Re: Parama's 2015 Retrospective List: #33: 2dark4me
« Reply #182 on: May 28, 2016, 09:40:32 AM »
Listen to it when you really feel let down and sad, that's how it worked for me  :tup

Offline Crow

  • Holy Guide of the 4/10
  • DTF.org Member
  • *
  • Posts: 26736
  • Gender: Female
  • tdjghjjkhliòujoàupougjyufkuyrkuyt
Re: Parama's 2015 Retrospective List: #33: 2dark4me
« Reply #183 on: May 28, 2016, 09:41:15 AM »
but that's how i always feel

Offline Zantera

  • Wolfman's brother
  • DTF.org Member
  • *
  • Posts: 13415
  • Gender: Male
  • Bouncing around the room
Re: Parama's 2015 Retrospective List: #33: 2dark4me
« Reply #184 on: May 28, 2016, 02:21:25 PM »
Heard good things about it but haven't gotten around to checking it out yet

Offline Crow

  • Holy Guide of the 4/10
  • DTF.org Member
  • *
  • Posts: 26736
  • Gender: Female
  • tdjghjjkhliòujoàupougjyufkuyrkuyt
Re: Parama's 2015 Retrospective List: #32: Soul Driven
« Reply #185 on: May 28, 2016, 07:00:43 PM »
#32: Alcest - Les Voyages de L'âme



It's pretty easy to describe this album as "More Écailles de Lune", to which I say "aww yeah more Écailles de Lune sign me the hell up mmm". Yeah, I won't deny that it's a pretty straightforward continuation of the same sound, but it's a good sound that should be continued. I will say that the songs here feel a bit "poppier" in as vague of terms as that is, though I wouldn't really say that works against the album, it makes it a bit more accessible sure but it's still blackgaze at the end of the day.

Probably the two most straightforward tracks are the opener, Autre Temps, and especially Nous Sommes L'emeraude, both of which are also among the more relaxed tracks on the album. The latter, especially, is quite catchy despite me not knowing any of the lyrics.

Là Où Naissent les Couleurs Nouvelles and Faiseurs de Mondes are probably the two most intense tracks, both featuring heavier moments, frantic drumming, and being the only two tracks to feature growls. Of course, neither is nonstop heaviness and there's quieter breather moments in each track that keep them dynamic.

There's also the three in-between tracks; Les Voyages de L'âme, which is probably the slowest and most melancholy track on the record, a really nice balance of beauty and heaviness; Beings of Light, which is a really strange track, very ethereal vocals on top of an intense, blast-beat driven heavy atmosphere; and Summer's Glory, probably my favorite Alcest track, which is just pure joy to listen to, it's basically impossible to not be happy listening to this track.

The album has a strong flow to it and every song is great on its own, as well; the sound of the album just works for each of the tracks as well as the album as a whole. It's not an overly long album either, so the sound of the album doesn't have any time to wear itself thin. It's the kind of album you can put on every once in a while and know you'll have a pleasant, relaxing time listening to it. I almost kind of wish there were no harsh vocals at all, even with how infrequent they are here; nothing wrong with them and they always fit the mood of the song when they come in, but they still feel a bit out-of-place regardless. Oh well.

Really there's not a lot to say about an album like this. If you liked Écailles, you'll like this. Probably not quite as much, I'll definitely say its predecessor is the superior album, but that doesn't make this a bad album, far from it. I'd definitely recommend it to anyone looking for a nice atmospheric metal record with a fair amount of variation and a generally warm mood. It's definitely an album that knows what it wants to do and does it well, hard to fault the album for that.

Favorite Tracks: Summer's Glory, Les Voyages de L'âme, Beings of Light
Least Favorite Track: Havens, which feels like cheating, but...

7.5/10

DTF Addendum: I think this would be higher if it were more unique, and I'll admit that sometimes the songs on this album can blur a bit for me, but that being said this is still a lovely listen that I'd recommend to basically anyone.

Offline Crow

  • Holy Guide of the 4/10
  • DTF.org Member
  • *
  • Posts: 26736
  • Gender: Female
  • tdjghjjkhliòujoàupougjyufkuyrkuyt
Re: Parama's 2015 Retrospective List: #31: Stevie Wonder
« Reply #186 on: May 29, 2016, 01:08:39 AM »
#31: Steven Wilson - Hand. Cannot. Erase.
#6 for 2015



Steven Wilson finally decided to get over the 70's and produce an album that wasn't just nostalgia-pandering. Grace for Drowning was alright but kind of boring at times, Raven had a lot of fine music but none of it was particularly impressive and it was too stuck in the past to really come into life of its own (though the title track is one of the best tracks from any of Wilson's entire discography, easily). This album instead is infused with a more modern prog sound, though it doesn't abandon the 70's prog sound, and it's very distinct from both Wilson's other solo work and his Porcupine Tree albums. And it's... pretty good, yeah!

Not fantastic or anything, I'm not really blown away by any of these tracks like I am with the best Porcupine Tree songs. I can't really say there's anything close to a bad song here though; I quite dislike Routine for its music/lyrical dissonance (and its lyrics being just, far too dark/depressing to wring much enjoyment out of) but I can acknowledge that the song itself is generally fine, it sounds nice enough and the female vocals are great.

The biggest factor on this album is the "pop" sound it has, clearly. 3 Years Older and Hand Cannot Erase especially, but there's touches of it in Perfect Life and Happy Returns as well. Really straightforward and catchy hooks, but with just enough flavor to keep them interesting throughout. The album as a whole has an oddly bright feel to it, dipping into melancholy territory at times and a few darker moments in the back half, but there's a sparkly pop quality to a lot of these tracks that I think works pretty well.

The album also dabbles in a little of everything. There's some long proggy instrumentals like in 3 Years Older, a brighter one at the start and a much darker and chaotic one at the end, the first half of Home Invasion, which is the closest to metal this album gets, and has a ton of groove as well, and the gigantic 8-minute back half of Ancestral that doesn't drag despite its length - especially thanks to its killer riffs. Seriously, that first heavy riff is one of the best on the album. Regret #9 is a simpler instrumental, being mostly two long solos, a synth one and a guitar one, and it's got a much different vibe than the instrumental work on the rest of the album that works well. Each song really stands out on its own, no two tracks blend together.

As expected from a Steven Wilson project, the instrumentation even during non-instrumental parts is top-notch. There's plenty of subtleties throughout the tracks, especially 3 Years Older, and enough variety in the poppier moments to keep them engaging aside from their catchy hooks. The album is generally rather good at setting a mood (Routine being the notable exception, again) and while there's plenty of melancholy-tinged bright moments, there are still a number of darker moments as well; when the spoken-word story of Perfect Life takes a darker turn, the music does as well, and the entire first 5 minutes of Ancestral are crushingly depressive in the best way; everything from the 3 minute mark to the start of the instrumental is absolutely breathtaking, easily the best moment of the album. Transcience also has a darker tone to it, though the brighter vocal melodies do make it a bit ambiguous. Happy Returns is probably the most somber track, a huge feeling of melancholy to it, especially considering its role story-wise, it's a great and gorgeous closer to the album, Wilson doing sad music as well as I've come to expect from him.

Really, there's not much to dislike here, but there's also not a lot to love. I especially like some moments from the last two tracks, and there's a fair bit of stuff in 3 Years Older, Home Invasion, and Regret #9 that resonates with me as well, but despite liking the other tracks, I'm past the point where they do much for me. The songs are kind of catchy, yeah, but not strong enough for me to really want them stuck in my head. It's still definitely worth checking out, regardless, probably my favorite of Wilson's solo albums yet, but don't go expecting a modern masterpiece and you probably won't be disappointed.

Favorite Tracks: Ancestral, Happy Returns, 3 Years Older, Regret #9, Home Invasion
Least Favorite Track: Routine

7.5/10

DTF Addendum: Slaughtering another sacred cow, except this one actually is quite good and easily Wilson's best solo release. Got pretty tired of it pretty quick though and don't really go back to revisit it anymore.
« Last Edit: May 30, 2016, 10:28:41 AM by Parama »

Offline Zantera

  • Wolfman's brother
  • DTF.org Member
  • *
  • Posts: 13415
  • Gender: Male
  • Bouncing around the room
Re: Parama's 2015 Retrospective List: #31: Stevie Wonder
« Reply #187 on: May 29, 2016, 01:19:07 AM »
Definitely his weakest solo album and I'd rank it quite low for 2015 myself. Not bad, but not great either. Kinda like The Incident 2.0.

Offline Sacul

  • Spinettapilled
  • DTF.org Alumni
  • ****
  • Posts: 12115
  • Gender: Male
  • ¿De qué sirvió haber cruzado a nado la mar?
Re: Parama's 2015 Retrospective List: #31: Stevie Wonder
« Reply #188 on: May 29, 2016, 01:28:55 AM »
Probably my favourite album of last year, I love it and it's closely tied with GfD as my #1 of his solo records. Yet all the proggy bits and moments are my least favourite of the record tbh - I'd love HCE even more had those been cut a bit.

And Routine is depressing in a fantastic way  :loser:

Offline Zantera

  • Wolfman's brother
  • DTF.org Member
  • *
  • Posts: 13415
  • Gender: Male
  • Bouncing around the room
Re: Parama's 2015 Retrospective List: #31: Stevie Wonder
« Reply #189 on: May 29, 2016, 01:38:44 AM »
Routine is really the only song on the album that sticks out in a good way. 3 Years Older is essentially Xanadu, Ancestral drags on for way too long, Regret #9 enters DT levels of wankery and Home Invasion sounds almost like a bad Periphery influence at times. I think what bothers me the most is how OK everything is and how little of it really sticks out. Songs like Happy Returns and the title track are good on paper, and SW has done similar songs great before, but it's the case of doing something he has done before but not as good. Happy Returns is good, but it's no Deform to Form a Star or The Raven That Refused to Sing. Or even Insurgentes.

Offline Crow

  • Holy Guide of the 4/10
  • DTF.org Member
  • *
  • Posts: 26736
  • Gender: Female
  • tdjghjjkhliòujoàupougjyufkuyrkuyt
Re: Parama's 2015 Retrospective List: #31: Stevie Wonder
« Reply #190 on: May 29, 2016, 01:40:48 AM »
nobody can agree on steven wilson and that's fine

Offline Train of Naught

  • I sympathize, with a cockroach
  • Posts: 8008
  • Gender: Male
  • .....and a cockroach
Re: Parama's 2015 Retrospective List: #31: Stevie Wonder
« Reply #191 on: May 29, 2016, 01:47:10 AM »
So I'm the only one who came to comment on alcest? Ok

I like the structure on this album that you pointed out, it's clearly a bit more focused on the opening/core/ending structure than most albums I heard and makes this one of those albums I could never listen to separate songs of.

Summers Glory is arguably my least favorite song on the album though, even below Havens :lol I just don't like the vocal melodies at all, theyre definitely different from the alcest im used to.
people on this board are actual music fans who developed taste in music and not casual listeners who are following current fashion trends and listening to only current commercial hits.

Offline Zantera

  • Wolfman's brother
  • DTF.org Member
  • *
  • Posts: 13415
  • Gender: Male
  • Bouncing around the room
Re: Parama's 2015 Retrospective List: #31: Stevie Wonder
« Reply #192 on: May 29, 2016, 01:49:16 AM »
The Alcest one is a good album! I feel like with Alcest, they haven't put out that one amazing album, they've put out a few really good albums but not one that 100% delivers. I would say Ecailles De Lune comes the closest, but even that has maybe 1 song I don't care for as much as the rest. Maybe their next one will be the best?

Online BlackInk

  • DTF.org Member
  • *
  • Posts: 6908
  • Gender: Male
Re: Parama's 2015 Retrospective List: #31: Stevie Wonder
« Reply #193 on: May 29, 2016, 02:21:31 AM »
7.5 is about what I'd give Hand. Cannot. Erase too. Maybe a little higher, but otherwise a pretty accurate score for me. It and Raven are probably my two favorite of his.

Offline RoeDent

  • 2006 Time Magazine Person of the Year
  • Posts: 6029
  • Gender: Male
Re: Parama's 2015 Retrospective List: #31: Stevie Wonder
« Reply #194 on: May 29, 2016, 02:46:03 AM »
The heavy parts in the Ancestral instrumental are much closer to metal than the Home Invasion intro. Probably the heaviest thing he's done since The Incident.

Offline Tomislav95

  • Posts: 6308
  • Gender: Male
Re: Parama's 2015 Retrospective List: #31: Stevie Wonder
« Reply #195 on: May 29, 2016, 02:52:41 AM »
I loved it. One of my favorites of 2015, if not #1.
...the years just pass like trains
I wave but they don't slow down...

Offline Bolsters

  • Lost Boy
  • DTF.org Member
  • *
  • Posts: 5487
  • Gender: Male
  • What a hell of a day to embrace disorder
Re: Parama's 2015 Retrospective List: #31: Stevie Wonder
« Reply #196 on: May 29, 2016, 08:26:51 AM »
this one actually is quite good and easily Wilson's best solo release. Got pretty tired of it pretty quick though and don't really go back to revisit it anymore.
Same.

Offline Crow

  • Holy Guide of the 4/10
  • DTF.org Member
  • *
  • Posts: 26736
  • Gender: Female
  • tdjghjjkhliòujoàupougjyufkuyrkuyt
Re: Parama's 2015 Retrospective List: #31: Stevie Wonder
« Reply #197 on: May 29, 2016, 08:58:29 AM »
but even that has maybe 1 song I don't care for as much as the rest.
curious, because i feel the same way, which song  :corn

Offline Zantera

  • Wolfman's brother
  • DTF.org Member
  • *
  • Posts: 13415
  • Gender: Male
  • Bouncing around the room
Re: Parama's 2015 Retrospective List: #31: Stevie Wonder
« Reply #198 on: May 29, 2016, 09:17:07 AM »
but even that has maybe 1 song I don't care for as much as the rest.
curious, because i feel the same way, which song  :corn

Solar Song and to a lesser extent the final song. Don't get me wrong, neither are bad, but I love the first 3 and once the album reaches the second half it isn't AS good IMO.

Offline 425

  • Posts: 6910
  • Gender: Male
Re: Parama's 2015 Retrospective List: #31: Stevie Wonder
« Reply #199 on: May 29, 2016, 09:44:46 AM »
nobody can agree on steven wilson and that's fine

Yep. I thought HCE was good but nothing exciting. I'd probably rate around where you do, maybe a bit lower.

The only SW album that I unreservedly love is The Raven... I think it's clearly above everything else I've heard from him. I think the last four PT albums are pretty good. I don't get the hate for The Incident at all. But I also can't agree with the extravagant praise that Wilson gets. I think he's very talented, but a lot of his music just doesn't do much for me. In Absentia-The Incident and The Raven That Refused to Sing are the only ones I'd bother including in a list of favorites.
And if spirit's a sign,
Then it's only a matter of time

Offline Crow

  • Holy Guide of the 4/10
  • DTF.org Member
  • *
  • Posts: 26736
  • Gender: Female
  • tdjghjjkhliòujoàupougjyufkuyrkuyt
Re: Parama's 2015 Retrospective List: #30: Land of the Leprechauns
« Reply #200 on: May 29, 2016, 10:02:48 AM »
#30: Saor - Aura



There's one definite thing to say about this album and what's most striking about it on first listen: It's goddamn beautiful. Stunningly gorgeous music. This is far removed from the depressive wallowing of black metal. It's not exactly the brightest album ever by any means, but it's far more triumphant than anything else.

That being said, the one thing that would definitely make this album sound even better - slightly better production. Yeah, maybe this is a silly critique to make of black metal but I think this album could benefit from slightly crisper production. Not too much crisper, but as it stands everything does sound slightly too washed-out and the production can be a distraction, but it's only a minor one.

And it's definitely a "what you see is what you get" kind of album. The general sound of the album: Beautiful flute melodies, heavy guitar textures or chugging riffs, a gorgeous layer of strings, some quieter clean parts to make the tracks more dynamic. And of course, drumming from Austin Lunn of Panopticon, who does a good job complementing the music while also providing some interesting drumwork throughout.

And the sound as a whole works, definitely. The album isn't especially long, clocking in at just under an hour, and it's primarily an atmospheric experience, though filled with enough variation to keep you interested throughout its long, winding tracks. Really, the "weakest" track of the bunch is the least adventurous one, the title track. It's still quite good, but it's a fair bit more repetitive than the rest of the album, with its main riff and main flute theme getting played a lot.

You can still expect a number of heavy moments, gorgeous moments, and calmer moments in each track, nonetheless. As far as heavy moments go, basically any moment with flute playing over the thick atmosphere is fantastic, and the first two tracks have great riffs throughout. As far as gorgeous moments, gosh. Either of the two string-drenched breaks in Children of the Mist, any moment with the choir on The Awakening, and the last few minutes of Pillars of the Earth probably steal the show. For calmer moments, pretty much every track has a great one starting it off; The Awakening with a very folky acoustic vibe, Farewell with an almost post-metal style buildup, and a cross of the two in Pillars of the Earth. Pillars also has a very laidback section in the middle that I adore.

There's really not a lot to talk about here; this album is primarily about the atmosphere, keeping the songwriting just interesting enough to still make for solid active listening material, but I always feel it's better to just get lost in the gorgeous music on display here and let it wash over you, close your eyes and imagine the landscape the music paints. I wouldn't call it perfect, but it's definitely a worthy listen.

Favorite Tracks: Pillars of the Earth, Children of the Mist
Least Favorite Track: Aura

7.5/10

DTF Addendum: I know the production quality argument could go on for days but I don't really care, this is definitely a case where the album could've been better with slightly better production and I will hear no counterargument to that fact. Like, maybe only a bit better, in the 8.0-8.25 range, but still. And it's not like it's bad or anything either.

Offline Zantera

  • Wolfman's brother
  • DTF.org Member
  • *
  • Posts: 13415
  • Gender: Male
  • Bouncing around the room
Re: Parama's 2015 Retrospective List: #30: Land of the Leprechauns
« Reply #201 on: May 29, 2016, 10:05:39 AM »
Another one of those albums I've heard good things about but haven't gotten around to checking out

Offline jakepriest

  • Posts: 3965
  • Gender: Male
Re: Parama's 2015 Retrospective List: #30: Land of the Leprechauns
« Reply #202 on: May 29, 2016, 10:07:05 AM »
Damn the production makes this album unlistenable, even though some parts are pretty interesting.

Offline Tomislav95

  • Posts: 6308
  • Gender: Male
Re: Parama's 2015 Retrospective List: #30: Land of the Leprechauns
« Reply #203 on: May 29, 2016, 10:11:04 AM »
Pretty interesting album but I'm not always in mood for such music.
...the years just pass like trains
I wave but they don't slow down...

Offline Sacul

  • Spinettapilled
  • DTF.org Alumni
  • ****
  • Posts: 12115
  • Gender: Male
  • ¿De qué sirvió haber cruzado a nado la mar?
Re: Parama's 2015 Retrospective List: #30: Land of the Leprechauns
« Reply #204 on: May 29, 2016, 04:13:54 PM »
The song you sent me was pretty good, but I agree, this could really benefit from a better production.

Offline Crow

  • Holy Guide of the 4/10
  • DTF.org Member
  • *
  • Posts: 26736
  • Gender: Female
  • tdjghjjkhliòujoàupougjyufkuyrkuyt
Re: Parama's 2015 Retrospective List: #29: Bumblebee Lemonade
« Reply #205 on: May 29, 2016, 04:48:23 PM »
#29: Baroness - Yellow



I won't really ever understand why when a metal band lightens its sound a little (and I do mean a little; Baroness were never -that- heavy and it's not like this album is an acoustic folk album or anything, it gets pretty intense at points). Who cares, as long as the music is good? "But it sounds like boring radio rock" they say. Uhh. What radio do you listen to, and can you tell me so I can listen too?

These aren't watered-down tracks stripped of anything interesting to make the music more accessible. There's as much musical complexity to these tracks as on Red (and presumably Blue, which I haven't yet purchased but whatever). And on top of that, what's been added is a stronger sense of melody, a heightened sense of passion. Yes, there are catchy choruses. I don't understand how that's a bad thing. I like catchy choruses, they help make songs more memorable. Nothing wrong with that.

And this album has consistently strong choruses as well. Eula easily has the best on pure power and passion alone, but March to the Sea's combination of a thick sound, harmonized vocals, and a bright noodly guitar line comes close. Take My Bones Away is probably the most straightforward track of the entire album and has an instantly memorable chorus to accompany it. And Little Things has, while maybe not the strongest chorus, at least an interesting one. The combination of the roaring guitar line, the twinkly clean guitar, and the almost bitter vocals lends it quite a sinister vibe.

And even outside of choruses there are a lot of strong vocal lines here. Back Where I Belong doesn't really have a chorus, period, but has a haunting performance from Baizley, especially the brighter outro at around 4 minutes. Twinkler as well, the vocal harmonies are even more haunting here, especially the ending with nothing but thick synth accompanying them.

The instrumental star of this album is, really, the bass. Dominates the groove of a lot of these songs and is consistently prominent in the tracks, even during the heavier moments. From the heavy bridge of Take My Bones Away, the straight and driving rhythm of the verses in March to the Sea, the strong groove of Cocanium, the slower groove of Back Where I Belong, and the frantic energy of Sea Lungs, the bass drives them all. It's really what defines this album aside from the melancholic atmosphere running throughout, probably the two most prominent features.

There's a ton of cool instrumental moments otherwise, though. Special mention goes out to Little Things' fantastic outro, with some harmonized guitar work and an absolutely killer groove. Some of the other stronger moments are the harmonized guitar solo of Back Where I Belong and the climax of Eula with its wailing guitar lead, and the drumming on Sea Lungs throughout definitely deserves special mention as well, one of the key factors in driving that track's overwhelming energy.

I think overall this album is about split between really strong tracks and good tracks that don't stand out as much; Yellow Theme is excused from the split here being a short instrumental to set the mood, of course. Aside from the intro track, the odd-numbered songs here all outshine the even-numbered ones pretty clearly, but that's not to discredit the quality of the other tracks; Cocanium is the only kind of disappointing track, mostly for how long it takes to really start up and not being especially compelling even when it does, but it's not a bad song either.

As far as experimenting with a different, lighter and somewhat more accessible sound, I think Baroness did well here. I don't think they had to sacrifice anything to make it happen; they prove they can still rock pretty hard and the songs aren't repetitive or oversimplified to make them "easier" to approach. They just made some damn fine, soulful hard rock tracks and some haunting ballads, and did it well.

Favorite Tracks: Eula, Twinkler, Back Where I Belong, March to the Sea
Least Favorite Track: Cocanium

7.75/10

DTF Addendum: Wow, it's taken a while to get to the first of the Baroness albums. I guess that's because the band is pretty consistently good.

Offline Zantera

  • Wolfman's brother
  • DTF.org Member
  • *
  • Posts: 13415
  • Gender: Male
  • Bouncing around the room
Re: Parama's 2015 Retrospective List: #29: Bumblebee Lemonade
« Reply #206 on: May 29, 2016, 04:57:22 PM »
Baroness has never clicked for me unfortunately. I kinda think of them as a poor man's Mastodon (which might be unfair), and considering I don't like Mastodon much at all, I guess that's unfortunate.  :lol

Offline Crow

  • Holy Guide of the 4/10
  • DTF.org Member
  • *
  • Posts: 26736
  • Gender: Female
  • tdjghjjkhliòujoàupougjyufkuyrkuyt
Re: Parama's 2015 Retrospective List: #29: Bumblebee Lemonade
« Reply #207 on: May 29, 2016, 04:58:04 PM »
i dunno, they're not that similar to mastodon imo, and yellow is leagues better than the hunter

Offline Zantera

  • Wolfman's brother
  • DTF.org Member
  • *
  • Posts: 13415
  • Gender: Male
  • Bouncing around the room
Re: Parama's 2015 Retrospective List: #29: Bumblebee Lemonade
« Reply #208 on: May 29, 2016, 05:04:23 PM »
i dunno, they're not that similar to mastodon imo, and yellow is leagues better than the hunter

Yellow/Green are the only ones I've listened to in full and those are definitely different than Mastodon, but I think I heard some of their earlier songs that were more sludge-y/progg-y and dismissed them as a Mastodon-sounding band. And with Yellow/Green not really clicking for me either, I didn't care to pursue them more.

Offline Crow

  • Holy Guide of the 4/10
  • DTF.org Member
  • *
  • Posts: 26736
  • Gender: Female
  • tdjghjjkhliòujoàupougjyufkuyrkuyt
#28: East of the Wall - Ressentiment



After basically falling in love with the band's follow-up, The Apologist, I just had to get some of their other albums. I was pretty certain I wouldn't like either of them as much, but I still figured I'd get a good amount of great music out of them both. Was I right in the case of Ressentiment?

Well... yes, and no. If I'm gonna be blunt, there's only three tracks here that reach the quality of the majority of The Apologist; Wisp of Tow, Fleshmaker, and Maybe I'm Malaised. As well, The Ladder and Handshake in Your Mouth are among my least favorite tracks from the band, though they're still both pretty solid.

I think where this album fails for me a little is the lack of really memorable moments. There's still plenty, to be sure; the climactic middle of Salieri with the horns, the majority of Wisp of Tow but especially the riff that kicks in around 2 minutes, pretty much any moment of Fleshmaker as well, especially the heavier ones, the thumping bass and drum groove in the middle of Maybe I'm Malaised, the break at 4:35 of A Long Defeat is a really neat moment, the groove of Beasteater at 5:30 into the track. There's a lot of other little moments that I like a fair bit, and really not a lot that I dislike, but there's not a constant stream of them in most tracks like The Apologist has.

And it's really not fair to compare this album to that one, even if I kind of reflexively end up doing so. On its own? This is a damn fine record, really, though definitely a difficult one to get into. Basically every element that makes The Apologist work is here too.

The drum work on this album is incredible, ridiculously diverse and really great at driving the feel of the song without ever feeling excessive. Wisp of Tow has a strong drum-driven groove to it, Ocean of Water is just loaded with really cool drum moments, Fleshmaker as well, though the most interesting moment is this brief bit of muted hihats in a really straightforward time, it works really well and I can't explain why. The chorus in the earlier parts of A Long Defeat is punctuated by a really intense drum moment, and a lot of interesting polyrhythmic stuff in Beasteater. It's plenty satisfying stuff.

The bass on this album... honestly, the tone here is probably even better than on The Apologist, really juicy and thick. it just sounds excellent. Practically every track has a cool bass moment in it somewhere, too; the break in the middle of The Ladder, the sludgy intro of Salieri, a really meaty bassline at 4:45 of Fool's Errand, again basically every part of Wisp of Tow, the guitar/bass harmonies of Ocean of Water and the jazzy break in the middle, the groove of the "give it away" section in Fleshmaker, the entirety of Maybe I'm Malaised, the dark bassline of Gordian Corridor, and the fantastic groove at the start of Beasteater. It's really satisfying in regards to the bass, easily.

Vocally this album is a bit weaker than The Apologist; a lot more harsh vocals here, and while they sound fine there's a bit too many for my tastes. Most of my favorite vocal moments are clean-sung; the horn climax of Salieri, the melancholy of the second half of Fool's Errand, around 1:35 of Fleshmaker where the song drops out for a cleaner moment, the aforementioned early choruses of A Long Defeat have a ton of power behind them. That's not to say the harsh vocals don't have their moments; the climax at the end of Ocean of Water is driven by some intense vocals, the harsh vocals of the heavier moments of Fleshmaker and even the lighter "give it away" bits, the groove at 2:40 of Beasteater also has some pretty intense harsh vocals. It's solid overall in this regard, though not fantastic.

The guitar work on this album covers pretty much every bass I can think of; there's a fair number of dissonant moments, especially in The Ladder, there's the jazzy moments of Salieri, Wisp of Tow, Ocean of Water, Fleshmaker, and Beasteater, all of which are primarily driven by the guitars. There's some pretty intense riffs, the aforementioned riff in Wisp of Tow, the main riff of Ocean of Water, the intense chugging of Fleshmaker, the chugging of Don't Stop Bereaving, the groove of the riff at 2:40 of Beasteater. There's a ton of pretty post-rock-ish moments scattered throughout on most every track. There's even some guitar solos, really jagged and sloppy ones in Salieri and Handshake in Your Mouth, with more melodic-oriented ones in Ocean of Water and Beasteater.

The album really does have a lot of flavor, too; I can't think of any other band who would put the jazzy elevator music break It's Always Worthwhile... on their album, for one, and the jazziness throughout the album is quite pleasant. There's a good variety of moods in general; dissonant, heavy, melodic, atmospheric, sludgy. It's got a little of everything... and that may be its downfall, perhaps it tries to do a bit too much and ends up a bit incohesive as a result. Sure, each track is plenty unique, but do they all belong together on the same album? That, I'm not so sure of. I think if the album had been stripped down a little and refined in general it would've come out a lot better; basically, exactly what I imagine happened to The Apologist, which is 15 minutes shorter and has only the tiniest of fat that could be possibly trimmed.

But I digress. Do I like this album? Yeah. I'm still not sure I quite "get" it. Enough time has passed now that I can be fairly certain it's never going to be my jam like The Apologist is, but it's still a record I see myself revisiting. Not a great record, and a bit of a messy one on the whole, but still pretty solid with a lot of good music on it.

Favorite Tracks: Fleshmaker, Wisp of Tow, Maybe I'm Malaised, Ocean of Water
Least Favorite Tracks: Handshake in Your Mouth, The Ladder

7.75/10

DTF Addendum: This album frustrates me because it's got moments of brilliance in some of the mid-tier songs and the entire run from Wisp of Tow to Maybe I'm Malaised is about on par with The Apologist but the album is dragged down by its weaker moments. Most notably, all of the Biclops tracks are among my favorites here, so I'm wondering where the weaker ones came from after the merge. I feel like this album has a very troubled backstory and it's practically a compilation album that they could've refined into something so much better, but agh. They delivered with their follow-up anyways, so I don't know why I'm complaining.