Alaskan – Despair, Erosion, Loss

January 19, 2014 • Moment of Collapse Records

I'm happy that Alaskan seems to be doing well lately. I've been following them pretty much since they started out, and have yet to hear anything by them I didn't really like. If you've heard their last album Adversity; Woe, it's more or less the same as what you're getting here, and I can't say I'm at all disappointed.

Here on Despair, Erosion, Loss the band is still treading the same grounds as on their last album. Dirty, doomy sludge metal, long gloomy buildups, and a somewhat impenetrable sound. They seem to be upping the intensity on this album a bit, though. The songs seem a bit faster and more frantic than they used to be. Heavy pounding sections, technical riffing, and almost-black-metal blastbeats aren't too uncommon here. It's still a modern sludge record at heart, though, with post-hardcore influences seamlessly integrated, as has been the trend lately. It's worked well for them before, and it works well again.

However, also as with their last album, while I like their sound and aesthetic, the songwriting still doesn't grab me. There are some good, even catchy riffs and memorable parts scattered around, but not a lot that fuses into a cohesive whole. I feel like they're almost trying to do too many things at once and it's hard to really gel with what's going on. Maybe that's just me, though.

Still, I can't say this is a bad album—not by a long shot. At the very least, it's great for background music and there's still a lot to be gained from more attentive listening. I've been a bit disillusioned with a lot of the sludge metal that's come out in the last year or so and it's good to know there are still some bands making stuff I enjoy. And I hope they stick around and crank a few more albums out.

(pst this one's free too)