The Tragedy We Live In – The Tragedy We Live In

March 1, 2013 • self-released

I'm pretty sure I'm officially tired of the whole post-rock-and-sludge-metal thing. I thought the scene was dead, but bands keep cranking out material and a lot of it turns out to just not be very good at all.

The Tragedy We Live In doesn't do it much differently from anyone else—long buildups, sandwiching breakdown riffs with some really filthy guitar sound and pounding, tom-heavy drumming. There are some outside influences leaking in, however, such as some black metal riffing and a punk edge to some of the rhythms, the drums in particular. It's a nice change, and it helps keep the album interesting (especially since there aren't vocals), but sometimes they feel a bit out-of-place. It doesn't help that the songwriting in general feels very thrown-together and it doesn't feel like the songs have any logical progression tying them up—just bits and pieces put together.

So this album feels less like an album and more like a bunch of people just kind of messing around without a clear goal. It's difficult to listen to and I don't feel like I got anything out of it. (It doesn't help that the playing is often very sloppy, which takes me right out of the experience.)

So tread with caution. (It helps that it's free.)

5

Ulver – Messe I.X-VI.X

August 18, 2013 • Jester Records

Since the disappointing Wars of the Roses and the bafflingly out-of-character Childhood's End, I approached this album with a hell of a lot of caution. However, I am happy to report that my fears were for nothing; Messe I.X-VI.X has turned out to be one of the best things they've released in a long time and I'm really enjoying it.

As expected, Ulver is tiptoeing outside their sonic boundaries yet again; Messe is mostly classicaly-inspired (if the collaboration with the Tromsø Chamber Orchestra didn't tip you off), but that's only a tiny part of the picture. The album is a harrowing soundscape of droning ambience, brooding strings and folk instruments, and erratic sampling. I particularly love the combination of the sweeping strings with some more traditional (for Ulver) crazy electronic stuff on "Shri Schneider", easily one of the best segments on the album. Also of note is the sound collage of "Noche oscura del alma", which I have to say would probably make my list of top scariest tracks. It's incredibly unsettling, yet works pretty well in context of the whole album.

The focus is all on textures, moods, and melancholic atmosphere (there aren't even vocals until "Son of Man" halfway through); it even sometimes has a soundtrack feel to it (especially the grandiose "Glamour Box (Ostinati)"). It's very abstract and the pieces all kind of flow together, so instead of the definite feeling of a collection of songs that Shadows of the Sun was, Messe feels more like a classical suite. I imagine that was the effect they were going for, and I have to say it totally works.

That said, it's not without a few problems. It's a very slow-burning album and difficult to digest, even after multiple listens. I imagine it would be hard to like for a lot of people, especially ones who aren't much into modern classical music, as it spends a lot of time building up on itself (although the payoff is usually good, barring the anticlimactic finale "Mother of Mercy"). And none of the tracks really come off as memorable as many did on their last few albums, even the more "traditional" ones ("Son of Man"). It's definitely something you have to be in a certain mood for, and listen straight through.

But once you are in that mood and give Messe a really careful listen, it turns out to be one of their best efforts yet. This is the natural continuation from Shadows of the Sun I was hoping for, the direction I was hoping Ulver would head in. Better late than never, I suppose. A very worthy addition to the Ulver canon.

7

Deafheaven – Sunbather

June 11, 2013 • Deathwish Inc.

Finally time to weigh in my two cents on Sunbather; I figure the hype has died off enough by now. I remember hearing their first album Roads to Judah when it came out back in 2011 and enjoying it, though I haven't listened to them since until very recently with this new album. And it's an okay album, sure; it's quite good but I think fawned over a little too much.

While the "blackgaze" thing has been really popular lately, I have to hand it to Deafheaven for putting together a pretty good version of the sound. It's some pretty intense music, with walls of loud tremolo guitar and blastbeats and harsh screams all over. But it's also got plenty of dynamics—there are lots of softer interludes with pseudo-post-rock flourishes and slower, sludgier sections as well. (For the former, I really love "Vertigo"'s intro, especially that bass.)

Also unlike most black metal, the album is largely played in a major key to get a more grandiose feel to the songs. I think this actually works really well most of the time; we've seen it before with bands like ColdWorld but Deafheaven do it well too. The title track in particular is a great example of that kind of tone working well; it has a great contrast of major and minor riffing that makes it really interesting. Most of the riffs themselves aren't particularly catchy or memorable, but it's the textures and moods that really make the album. Think more Godspeed rather than Immortal, especially in those interludes.

On the other side of the coin, while Sunbather is definitely good, it's not quite as special as everyone has made it out to be. I guess it's the extreme amount of hype and press and its broader appeal that lead it to garner a lot of praise—mostly deserving, I'll admit—but it's not like this is the first album like it ever to be made. Anyone reading my recent black metal reviews know that I go through lots of albums like this. Yes, this is one of the better ones, but it's not the only one.

That being said, I still think this is absolutely a worthwhile album for fans of this sound. And if it just so happens to turn on a lot of people who didn't know about it before, all the better. For me, it's not something I'm going to spin every day, but it's not an album I'll forget too easily, either. I do know that it will definitely be interesting to see how this new trajectory affects Deafheaven and where they go next.

7

KEN Mode, Rosetta, Lo-Pan, The Black Antler

August 18, 2013 • Kobo Live, Columbus, Ohio

I had already had an amazing weekend, and I couldn't think of a better way to top it off than a show with one of my favorite bands. I'd already seen Rosetta back in 2010 but I wouldn't pass up another chance to see them here in Columbus, especially at Kobo which I love going to. Unlike that Carabar show, it actually ended just after 11 PM instead of 3 AM so people were actually around to see the bands!

The Black Antler

The pleasant surprise of the night (there's always one)—these guys were really awesome. A sort of doomy sludge combined with grind-infused hardcore, definitely a case of sludgecore-done-right. Not a single dull moment throughout their set (although I could have done with better sound mixing). Definitely would see again.
8 • Best Hipster Mustache Award

Lo-Pan

I'm a bit surprised it took me this long to get to a show these guys played at. They've been around a while and it seems like they support every other metal show in the city. Anyway, they weren't really my thing, but it was still an enjoyable set. I've never really liked stoner metal, but Lo-Pan's style was especially interesting. Very groovy, catchy stuff. The bassist especially was giving his all, doing a lot of complicated stuff and really squeezing all the range out of his instrument he could.
7 • Farthest-Away Vocalist Award

Rosetta

It's tough to review any band you have a lot of emotional investment in already, but yeah, this was an amazing show. Not much has changed in the last three years, although everything they played was off of their new album. I was a little disappointed at first that they weren't playing some older stuff I would have recognized more easily, but it didn't matter much—their new material works excellently on stage, especially the heavier material. Anyway I'm just glad they came back here again; I could tell everyone had a hell of a time.
9 • Most Normal Clothes Award

KEN Mode

I don't know what KEN Mode's deal is but they must love Columbus or something; I saw them back in November and they've played here at least three other times since. Anyway, I already knew they put on a good show, and they didn't disappoint—although I think the first show might have been better. It's tough to follow up Rosetta, I'd think. As always it was a very energetic and dramatic performance; they don't care how big of an audience they play to, which is great.
7 • Best Spitting Distance Award

Rosetta – The Anaesthete

August 8, 2013 • self-released

I'm starting to have mixed feelings about Rosetta as a band. Back in 2006 or so when I first heard The Galilean Satellites, they became an instant favorite, and I've highly enjoyed everything they've released since. And yes, I have found myself enjoying The Anaesthete. But at the same time, I feel a bit let down by it. It's still good, though, and worth a listen for sludge fans.

For anyone who hasn't heard them, Rosetta's sound is near the peak of the sludge metal and post-rock fusion style. Staples of their sound include layered, delay-rich clean guitar contrasted with heavy crunching power riffs, complex and intricate drumming with some interesting time signatures, and a thick reverb-drenched atmosphere. While they've stuck with that for ten years now, like A Determinism of Morality they've been slowly trending towards some shorter songs with quicker tempos which suits them well. The band finally seems to be exploring minor-key tracks a bit more as well, with songs like the dissonant and heavy "Oku / The Secrets".

But on The Anaesthete, the band's writing skills don't seem as sharp as they used to be and I feel like they're just treading a lot of old ground. Unlike a lot of their old material, the songs here don't have a lot in the way of memorable lines or melodies the way The Galilean Satellites; instead, many of them are just a barrage of endless guitar and drum noodling until they reach a generic power-chord climax: rinse and repeat. Of course the formula worked back in 2005, but by now it hardly seems interesting, especially when it feels very structureless and hard-to-follow as well. There are a few exceptions, like the awesome riff that closes "In & Yo / Dualities of the Way" or the practically-hardcore "Myo / The Miraculous" (they can still slam a heavy section with the best of them), but moments like that aren't as frequent as they should be.

Their performance skills, on the other hand, are just as good as ever, even when things get a little messy. The drumming is easily one of the best parts, technically-speaking; he is always doing something cool. (I do wish, though, that the vocals were a bit more interesting than one clean guest spot per album. Not to say Armine is bad; he just can only do one sound.)

I can see how it'd be hard to top an instant-classic like The Galilean Satellites and they've definitely tried (Wake/Lift was absolutely a success in my mind), but I don't see much of a future for them if they continue to stagnate like this. I know this review probably sounds really harsh, probably unfairly so—for sludge fans this album is definitely worth listening to, and it's got plenty of good moments in it. I've already heard plenty of people say good things about it, so judge for yourself. Just know that it's almost certainly not going to stand up close to their best.

6