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░ ██ ██ Artist: The Slow Death ██ ██
▓ █░░ ■█ Album: II █■ ░░█
■ █▓▀ █ Year: 2012 █ ▀▓█ ░
█ ▓ Rel. Date: 2012-07-14 ▓ █
▒ ▒ Genre: Death Metal ▒ ▒
█▄ ░ Label: self-released ░ ▄█
░ █▄ ░ Source: CD ░ ▄█
░ █▓ Type: Album ▓█ ░
▓ █ Quality: VBR, 44.1kHz, Joint Stereo █ ░ ▓
▓ █ █ ░ ▓
▄ ■ ■ ▓ ■
░█ █░ ▀
█ Funeral doom/death metal with female vocals and █
█ male grunts. This description sums up the sound █
█ Funeral had on their beloved album, Tragedies. In █
█ a way, The Slow Death's II is sort of like █
█ Tragedies 17 years later. That's not to say that █
█ this is a rip-off of the album, that is not what I █
█ mean at all. The influence is clear, but The Slow █
█ Death still has a sound of it's own. The melodies, █
█ the lyrics, the vocals, and the atmosphere overall █
█ are very different from Funeral's masterpiece. The █
█ genre and premise are identical, and both albums █
█ are performed beautifully, but this is still █
█ something different. █
█ The Slow Death has created another incredible █
█ concept album, four years after their self-titled █
█ album. The music is a bit more melodic, although █
█ the music is still very cold, very aggressive, █
█ very slow, and very very depressing. This is one █
█ of the very few albums that can actually depress █
█ me, among Passage by Bosque, Death - Pierce Me by █
█ Silencer, Dark Metal by Bethlehem, From Beyond the █
█ Vein by Tunes of Despair, and even The Last CD █
█ Before Doomsday by Worship. However, The Slow █
█ Death's album isn't depressing in the █
█ self-destructive, suicidal way those albums are. █
█ Rather than creating a suicidal atmosphere, The █
█ Slow Death paints a much more grotesque, much more █
█ solemn picture for the listener. The first album █
█ was a concept album revolving around The Bubonic █
█ Plague, which wiped out about 1/3 of Europe's █
█ population. This second album is a concept album █
█ telling the story of the last humans alive on this █
█ Earth, forced to die of exhaustion and hunger as █
█ they search for shelter in an infinite desert. The █
█ lyrics and artwork (both created by female █
█ vocalist, Mandy Andresen) really stick with you █
█ after a few spins of the CD. █
█ Now, for the music itself. The female vocals █
█ really take the lead here, while the male vocals █
█ show up for a few verses on each song. On the █
█ first album, Mandy had a very angelic, operatic, █
█ high-pitched voice, which sounded similar to the █
█ likes of Toril Snyen or Cecilie Langlie. On this █
█ album, she sings in a more depressing mid-ranged █
█ voice, which really sticks out on The Long March █
█ and To Your Fate. The male vocals, performed by █
█ Gregg Williamson, are also depressing but also █
█ aggressive and sinister, not unlike Jeremy Peto of █
█ Morgion. The riffs, while more melodic than on the █
█ first album, lean more towards funeral doom this █
█ time around than typical death/doom. While the █
█ album remains consistently slow, there are moments █
█ during Empty Places and Reflections in the █
█ Shattered Glass in which things pick up a little. █
█ That's not to mean that the music drags, but █
█ rather the music truly lives up to being doom █
█ metal. It's oppressive, it's depressing as hell, █
█ and from the beginning of The Long March, you know █
█ to abandon all hope of hearing something █
█ uplifting. █
█ The only real flaw I can think of is that the █
█ album feels kind of short. Although the album is █
█ about an hour long, it feels like the band didn't █
█ really have as much time to really unfold their █
█ potential like they did on the first album. █
█ However, this is a very minor flaw, seeing as how █
█ the music is still amazing. While this album is █
█ more accessible than the first album, the music █
█ would still appeal to those who enjoyed the first █
█ album. Also, fans of Funeral, Omit, Remembrance, █
█ Lethian Dreams, Paradigma, Black Lodge, Doom:VS, █
█ Unholy, Skepticism, Thergothon, Evoken, Morgion, █
█ Shape of Despair, Black Wreath, Murkrat, Fallen, █
█ Mournful Congregation, and Loss are sure to love █
█ this. █
▓ ▓
▒ ▒
░ 1. The Long March 23:59 ░
░ 2. Empty Places 12:14 ░
░ 3. To Your Fate 10:29 ░
░ 4. Reflections in Shattered Glass 10:03 ░
░ 5. Reclaimed by Dust 10:15 ░
░ 67:00 ░
░ ▒ ▒
▓ █ ░ ▓ ░
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