_ _______ _ ...:... _ _______ _
___ / .:::::::::::. \ ___
| / .. (:::::::::::::) .. \ |
| . .:::::.`:::::::::::'.:::::. . |
| .::.. `:::.::':::`::.:::' ..::. |
_ _______ | .::' ::::':::::`:::: `::. | _______ _
\\ | | :: `' ::':`:: `' :: | | //
\ | | `:. .::' . `::. .:' | | /
. | | .::::::..::::' ... `::::..::::::. | | .
| | `:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::' | |
.... | | `:' `::::: :: :: :::::' `:' | | ....
| ' | : `. ': :: :: :: :: :` .' : | ` |
|.....: . .......: :: :: :: :: : ...... . : ....|
. ...................: : :: :: :: :: : : ................. .
_____________:_____________ _____________:_____________
_ ___\` __ /_\` _______/_\` __ _/_\` /___ _
// __ / (/ ___/ (/ _ (/ /_______/\
_ _ /_________ ___________ ______/\ _ ______________/\__/_ _
\\\\\_________\__/\_________\__/\_____/\_____/\____________/f3!///
- -\-\-----------\__/----------\__/-------\_____/---------------/-/- -
- -------------------: : :. ..:: :: . :------------------ -
: : :......: :: :` ': :: : .....: : :
___ _ | | : ` ' : | | _ ___
_\---------- : | -------- : B E R C : -------- | : ----------/_
/_\ . : . ..:.. ..:.. . : . /_\
/// . . : : . . \\\
/: :\
/:: Artist :: shEver ::\
:: Album :: Rituals ::
:: Year :: 2012 ::
:: __ _ _ __ ::
-:--\\-----------------------------------------------------------------//--:-
:: \ / ::
:: . Genre :: Metal Source :: CDDA . ::
:: Label :: Totalrust Music R.date :: 27.07.2012 ::
_::__ Cat.nr. :: TRUST024 Size :: 91,9 MB __::_
::// \\::
::/---------------------------------------------------------------------\::
:: ::
/: Encoder :: LAME 3.98.4 -V0 :\
..: Bitrate :: avg. 256kbps : .
. Quality :: 44,1kHz/Joint-Stereo .
. .
Website :: http://www.shever.ch/
__ __ _ . : _ ____ _ _ ____ _ : . _ __ __
.\\\\------- : | ---\ /---------------------\ /--- | : -------////.
+/ -\------- | | ----\ tracklist /---- | | -------/- \+
/: . : : . :\
/:: ::\
:: 01. Ritual of Chaos 08:22 ::
:: 02. Deliria 08:01 ::
:: 03. Je Suis Nee 07:17 ::
:: 04. Souls Colliding 09:32 ::
:: 05. (You Are) The Mirror 07:20 ::
:: 06. Tha He Na Te 09:23 ::
:: ------- ::
.. >> 49:55 min ..
__ __ _ . : _ ____ _ _ ____ _ : . _ __ __
.\\\\------- : | ---\ /---------------------\ /--- | : -------////.
+/ -\------- | | ----\ release notes /---- | | -------/- \+
/: . : : . :\
/:: ::\
:: ::
:: Arriving some three years after their self-released A ::
:: Dialogue with the Dimensions EP, the second shEver full- ::
:: length, Rituals, lives up to its name. It doesn't feel out ::
:: of line to assume the band's name is a play on the word ::
:: "shiver" meant to emphasize that all four members of the ::
:: Swiss outfit are women, with the odd-capitalization in ::
:: their logo making the point even clearer, but more ::
:: interesting to me than their gender is the scope of doom ::
:: and darkened sludge shEver cover. The first-name-only ::
:: lineup of drummer Sarah, vocalist Alexandra, ::
:: bassist/violinist/backing vocalist Nadine and ::
:: guitarist/backing vocalist Jessica wind their way through a ::
:: bleak and often dirge-minded atmosphere, but there are ::
:: looks in the direction of '90s-style doom that show up in ::
:: tracks like "Delirio" to change up the approach, and ::
:: screams intermingle with cleaner vocals in ambient parts ::
:: while the band reels before unleashing their next assault. ::
:: Rituals, which is released through TotalRust Music, is ::
:: thoroughly doomed despite any variations/deviations that ::
:: occur in style. Riffs lead the way almost exclusively, ::
:: backed by Nadine's thick bass and punctuated by the crash ::
:: of Sarah's lowly-mixed cymbals. The album is under- ::
:: produced. Those cymbals are part of it, but I have a hard ::
:: time imagining both the bass and drums don't also come ::
:: across thicker live, and that Alexandra's screams, which ::
:: sound muted here as "Je Suis NΘe" reaches its nonetheless ::
:: punishing apex, aren't fuller in another setting. Still, ::
:: the rawness helps quitter stretches feel all the more ::
:: dismal, and for the parts of Rituals where shEver are more ::
:: directly sludge in their approach, it makes it that much ::
:: nastier. The six extended tracks of the 50-minute offering ::
:: are more consistent as well with that line drawn between ::
:: them. ::
:: ::
:: In case you were wondering exactly what kind of Rituals the ::
:: band was thinking of when titling the album, opener "Ritual ::
:: of Chaos" makes it plain, with malevolent whispers and ::
:: quiet creepy parts trading off with screams, growls and ::
:: clean backing vocals all at once. It may be that the band ::
:: is throwing everything out there at once, but if so, it's ::
:: effective in conveying the breadth of the album overall. ::
:: There are few surprises in store afterwards, but the ::
:: fullness of the atmosphere that "Ritual of Chaos" ::
:: constructs is affirmed in the other tracks, which are ::
:: doomed enough to make early Paradise Lost blush and ::
:: righteous in their heaviness despite whatever already-noted ::
:: production issues persist. Before the opener is through, ::
:: shEver have moved from ambient guitars to double-kick ::
:: drumming, and done so smoothly while also challenging the ::
:: listener to follow them. A major strength of Rituals is its ::
:: challenging side, and "Delirio" û which also tops eight ::
:: minutes û works quickly to enhance it with death growls and ::
:: vicious higher-pitched screams atop a lumbering riff that ::
:: persists loud for the first minute before moving into a ::
:: more ambient incarnation of the same progression; an ::
:: effective loud/quiet tradeoff and not the last to come. ::
:: "Delirio" gradually rebuilds its crash and subsides again, ::
:: once more hitting a satisfying peak as the song comes to a ::
:: close, Jessica changing up the guitar to subtly add a shot ::
:: of adrenaline. The following "Je Suis NΘe" is the shortest ::
:: track on Rituals at 7:17 and dedicated largely to ::
:: interpretations built around one riff and one tempo. ::
:: Needless to say, its plod is substantial as a result, and ::
:: though by now they've well established their pastiche, ::
:: shEver move into probably their sludgiest territory yet û ::
:: that riff is a beast and Alexandra's screams are the stuff ::
:: of damaged vocal cords. As with a lot of sludge, they run ::
:: into trouble winding the track down, but when in doubt, ::
:: drop everything else out and let the guitar ring out into a ::
:: fade. Works like a charm. ::
:: ::
:: "Souls Colliding" is perhaps the most satisfying blend of ::
:: ambience and crushingness shEver have on offer with their ::
:: second album. Even in its quiet beginning minutes, the ::
:: sound is fuller, and the use of melodic vocals both ::
:: enriches the atmosphere and adds to the build. The song is ::
:: basically divided into three parts - an initial opening ::
:: quiet stretch until about 2:45, louder riffing over which ::
:: screams/growls are introduced until about eight minutes in, ::
:: and then a cello-topped outro for the last 90 seconds - but ::
:: though shEver have shown little concern for the trappings ::
:: of verses and choruses throughout Rituals, "Souls ::
:: Colliding" leaves a stark impression with its linear ::
:: movement. Not quite engaging, but impressive anyway for its ::
:: lack of capitulation and for how well it leads into the ::
:: more straightforward "(You are) the Mirror," which features ::
:: more well-used clean vocals and a tortured riff that would ::
:: be positively agonizing if there were anything positive ::
:: about it at all. They push the track into extreme metal in ::
:: the second half, punishing growls and screams joining ::
:: together for an abrasive onslaught driven by more double- ::
:: kick drums and a faster rhythm, and if closer "Tha He Na ::
:: Te" brings anything new to Rituals while also being its ::
:: final statement, it's a palpable tension throughout its ::
:: nine-plus minutes that finally gets paid off nearly eight ::
:: minutes into the song. Prior to that, "Tha He Na Te" is ::
:: stomach-churning, but shEver do are long since acquainted ::
:: with that which discomforts their audience by now. The ::
:: closer never really explodes as it otherwise might - thanks ::
:: in part to the low drums, which would really be what drives ::
:: that change - but Rituals ends satisfyingly nonetheless ::
:: with incantations of the title line from Alexandra and an ::
:: unraveling of the instruments behind her. Ultimately, ::
:: there's not much about shEver's sophomore album that's ::
:: groundbreaking, but for residing in a genre, the band also ::
:: feels comfortable moving from one side of it to another, ::
:: and the interspersed clean and harsh vocals do an excellent ::
:: job of keeping the songs from seeming redundant, which they ::
:: might otherwise, moving between similar stretches of quiet ::
:: and loud. Rituals won't be for everyone, but good doom ::
:: never has been. ::
:: ::
:: . _ _ . ::
\: :. \\ ___________ . ___________ // .: :/
__\____ :: ____ ___\ _ / BERC : 2012 \ _ /___ ____ :: ____/__
\\\f3! :: \\\ __ _/_________i_________\ /___/ /// :: cRO///
\ :: :\-\___________\_ ___ / _ _/___________/-/: :: /
:: | . . _ _ _/ __/ . \_ _ _ . . | ::
: :::::::: | | \\\\\/ _______\____|\ \///// | | :::::::: :
:: | | -\-\/____/-------------\____\/-/- | | ::
:: | | \ :|: / | | ::
: : | . ` ::: ' . | : :
. . | : ::: : | . .
| :::....:::....::: |
: ::::::::::::::::: :
. :::''``:::''``::: .
: ::: :
. ::: .
.:.
: