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░ ██ ██ Artist: Thehappymask ██ ██
▓ █░░ ■█ Album: Ruines █■ ░░█
■ █▓▀ █ Year: 2013 █ ▀▓█ ░
█ ▓ Rel. Date: 2015-02-07 ▓ █
▒ ▒ Genre: Black Metal ▒ ▒
█▄ ░ Label: Domestic Genocide Records ░ ▄█
░ █▄ ░ Source: CDR ░ ▄█
░ █▓ Type: Reissue ▓█ ░
▓ █ Quality: VBR, 44.1kHz, Joint Stereo █ ░ ▓
▓ █ █ ░ ▓
▄ ■ ■ ▓ ■
░█ █░ ▀
█ Looking to cash in on the whole black metal █
█ shoegazing movement pioneered by the likes of █
█ Alcest, Amesoeurs and Velvet Cacoon, Thehappymask █
█ present an album of relatively boring and shallow █
█ music that needs a long way to go before theyÆre █
█ ready to make a dent in the scene. █
█ Ruines is actually a hard album to review for the █
█ simple reason that not much of anything goes on in █
█ it. ThereÆs unfortunately very little black metal █
█ incorporated into the sound, leaving the shoegaze █
█ and post rock to take center stage. Whilst this is █
█ by no means a problem as Alcest have found great █
█ success by playing a relatively soft and harmless █
█ form of music, Thehappymask just donÆt have the █
█ song writing abilities to capitalize in on it. The █
█ music is highly repetitious with very little █
█ distinction between each song as such the whole █
█ album tends to blend into each other creating one █
█ long and droning listen. The overall melodies of █
█ the songs themselves are really quite boring, █
█ apart from the over use of repetition utilized █
█ none of the melodies stand out to me. ThereÆs no █
█ stand out moments, nothing that takes me back and █
█ encourages me to think that the band is onto █
█ something. █
█ Matters aren't helped by the fact that the guitar █
█ tone is incredibly weak. Taking a high pitched █
█ wailing tone to it, it lacks any sort of power and █
█ is more concerned in creating a soft and euphoric █
█ atmosphere. Unfortunately, euphoria cannot be █
█ reached when listening to music that is this █
█ empty. Often the atmosphere becomes lost on me due █
█ to the high levels of repetition; the sound in █
█ general is overall quite weak lacking any form of █
█ emotional expression or even effort. █
█ I understand that the goal of Thehappymask is not █
█ to be the heaviest band of all time, I have █
█ perspective, I know IÆm not listening to █
█ Suffocation, but thereÆs no excuse for how █
█ oppressively still and lifeless this music is. IÆm █
█ at a loss as to what actually happens in this █
█ album which just seems to be an endless procession █
█ of generic post rock climaxes played on lightly █
█ distorted guitars. █
█ Thehappymask are certainly capable of creating █
█ pretty melodies, the lead work in the title track █
█ is suitably expressive and really quite beautiful █
█ bringing to mind bands such as Rosetta and Year of █
█ no Light. The light and ambient undertones to the █
█ guitars, whilst admittedly being quite relaxing █
█ would greatly benefit from being fleshed out a lot █
█ more. The atmospheric potential is definitely █
█ there on Ruines but greater skill in song writing █
█ would go a long way in securing this bands place █
█ in the future. █
▓ ▓
▒ ▒
░ 1. Heavy Rain 2:16 ░
░ 2. Ruines 7:33 ░
░ 3. Fading Beauty 7:31 ░
░ 4. Dead Flowers 9:49 ░
░ 5. Old Broken Bridge 5:01 ░
░ 6. Towards the Setting Sun 5:17 ░
░ 7. As Dusk Falls (Bonus Demo) 5:26 ░
░ 8. Asleep 4:36 ░
░ 47:29 ░
░ ▒ ▒
▓ █ ░ ▓ ░
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