▄█████▄ ░█████▄ ▄████▄░█▄ ░█▄ ▄█████▄ ███▄██ ▄██ ▄█▄ ▄██████ ▄█▄ ▄███
░████░██▀████▓ ▀██ ▄██░▀█████ ████ ███▓ ██████▓██ ▓███████ ███▓░▀█▀████ ███▓
███▓ ▓███░ ██ ██▄ ▄██▓██ ▓███▓██░ ▓███░███░███████████▄ ███░███░
███░ ▄███ ███ ▄█▀░ ████████░██ █████████▄ ▓██░███ ███▓█████████ ███████
███ ███░ ███████ ███▓ ░██ ██ ██████▓ ░██ ▀██ ███░███▓██████ ███▓███
███ ███ ████████░███░ ███ ██▄ ██▓███░ ██▄ ██░██▓ ███ ▀▀████ ███░███
███ ███ ███▓░███████░ ███ ███▓██ ███ ███▓██▓██░ ███ ▓████ ███ ███
▓██▓ ███ ███░ ▓██████ ███ ▓████ ▓██▄ ▓████████ ███ ▓███ ███ ███
███░███ ███ ░██████ ███ ░████ ░███ ███▓███▓ ███ ░███ ███ ███
██▓███ ███ ███▓██ ███ ███ ▓██▄ ███░███░ ███ ███ ███ ███
░█████ ███ ██▓░██▄ ███ ▓█▀ ▓██▄ ███ ██░ ███ ██▓ ███ ███
░███▀ ░█▀ ██░ ██ ░█▀ ░███▄ ▀ ▀ ▓█▀ ███░ ░█▀ ██▀
██░ ▄██▀ ░█▄ ▄███▀ ░██
░ ██ ▓░ ▓░ ██░
▓█░ ░█▀ ▀█░ ░█▓
░ ██ ██ Artist: Zaum ██ ██
▓ █░░ ■█ Album: Oracles █■ ░░█
■ █▓▀ █ Year: 2014 █ ▀▓█ ░
█ ▓ Rel. Date: 2015-05-08 ▓ █
▒ ▒ Genre: Psychedelic Rock ▒ ▒
█▄ ░ Label: I Hate Records ░ ▄█
░ █▄ ░ Source: CD ░ ▄█
░ █▓ Type: Album ▓█ ░
▓ █ Quality: VBR, 44.1kHz, Joint Stereo █ ░ ▓
▓ █ █ ░ ▓
▄ ■ ■ ▓ ■
░█ █░ ▀
█ Truth be told, we donÆt hear a lot about MonctonÆs █
█ metal scene. The cover artwork of ZaumÆs Oracles █
█ expresses exactly the feeling I get when I hear of █
█ a band coming from New BrunswickÆs largest city: █
█ something exotic in flavour. The duo, which █
█ includes Kyle Alexander Macdonald of 3-bass █
█ monster Shevil, and Christopher Lewis of stoner █
█ band Iron Giant, are bringing a lot of fresh air █
█ to the Canadian metal landscape with their new █
█ outfit. Self described as ôMiddle Eastern Mantra █
█ Doomö, we immediately hear the influences of USÆ █
█ Om, or UKÆs Bongà In other words, psychedelic. █
█ While keeping their distances from experimental █
█ music, Zaum writes theirs like funeral doom: by █
█ using a doom structure (stoner-doom in the present █
█ case) and slowing it down as much as possible, to █
█ the edge of collapse. As a result, Oracles ends up █
█ with 4 extra long songs, ranging between 8 and 14 █
█ minutes each. While there are only two members (a █
█ drummer and a bassist), the album is crafted with █
█ a plethora of textures including sitar, chants and █
█ synthesizer, that color each song with a mystical █
█ vibe. While first song ôZealotö could almost be █
█ described as an ultra slow stoner-doom song, the █
█ following ôRed Seaö is dressed in a cinematic █
█ cloak, with its 4+ min intro and its spoken █
█ vocals. One thing I particularly enjoy about this █
█ album is the immensity of the mental landscapes it █
█ creates, as well as the individuality of each █
█ song. My favourite is third song ôPeasant of █
█ Parthiaö, a simpler, æfasterÆ song whose main riff █
█ and background textures get stuck in my head every █
█ time I listen to the album. Oracles ends with the █
█ epic ôOmenö, whose power resides in its square and █
█ steady drum patternûa brilliant and minimalistic █
█ approach that anchors the main riff and gives it █
█ an unremitting pace. ZaumÆs journey brought them █
█ to tour Canada and Europe, proving that Moncton █
█ has some extremely credible metal export and that █
█ we should pay more attention to it. █
█ █
█ --- █
█ █
█ Normally this would not be my cup of tea since it █
█ seems rather minimalistic on the surface. Zaum █
█ play epic doom with more than a few twists. First, █
█ and foremost, there are no guitars anywhere on █
█ this album, therefore no riffing. They use bass, █
█ keyboards and sitars (of all things) create the █
█ melodies and the atmosphere on this album. Looking █
█ at the album cover it immediately brings to mind a █
█ middle eastern feel and after listening to it I █
█ was never more right. As I said, under any other █
█ circumstance I would have turned this off after 5 █
█ minutes, if I was able to stay awake at all. █
█ However, there is a magic here than keeps me █
█ listening. I'm not sure what it is but it's there █
█ and I'm kinda digging it. █
█ I guess what really hooked me in was the █
█ psychedelic atmosphere and the middle eastern vibe █
█ that this album gives off. It's like I am immersed █
█ in a harem and smoking hash from a hookah. At the █
█ same time the bass that drives the rhythms here is █
█ heavy as fuck making any guitars obsolete. The █
█ bass has a little distortion to it making it part █
█ of the rhythm section as well as provide part of █
█ the melodies. The album is only four songs but █
█ clocks in at almost fifty minutes but for some █
█ reason it keeps me interested all the way through. █
█ The lyrical themes are middle eastern entirely and █
█ the subject matter seems to take place during the █
█ Pre Christian biblical era. With a song title like █
█ "Zealot," which opens this album, anyone in the █
█ know would see exactly what this band's influences █
█ are for this album. The vocals are actually █
█ soothing to listen to and sound seriously 60s with █
█ the reverb and echo of something that my parents █
█ used to call "acid rock." █
█ "The Red Sea" starts off with sitars are █
█ psychedelic vocal melodies and then leads to some █
█ classic sounding organ parts mixed with that heavy █
█ fucking bass. This song actually has riffing, █
█ albeit done by the bass, the riffs are cool and █
█ the vocals sound chanted. The song does kinda █
█ meander on a bit but the epic feel that it gives █
█ off keeps me listening. The song picks up the pace █
█ a bit at the end with more vocal chants. I think █
█ it's actually the weakest song on the album █
█ because then you have a song like "Omen," which is █
█ longer in length but has more going on to keep me █
█ interested. There is this distorted sitar sound █
█ starting the song but then it builds up to more of █
█ those heavy "riffs" that the bass play with the █
█ vocals being almost spoken as if you are being █
█ told of impending doom by a prophet. The █
█ psychedelic sounds and the chants are cool and the █
█ keys have that almost pipe organ sound to them in █
█ places adding more atmosphere to the song. This █
█ song really has an eerie feel to it which fits the █
█ title of the song perfectly. █
█ I'm not supposed to like this. I'm not the biggest █
█ fan of the slower, more meandering doom metal. And █
█ the fact that this doesn't have any guitars and is █
█ not really displaying the metal riffs, there is █
█ something that draws me to it. It's interesting, █
█ to say the least. This may not be my go to when █
█ I'm in a doom mood, but I will revisit this album. █
█ █
█ --- █
█ █
█ The instrumentation is what will immediately draw █
█ you in or turn you off from Zaum's capacious aural █
█ escapism, because the space in which they operated █
█ is entirely limited from a 'riff' perspective. █
█ That is to say, the New Brunswick duo puts █
█ together incredibly simplistic bass lines with a █
█ custom sound rig, slow and flowing beats with a █
█ margin of shuffle and groove to them, and then █
█ uses synthesizers and sitar sounds to create this █
█ greater illusion of depth, which is filled in █
█ largely through the listener's imagination. █
█ They're not the most minimalistic kids on the █
█ block, perhaps, but they clearly mirror the █
█ efforts of the phonetically similar Om in crafting █
█ drawn out, atmospheric excursions into the primacy █
█ of lethargic, heavy fucking music...and if you can █
█ shut down any expectations that they're suddenly █
█ going to transition into something 'busy' or █
█ complex, you'll probably fall in with this █
█ camel-back passage to foreign shores, inspired by █
█ Middle Eastern culture and lore from thousands of █
█ years ago. █
█ Four tracks, fifty minutes...you know where this █
█ is going, that it will require a personal █
█ investment not to fall asleep, but Zaum ensure █
█ that it's not such a difficult task. Despite the █
█ comparable pacing of most of the material, they █
█ offer distinction and variation between tracks █
█ through shifting moods. For example, "Zealot" is █
█ solemn and drifting, with Kyle Alexander █
█ McDonald's vocals capturing their cleanest and █
█ most soaring range, to the slow but dreamy weight █
█ of the bass riffs. But move on to "The Red Sea", █
█ and the layered textures of the chanted vocal and █
█ the more crushing note progressions give it less █
█ of a psychedelic magnificence, and more of a █
█ claustrophobic sense of doom. "Peasant of Parthia" █
█ falls between the two, but those fat, molten bass █
█ grooves strike a more ominous, Gothic momentum. █
█ They're also not above letting the percussion drop █
█ off and the guitars ring out with a hazy, █
█ hookah-smokescreen resonance ala the intro to the █
█ finale ("Omen"), so there's always this constant █
█ sense of dramatic rise and fall. The Canadians █
█ take their sweet, sweet time, probably inhaling █
█ copious amounts of non-medical marijuana and other █
█ vices while they keep a mental clock of exactly █
█ when to just dump all that deep-rooted sorrow of █
█ centuries over your face. █
█ There are unquestionably a few moments here where █
█ the meandering tendencies trump the common sense █
█ they apply so incessantly elsewhere, but thank █
█ fuck they keep it from ever becoming so boring █
█ that I tune out...a symptom of so much modern of █
█ this trippy stoner/doom mentality where 'We Are █
█ Heavy Because 20 Minute Songs', 'You Doom Fans Are █
█ Suckers And Will Buy Anything With a 60s Fashion █
█ Sense Because Like Retro'. The songs top off █
█ around 14 minutes at most, and there's very little █
█ in any of them which feels arbitrary. The vocals █
█ are uniformly mesmerizing, excellent and I would █
█ find it hard to believe as a result that McDonald █
█ won't be vaulted into the preternatural pantheon █
█ in which such front men are harbored...in this █
█ case, a well deserved distinction, especially █
█ since he's also keeping busy with nearly all the █
█ other instruments, establishing that exotic, █
█ flavorful vision of shifting, arid sands, long █
█ aeons of tradition so rarely transcended by █
█ change, a slowly spiraling time machine into times █
█ where faith and fire alone set the paths of men. A █
█ very well constructed, convincing debut here, and █
█ it will be curious to see whether they remain █
█ loyal to this particular theme or if they'll █
█ explore other aesthetic eras and instruments as █
█ they press forward. █
█ █
█ --- █
█ █
█ The heavy duo from the Maritimes managed to sign █
█ with the excellent label Swedish I Hate to release █
█ their debut album called Oracles. Composed of two █
█ seasoned musicians from the New Brunswick scene, █
█ Chris Lewis (singer of stoners Iron Giant) handles █
█ the drums here and Kyle McDonald (frontman of █
█ Shevil) plays the bass and sings. You can already █
█ see the similarity with the post Sleep band Om as █
█ both are slow paced doom duos and they diverge █
█ from the usual thematics found in doom and stoner █
█ metal. There's not a lot of projects influenced by █
█ Al Cisneros and company so it feels good to █
█ finally get one and fortunately the Canadians are █
█ more than worthy. One could denigrate them and say █
█ they're perhaps too much of a copy and while █
█ there's many overt similarities between the two, █
█ Zaum manages to impress and includes a fair share █
█ of originality. But it's still pretty safe to say █
█ that if you don't like Om, you should probably █
█ avoid this. █
█ Even if it's a debut album, everything the band █
█ wanted to create and develop is already well in █
█ place. Compared to Om, it's heavier, more █
█ intricate and perhaps even better! Simply by █
█ looking at the perfect cover art, you can already █
█ feel the vibe they'll explore throughout the four █
█ songs/fifty minutes release. As an ancient city █
█ located in the desert awaits the visit of a camel █
█ caravan, you can smell the sand and the dryness of █
█ the dunes. The ethnic & Arabic elements of their █
█ music doesn't feel forced at all even though the █
█ two dudes are huge bearded white men. I've met the █
█ two very nice dudes at their first gig in MontrΘal █
█ (with Dopethrone, review here: CLICK) but it would █
█ had been easy to mistake them for true middle █
█ eastern musicians since it sounds almost as honest █
█ as Melechesh and Orphaned Land combined. Chris and █
█ Kyle are possibly two Vikings who accidentally met █
█ an Arabic community while raiding the █
█ Mediterranean sea! The lyrical themes are also █
█ deeply related to the ancient history of the █
█ Middle East as it was surrounded by blood and █
█ religious feuds, appropriate themes for an █
█ intellectual doom record. █
█ The ethnic influence isn't simply a block that █
█ they awkwardly put on their finished construction. █
█ It's an intrinsic part of the puzzle as it's part █
█ of every song. It can serve as an introduction █
█ built into a nice crescendo like in the longest █
█ and final track ôOmenö. It's entrancing and serves █
█ as one of the main ingredients in their river █
█ flowing songs. Their sound has a pretty solid █
█ direction, ranging from ultra slow to mid paced █
█ (the ôshortö song ôPeasant of Parthiaö) but it's █
█ always intriguing and interesting. Just like in █
█ Shevil (three bass attack!), it's heavy as fuck █
█ with a huge bass presence and it features the █
█ vocal talent of McDonald who's pretty damn █
█ interesting. There's some shamanic chanting (ôThe █
█ Red Seaö) but he's pretty diverse, ranging from █
█ semi harsh and buried vocals to clean cult Om-like █
█ singing, I think he's my favourite element in █
█ their formula, his tone works pretty damn well █
█ with the music. His presence gives a larger than █
█ life & crushing aura to the project. █
█ It sure is repetitive but it's to be expected with █
█ a doom album with drawn out songs like this one, █
█ it's not something that bothered me though since █
█ it's well crafted and the musicality is nuanced █
█ underneath a huge layer of ethnosynthesizers that █
█ adds another world of intricacy to the █
█ compositions. You're never bored during this █
█ voyage and you get the right amount of middle █
█ eastern doom musicality for your money. Overall, █
█ Oracles is a great debut from Zaum, if they can █
█ truly put a larger distance between themselves and █
█ Om, we'll have a massive juggernaut to follow. █
█ Another great catch for I Hate. █
▓ ▓
▒ ▒
░ 1. Zealot 12:55 ░
░ 2. The Red Sea 13:22 ░
░ 3. Peasant of Parthia 8:13 ░
░ 4. Omen 14:08 ░
░ 48:38 ░
░ ▒ ▒
▓ █ ░ ▓ ░
■ █▄ ░ ██
▀█▄░ ▄▄▄▄▄ ▓ ░ ▄▄▄▄▄ ░▄██░ ░
▀████▓█▄▄█████████▓░ ███ ███▓░ █████████▄▄██████▀ ▓
▓▀▓ ▒███████▀▀ ▀████████▒ ░████████▀ ▀▀███████░▓▀▓ ■
░ ▄█░█▀▀▄████▄▓ ▀█▀ █▓░ ▒▓█ ▀█▀ ▄████▄ ▀███▄░
▄█▀░ ░███▀▀▀███▄ ▀█▒ ██▓ ██ ▓█▀ ▄███▀▀▀███░ ▀█░
█▀ ▓██▓ ▄███ ▀█▓ ████ ▒█▀ ▓███▄ ▓██▓ ▀█▓
█▀ ▓██░ ▒██████▓ ▀█ █▓ █▀ ▓██████▒ ░██▓ ▀█
▒ ▄██ ░███ ▓███▓ ▀░██░▀ ▓███░ ███ ██▄ ▒
░█▀ ███ ▄▀ ███▄ ▓████▒ ▄███▀▄ ███ ▀█░
▓█▀ ▄██▄█▀ ░ ██████████████ ▀█▄ ██▄ ▀█▓
█▀ ████▀█▄▓░▄█ ▀██████▀ █▄▓░▄█▀█▄██ ▀█▓
░ ▄ ██▀ ▀████▀ ▀█▓▀██ ▀████▀ ▀███ ▄ ▒
█░█▓ ██░ █░ █ ░██ ▀██▒█
███░ ▒█░ ▄ ▓ ▒ ░█▒ ▓███ ░
▓██ ░ ██▓
██░ ░██
█▒ ░ ░█
▀█ █▀
▓ ░
░