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/:: Artist :: Skepticism ::\
:: Album :: Ordeal ::
:: Year :: 2015 ::
:: __ _ _ __ ::
-:--\\-----------------------------------------------------------------//--:-
:: \ / ::
:: . Genre :: Metal Source :: CDDA . ::
:: Label :: Svart Records R.date :: 2015.09.26 ::
_::__ Cat.nr. :: SVR389CD Size :: 144,94 MB __::_
::// \\::
::/---------------------------------------------------------------------\::
:: ::
/: Encoder :: LAME 3.98.4 -V0 :\
..: Bitrate :: avg. 260kbps : .
. Quality :: 44,1kHz/Joint Stereo .
. .
Website :: http://www.skepticism.fi/
__ __ _ . : _ ____ _ _ ____ _ : . _ __ __
.\\\\------- : | ---\ /---------------------\ /--- | : -------////.
+/ -\------- | | ----\ tracklist /---- | | -------/- \+
/: . : : . :\
/:: ::\
:: 01. You 09:21 ::
:: 02. Momentary 07:42 ::
:: 03. The Departure 09:53 ::
:: 04. March Incomplete 12:00 ::
:: 05. The Road 06:58 ::
:: 06. Closing Music 10:20 ::
:: 07. Pouring 09:03 ::
:: 08. The March and the Stream 12:27 ::
:: ------- ::
.. >> 77:44 ..
__ __ _ . : _ ____ _ _ ____ _ : . _ __ __
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+/ -\------- | | ----\ release notes /---- | | -------/- \+
/: . : : . :\
/:: ::\
:: ::
:: There may be no more surprising sound on a metal record this ::
:: year than the bursts of applause heard following certain ::
:: songs on Ordeal, the new album by funeral doom innovators ::
:: Skepticism. Granted, it is a live album, recorded in one ::
:: take at a concert in their native Finland last January, but ::
:: something about the idea of joy and enthusiasm being aurally ::
:: represented on a Skepticism record almost seems ::
:: sacrilegious. ::
:: ::
:: It's been twenty years since the band released the classic ::
:: Stormcrowfleet, and they've been the best funeral doom band ::
:: on the planet since. Their spectral compositions resemble ::
:: the paintings in the Rothko Chapel, at first overpowering ::
:: and seemingly pitch black, but close analysis reveals ::
:: intriguing subtleties and shadings. The band's evolutionùif ::
:: it can be called that - has seen their sound move away a bit ::
:: from their usual reverb-fogged cosmology into something a ::
:: little more buttoned-up and theatric. Their last record, ::
:: 2008's Alloy was almost anthemic and midtempo in spots, a ::
:: sign the band was starting to grow as interested in ::
:: songwriting as they were atmosphere. ::
:: ::
:: After a long dormancy, 2015 feels a bit like a coming out ::
:: party for Skepticism; in May, the group made their American ::
:: live debut at the venerated Maryland Deathfest (in broad ::
:: daylight, no less), their stately doom acting as a soothing ::
:: balm for a crowd well tenderized by a full weekend of fierce ::
:: pits. Releasing a new set of songs via a live recording is ::
:: more than just a canny cost-cutting measure. It's also a ::
:: chance for Skepticism to present themselves as a real band, ::
:: not just a touchstone. ::
:: ::
:: For a band that plays relatively few concerts, Skepticism ::
:: loses none of their power in the concert setting. If YouTube ::
:: clips of recent shows seemed conclusive on this matter, the ::
:: sure-footed and beautifully-recorded Ordeal closes the case. ::
:: It's tough to pick a standout among the six new songs ::
:: because they're best taken as movements of a whole, inviting ::
:: the listener to turn out the lights and let the velvety ::
:: organs and deep, chiming guitars slowly wash over in waves. ::
:: ::
:: If forced to select a favorite, the emotional dial seems to ::
:: get the hardest crank on "March Incomplete," a twelve-minute ::
:: gem that peaks halfway through with a soaring guitar solo ::
:: that may be the most stirring moment of tension resolution ::
:: yet on a Skepticism record. "The Departure" and "The Road" ::
:: feature slow-burn riffs that speak to the motion alluded to ::
:: in their titles. "Closing Music" goes under the hood of the ::
:: signature Skepticism sound by dropping elements out in ::
:: stretches in order to let one or two instrumental voices ::
:: guide the music forward. ::
:: ::
:: As a treat for the devout, the band includes the encore ::
:: performances of two of their most beloved pieces: "Pouring" ::
:: from Stormcrowfleet and "The March and the Stream" from ::
:: 1998's Lead and Aether. "Pouring" (slowed down a touch, just ::
:: for fun) is an extremely welcome addition, being that it's ::
:: my favorite funeral doom song of all time. The heavy down- ::
:: stroked guitars and booming tom hits of the first half that ::
:: slowly give way to somber organ notes that evoke a body ::
:: being lowered to a final resting. It may not seem like an ::
:: obvious for a crowd-rallying encore, but this is Skepticism ::
:: we're talking about, the band that excels at playing music ::
:: that makes bleakness and desolation seem like moods worth ::
:: applauding. ::
:: ::
:: . _ _ . ::
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