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/:: Artist :: Avatarium ::\
:: Album :: The Girl With the Raven Mask ::
:: Year :: 2015 ::
:: __ _ _ __ ::
-:--\\-----------------------------------------------------------------//--:-
:: \ / ::
:: . Genre :: Metal Source :: CDDA . ::
:: Label :: Nuclear Blast R.date :: 2015.11.21 ::
_::__ Cat.nr. :: 27361 35510 Size :: 92,94 MB __::_
::// \\::
::/---------------------------------------------------------------------\::
:: ::
/: Encoder :: LAME 3.98.4 -V0 :\
..: Bitrate :: avg. 260kbps : .
. Quality :: 44,1kHz/Joint Stereo .
. .
Website :: http://avatariumofficial.se/
__ __ _ . : _ ____ _ _ ____ _ : . _ __ __
.\\\\------- : | ---\ /---------------------\ /--- | : -------////.
+/ -\------- | | ----\ tracklist /---- | | -------/- \+
/: . : : . :\
/:: ::\
:: 01. Girl with the Raven Mask 04:12 ::
:: 02. The January Sea 07:56 ::
:: 03. Pearls and Coffins 07:04 ::
:: 04. Hypnotized 06:26 ::
:: 05. Ghostlight 06:38 ::
:: 06. Run Killer Run 05:19 ::
:: 07. Iron Mule 05:51 ::
:: 08. The Master Thief 06:37 ::
:: ------- ::
.. >> 50:03 ..
__ __ _ . : _ ____ _ _ ____ _ : . _ __ __
.\\\\------- : | ---\ /---------------------\ /--- | : -------////.
+/ -\------- | | ----\ release notes /---- | | -------/- \+
/: . : : . :\
/:: ::\
:: ::
:: Candlemass' 1986 debut Epicus Doomicus Metallicus had a big ::
:: impact on my young metal mind and made me a lifetime convert ::
:: to Leif Edling's concept of what doom metal should sound ::
:: like. Decades later, he surprised me again with his ::
:: Avatarium debut and how it leveraged the prodigious vocal ::
:: gifts of Jennie-Ann Smith to create a refreshing take on the ::
:: classic doom template. While I expected The Girl With the ::
:: Raven Mask to be a quality follow-up, I wasn't prepared for ::
:: how freaking fantastic it truly is! This tops their debut in ::
:: every way and allows Jennie-Ann to shine in a different and ::
:: much brighter light on songs that jump out at you like a ::
:: crazy cat lady, hurling feral felines until she has your ::
:: undivided attention. It's a much more wide open, free-form ::
:: album, approximating retro progressive doom with jazz ::
:: fusion. That's a tough concept to imagine and it's a strange ::
:: machine indeed, but a great one. ::
:: ::
:: The opening title track goes for the throat from note one, ::
:: demanding your attention and plowing you over with fat, ::
:: aggressive doom riffs. When Jennie-Ann comes in, all dials ::
:: move to red. She has such an enchanting, captivating voice - ::
:: as close as it gets to a real life siren - often gentle, but ::
:: able to sound edgy and even a little scary. She reminds me ::
:: of a young Ann Wilson (Heart) and she delivers a skull- ::
:: caving performance on this irresistibly rocking doom tune. ::
:: Follow-up "The January Sea" is easily one of the best songs ::
:: you'll hear this year. It's doom through the prism of a ::
:: tripped-out Jefferson Starship concert circa 1968 and ::
:: Jennie-Ann channels Grace Slick's eerie and seductive power, ::
:: hopscotching between menace and melancholy as the music ::
:: marinates in the psychedelic rock of the past, replete with ::
:: fuzzed out solos and Hammond organ swells. It's a powerfully ::
:: emotionally and strangely beautiful song and the chorus is ::
:: sheer brilliance - sweet and sad in a way doom almost never ::
:: pulls off. ::
:: ::
:: But wait; "Pearls and Coffins" is also amazing, sounding ::
:: like a gorgeously downcast ballad from the 60s fused with ::
:: subtle jazz influences, especially in the vocals. The chorus ::
:: is an absolute triumph and the song inexorably drags you ::
:: back to the days of hippies and flower power. But is it ::
:: doom, you ask? Maybe not, but who cares! ::
:: ::
:: The rest of the album is great too and quite diverse - from ::
:: the haunting "Hypnotized" to the very Catherdral-esque ::
:: riff-fest of "Run Killer Run," and the odd American folk ::
:: mixed with indie rock of "Iron Mule." The album winds out ::
:: with "The Master Thief" which sounds like something you'd ::
:: hear in a dark, smokey jazz club.It's here Jennie-Ann fully ::
:: unleashes her jazz cabaret tendencies for a smoldering, ::
:: heartfelt performance. There are mild doom riffs floating in ::
:: and out, but this is much different than any doom you've ::
:: ever heard. ::
:: ::
:: At the risk of earning myself a restraining order, I can't ::
:: stop singing Jennie-Ann's praises. She impressed me on the ::
:: debut, but she's a absolute revelation here, making every ::
:: song come alive and crackle with sultry energy. Sometimes ::
:: she reminds me a bit of Jex Thoth (Jessica Bowen) and the ::
:: aforementioned Ann Heart, but she really has her own unique ::
:: style and it's perfect for what Leif Edling is doing with ::
:: this material. He seems to be trying to bridge all his ::
:: various projects (Candlemass, Krux, Abstrakt Algebra) into ::
:: one fully-realized, wide-open musical vehicle and he's ::
:: knocked it out the park with this album. Alongside Jennie- ::
:: Ann, guitarist Marcus Jidell (Soen) does amazing work, ::
:: offering up fat doom riffs and some positively smoking solos ::
:: with a big foot in the 60s psychedelic scene. The solo ::
:: breaks on "The January Sea," "Hypnotized," "The Master ::
:: Thief" are perfect and he's great at underplaying for ::
:: maximum effect. Carl Westholm also deserves praise for his ::
:: moody keyboards which drench the songs in a warm, nostalgic ::
:: feel much like the recent Opeth output. ::
:: ::
:: The sound is also very warm, organic and inviting, like ::
:: something recorded in the early 70s. The mix is fine and ::
:: everyone can be heard clearly. I was actually surprised with ::
:: the DR6 score and you can rest assured, it won't impede your ::
:: enjoyment of this monster one bit. The only thing keeping ::
:: this from a perfect score is the slight dip in quality after ::
:: the first three monstrous tunes. ::
:: ::
:: You may be looking at the Album o' the Year right here, ::
:: folks. It's definitely the one that grabbed me the most so ::
:: far in 2015 and it will grab you too. It's not a traditional ::
:: doom album, but it seems Leif decided the genre was due for ::
:: another shake up. Well played, good sir. Do not attempt to ::
:: leave the hall. ::
:: ::
:: . _ _ . ::
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