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Novelists-Souvenirs-CD-FLAC-2015-CATARACT
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ARTIST : Novelists STOREDATE : 00-00-2015
ALBUM : Souvenirs RIPDATE : 01-29-2016
YEAR : 2015 RUNTIME : 61:27 min
GENRE : Metal LANGUAGE : English
LABEL : Metalville Records GRABBER : EAC Secure
SOURCE : CDDA ENCODER : FLAC 1.2.1
QUALITY : 945 kbps Avg 44.1kHz 2 channels SIZE : 442.0MB
URL : http://tinyurl.com/zlm6zck TRACKS : 14 Files
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01 Inanimate 2:01
02 Earth Grazer 3:27
03 Gravity 4:52
04 Antares 4:44
05 Ouroboros 4:34
06 Black Lights 1:23
07 Voyager 4:32
08 Muchos Touche 2:38
09 Echoes 4:29
10 5:12 AM 4:16
11 The Lichtenberg Figure 5:33
12 Souvenirs 6:24
13 Twenty Years 5:18
14 Heartfelt 7:16
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61:27 min
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│ There's just something about progressive metal that makes it so │
│ interesting. Whether it's the groovy nature found in bands like │
│ TesseracT and Periphery, or the experimental fun that bands like │
│ Thank You Scientist like to implement, it's always intriguing to see │
│ what each band does with the genre. Novelists, a band from Paris, │
│ France, made an impact with a collection of demos last year, │
│ showcasing their capabilities of mixing crushing breakdowns with │
│ atmospheric touches without sounding forced. Now with Nuclear │
│ Blast-imprint Arising Empire, Novelists have released æSouvenirsÆ, │
│ an album equal parts crushing and haunting without sounding │
│ overdone. │
│ │
│ From the get-go, the listener is introduced to the sort of music │
│ Novelists want to play; heavy, chunky, head-banging, │
│ djent-influenced prog metal. But without sounding too clichΘd, │
│ Novelists do it differently. Their ability to create songs that go │
│ from bordering on full-blown djent, to quickly taking a breather and │
│ having an atmospheric passage, only to ramp the speed back up again │
│ is something of beauty and, well, fun. Antares is a good example of │
│ this, starting off with pace, only to slow down for a brief moment │
│ and hastily pick itself back up and give a satisfying conclusion. At │
│ times entire songs are devoid of the band's djent roots, opting for │
│ a more stripped-back approach. Take for example 5:12 A.M, featuring │
│ popular guitarist Plini and vocal cover artist Lotti Holz. The song │
│ benefits from both, with the guitar work being equal parts flashy │
│ and intricate, and weaving well into the song, particularly after │
│ LottiÆs noticeably soaring verse. │
│ │
│ It isn't all about the songs though. The instrumentals and vocalists │
│ deserve a good rap as well. The guitar work is both catchy and │
│ pleasing, never feeling forced or overdone, and provide a good │
│ amount of exciting solos. The use of breakdowns isn't exactly │
│ sparse, but they never feel out of place, fitting perfectly between │
│ verses and atmospheric breaks in songs such as Souvenirs. │
│ Additionally, the drums do what is needed of them and then some, │
│ adding that extra bit of flair and flashiness to top off the guitar │
│ work. Vocals, although not entirely unusual or special for the │
│ genre, still add a lot to the songs. Clean vocals soar and flow when │
│ needed, and harsh vocals have a perfect mix of ferocity and tone to │
│ give each song that little extra punch. Although at times the vocals │
│ feel drowned out in the mix, they still hold their own. │
│ │
│ Regardless of its place in the genre, Novelists have crafted a │
│ masterful debut LP, mixing crunch and atmosphere to near perfection, │
│ whilst maintaining the catchy qualities of both. The rise-fall │
│ nature of each song, along with complex guitar and drum work, and an │
│ impressive vocal performance help Novelists rise above the rest. │
│ Truth is, where the hell do they go from here. │
│ │
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