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░ ██ ██ Artist: The Slow Death ██ ██
▓ █░░ ■█ Album: Ark █■ ░░█
■ █▓▀ █ Year: 2015 █ ▀▓█ ░
█ ▓ Rel. Date: 2016-02-28 ▓ █
▒ ▒ Genre: Metal ▒ ▒
█▄ ░ Label: Chaos Records ░ ▄█
░ █▄ ░ Source: CD ░ ▄█
░ █▓ Type: Album ▓█ ░
▓ █ Quality: VBR, 44.1kHz, Joint Stereo █ ░ ▓
▓ █ █ ░ ▓
▄ ■ ■ ▓ ■
░█ █░ ▀
█ Sometimes you find a band that you weren't exactly █
█ looking for, but you listen to them regardless. █
█ Sometimes it's pretty weak and you wonder why you █
█ even gave the band a shot, but in other cases the █
█ band prove themselves worthy of your interest and █
█ you find that you really enjoy their stuff. The █
█ latter is the category that Australia's The Slow █
█ Death fall into, as they provide an interesting █
█ take on the classic doom/death style. █
█ Normally doom/death is fairly slow, but The Slow █
█ Death take it to a whole new level here. They set █
█ off at a speed that seems to come from funeral █
█ doom, and really they never stretch far past that. █
█ Ark makes even bands like Alunah who play stoner █
█ metal sound like they're going along at a fairly █
█ rapid rate of naughts. And normally that's a █
█ complete turn off for me, as long, slow songs tend █
█ to simply float over my head and into the █
█ distance, never to be seen again. The Slow Death █
█ though are a band that don't need flashy, █
█ high-speed leads or over-the-top synths, and they █
█ can retain my attention with their very subtle and █
█ understated melodies that come courtesy of Mandy █
█ Andresen and Stuart Prickett's keyboard work in █
█ the background. If you were to simply let the █
█ music run you'd probably point to the lead guitar █
█ when crediting the driving instrument of the band, █
█ but despite some very beautiful melodies coming █
█ from the guitar it is the keyboard that really █
█ brings the music to life. █
█ Let's talk about the vocalists. In typical █
█ doom/death fashion the vocals are split between a █
█ woman who sings and a man who growls. There seems █
█ to be a very slight distortion on both of their █
█ voices, and I guess that the rest of the band are █
█ subject to this too. It's subtle, but you'll █
█ notice that neither really sound entirely human. █
█ It's akin to the band Anonymous Era, where there's █
█ something just off. It's particularly noticeable █
█ in the growls, performed by the (sadly) late Gregg █
█ Williamson. The cleans are more haunting and █
█ spellbinding, but both vocalists combine well █
█ together and help to drive the music forward. They █
█ both add to the atmosphere well, and I don't know █
█ exactly how the band will perform with their new █
█ vocalist Gamaliel. What is certain is that he's █
█ got big shoes to fill. █
█ The one thing I will say is that although Ark is a █
█ very powerful album and I don't get tired of █
█ listening to it even though it goes on for █
█ seventy-five minutes, I would have liked it if The █
█ Slow Death had perhaps cut some time out of the █
█ last two tracks, which last a combined time of █
█ thirty-five and a half minutes. With that time █
█ they could have written another song and made the █
█ other two more accessible at the same time, as to █
█ me any song that is eighteen minutes long is █
█ perhaps slightly too long. Don't get me wrong █
█ because despite the lengths these songs are █
█ fantastic and captivating, but it's much easier to █
█ listen to a song that lasts five minutes than █
█ fifteen plus. █
█ That is, I would say, the only flaw on a superb █
█ record. Any fans of death/doom should give this a █
█ shot, as it's very emotionally powerful and █
█ remains captivating throughout. The band say that █
█ their next release should be out early this year, █
█ and I'm looking forward to hearing what new they █
█ have to offer. █
▓ ▓
▒ ▒
░ 1. The Chosen Ones 11:19 ░
░ 2. Severance 11:09 ░
░ 3. Perpetuate 14:20 ░
░ 4. Ark 2:34 ░
░ 5. Declamation 18:45 ░
░ 6. Adrift 16:47 ░
░ 74:54 ░
░ ▒ ▒
▓ █ ░ ▓ ░
■ █▄ ░ ██
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