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░ ██ ██ Artist: Disphere ██ ██
▓ █░░ ■█ Album: Abscience █■ ░░█
■ █▓▀ █ Year: 2015 █ ▀▓█ ░
█ ▓ Rel. Date: 2016-07-17 ▓ █
▒ ▒ Genre: Death Metal ▒ ▒
█▄ ░ Label: Rude Awakening Records ░ ▄█
░ █▄ ░ Source: CD ░ ▄█
░ █▓ Type: Album ▓█ ░
▓ █ Quality: VBR, 44.1kHz, Joint Stereo █ ░ ▓
▓ █ █ ░ ▓
▄ ■ ■ ▓ ■
░█ █░ ▀
█ If you write a review of a reissue, does that make █
█ is a rereview? There are probably lots of good █
█ reasons that different albums which were issued █
█ once get issued again. Those reasons (or █
█ rereasons) are often commercial, although as more █
█ and more albums come out digitally, I would assume █
█ that is happening less, unless it is to issue the █
█ album in a new format. So perhaps just as often, █
█ the reasons for a reissue reside somewhere in the █
█ coiled personal or musical histories of the █
█ artists and the issuers themselves. I will hazard █
█ the guess (my first of two) that Rude Awakening █
█ Records recatalogue will take shape around that █
█ more artistic model, since Abscience first came █
█ out in 2007, and I know the internet existed in █
█ 2007 because I can remember how cool MySpace was. █
█ Also, this feels like a reissue with a purpose. █
█ When I first listened to it, I thought maybe the █
█ decision had somehow been influenced by Daniel █
█ LakeÆs review of the new Black Dahlia Murder album █
█ in the December issue of Decibel, where he writes █
█ ôàif all I wanted was background noise for █
█ sticking some prickly 50,000HP abominations with █
█ my Level 37 elemental spells, Abysmal might fit █
█ that bill.ö I think Lake wants Abysmal (which, █
█ although everything Lake says about it is true, █
█ really isnÆt that bad) to sound more like █
█ Abscience. Abscience is a totally committed death █
█ metal record that is totally distinguishable from █
█ other death metal records, and if you donÆt think █
█ that is a big deal, itÆs probably because youÆve █
█ never listened to more than one death metal █
█ record. Not only is Abscience easy to tell apart █
█ from other death metal records, every song on it █
█ sounds different, and yet never sounds like █
█ anything but death metal. For me, that alone makes █
█ it worth hearing. For you, it also might help to █
█ know that Disphere totally wail on this album. And █
█ they are groovy. And they are weird. And they are █
█ jazzy. And they are destroying. I need to check, █
█ but I believe that the entire album contains █
█ exactly one note on a piano (ôInbornö û 1:40), █
█ which for some reason just seems incredibly cool █
█ (all right, I checked, and it could be a cow bell █
█ or a tuning fork for all I know, but whatever it █
█ is, itÆs cool). █
█ After listening to Abscience, I wanted more, so I █
█ started searching me up some Disphere. I then █
█ began to wonder if this reissue is less of a █
█ message to Black Dahlia Murder, and more of a █
█ message to Disphere. █
█ Let me show you what I mean. You saw Avengers, █
█ right? Sure you did. And you liked it? Of course, █
█ everyone liked Avengers. And how about that █
█ orchestral score, huh? Got you pumped, didnÆt it? █
█ Yeah, am I right? Then you should consider █
█ something that Kristoff and I figured out last █
█ winter while we were drinking beer in our dadÆs █
█ kitchen. █
█ To clarify, this doesnÆt mean that you think Star █
█ Ship Troopers is a good movie. No one is saying █
█ that you do. Calm down. █
█ Does this mean that Disphere sold out and tried to █
█ turn themselves into the Italian Tool? No. It █
█ means they tried out being the Italian Tool █
█ because they think Tool sound awesome. I know that █
█ because their new album sounds nothing like Tool. █
█ Instead it just sounds like Rosetta, with about █
█ twice the post-metal and about half the ideas. And █
█ does that mean that Disphere suck? Again, no. It █
█ means they are trying out different stuff. █
█ Disphere are experimenting with sounds that they █
█ like and seeing what works and what doesnÆt. Most █
█ of the good bands around today donÆt do that ù █
█ they stay true to a style instead. But a lot of █
█ the legendary bands around today? They did exactly █
█ that. Paradise Lost and Tiamat didnÆt get to where █
█ they are by releasing the same album over and over █
█ again, and letÆs face it, the price of that was a █
█ few less-than-legendary albums along the way. █
█ So maybe reissuing Abscience isnÆt a gesture of █
█ resurrection or restoration or anything especially █
█ re. Perhaps it is rather a bit more pre. Like a █
█ premonition. Or maybe even a promise. Abscience █
█ was one step into something different. And if █
█ there is one thing that Disphere have proven with █
█ all of their subsequent records (none of which are █
█ terrible, by the way), it is that they are a group █
█ of musicians constitutionally incapable of █
█ releasing the same record twice. This is a good █
█ thing. And if this is a prereview, then sooner or █
█ later, Disphere are going to bust out with █
█ something unlike anything you have ever heard █
█ before. █
▓ ▓
▒ ▒
░ 1. Inborn 4:56 ░
░ 2. Hydro.Mental.Carnage. 4:18 ░
░ 3. Cold, Still Beating 4:12 ░
░ 4. To Walk the Earthquake 3:56 ░
░ 5. Infecting Skies With Mortality 5:10 ░
░ 6. Abscience 3:11 ░
░ 7. The Unholy Cult of Nothingness 4:06 ░
░ 8. Desert of Devourment 2:41 ░
░ 32:30 ░
░ ▒ ▒
▓ █ ░ ▓ ░
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