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░ ██ ██ Artist: Atten Ash ██ ██
▓ █░░ ■█ Album: The Hourglass █■ ░░█
■ █▓▀ █ Year: 2015 █ ▀▓█ ░
█ ▓ Rel. Date: 2016-12-17 ▓ █
▒ ▒ Genre: Death Metal ▒ ▒
█▄ ░ Label: Hypnotic Dirge Records ░ ▄█
░ █▄ ░ Source: CD ░ ▄█
░ █▓ Type: Album ▓█ ░
▓ █ Quality: VBR, 44.1kHz, Joint Stereo █ ░ ▓
▓ █ █ ░ ▓
▄ ■ ■ ▓ ■
░█ █░ ▀
█ It does not take genius to figure out that Atten █
█ Ash founder James Greene is a fan of Daylight █
█ Dies. He and the band hail from the same state █
█ (North Carolina), play a form of emotive, █
█ melancholy death/doom metal, and to top things █
█ off, he recruited current Daylight Dies guitarist █
█ Barre Gambling to play guitars and keyboards on █
█ the bandÆs debut album, The Hourglass. And while █
█ the line between rip off and homage is clearly █
█ blurry here, Atten Ashæs rendering of a pretty █
█ specific style and influence is so well done, you █
█ canÆt help admire the projectÆs dedication. █
█ Although this album was actually self released █
█ back in 2012, itÆs getting a nice re-release █
█ through the appropriately named Hypnotic Dirge █
█ Records, and immediately gives the small Canadian █
█ based label a real game changer that should put █
█ the label on the map. Not only because of the █
█ obvious Daylight Dies ties, but because The Hour █
█ Glass is a damn fine album that holds up █
█ essentially 3 years later. █
█ With Greene providing smooth clean croons along █
█ with the deep, harsh growls of Archie Hunt, and █
█ some subtle keyboards, the mood is appropriately █
█ despondent, while providing ample depth and █
█ doomy/death metal girth. The riffs ebb and flow █
█ with emotion while the Daylight Dies, distinctly █
█ Finnish strains (Rapture namely) and other █
█ noticeable Scandinavian influences (Katatonia, █
█ October Tide, etc) of somber lead guitars dance █
█ morosely over each moment, providing plenty of █
█ gorgeous, but saddening atmospherics. █
█ No track really leaps out or commands your █
█ attention, but rather the albumÆs 50 minute █
█ entirely reels you in with itÆs its finely crafted █
█ sense of mournful hues delivered with sullen █
█ crunches and gloomy leads. That being said, the █
█ likes of ôBornö and little more direct ôWaves of █
█ Siloamö or the more rending ôSee YouàNeverö ôNot █
█ as Others Wereö and lengthy, sullen closing title █
█ track all certainly showcase the trioÆs craft █
█ adeptly. Delicate acoustics and clean segues █
█ litter the materials cleaner moments (i.e ôSong █
█ for the Deadö, ôFirst Dayö) but they never █
█ overstay or drag on. █
█ Those waiting for For Daylight Dies , who █
█ certainly are not prolific, to release a follow up █
█ to 2012's A Frail Becoming, could do no worse than █
█ this release as itÆs a perfect ringer to keep █
█ their place warm, but gloomy. █
▓ ▓
▒ ▒
░ 1. City in the Sea 6:14 ░
░ 2. See Me... Never 6:26 ░
░ 3. Not as Others Were 4:46 ░
░ 4. Song for the Dead 7:03 ░
░ 5. Born 7:07 ░
░ 6. First Day 5:12 ░
░ 7. Waves of Siloam 5:21 ░
░ 8. The Hourglass 7:30 ░
░ 49:39 ░
░ ▒ ▒
▓ █ ░ ▓ ░
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