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░ ██ ██ Artist: Dead Summer Society ██ ██
▓ █░░ ■█ Album: Visions from a Thousand Lives █■ ░░█
■ █▓▀ █ Year: 2012 █ ▀▓█ ░
█ ▓ Rel. Date: 2017-10-08 ▓ █
▒ ▒ Genre: Metal ▒ ▒
█▄ ░ Label: self-released ░ ▄█
░ █▄ ░ Source: CD ░ ▄█
░ █▓ Type: Album ▓█ ░
▓ █ Quality: VBR, 44.1kHz, Joint Stereo █ ░ ▓
▓ █ █ ░ ▓
▄ ■ ■ ▓ ■
░█ █░ ▀
█ Dead Summer Society is a gothic/doom metal project █
█ from Italy. The man behind the music is How like a █
█ winterÆs guitarist Mist who performs all of the █
█ instruments on the debut full length, Visions From █
█ a Thousand Lives. The album is a follow up to the █
█ instrumental demo Heart of the autumnsphere which █
█ was released in 2010. Musically Visions From a █
█ Thousand Lives is a gothic/doom album with dark, █
█ atmospheric elements. It would appeal to fans of █
█ My Dying Bride, Katatonia, Tiamat and Lacrimas █
█ Profundere. In the press kit Dead Summer SocietyÆs █
█ music is described as ôa multiform soundscape █
█ permeated with dark atmospheres and experimental █
█ sounds. A mutable kaleidoscope, a new kind of █
█ colours to paint your vision of life.ö IÆd have to █
█ say that is a pretty accurate statement. █
█ As I mentioned, Mist performs all of the █
█ instruments on the album but gets help in the █
█ vocal department from a couple of contributing █
█ vocalists. The album makes use of several vocal █
█ styles including growls, spoken word, whispers and █
█ clean singing. The male vocals are performed by █
█ Trismegisto (Cult of Vampirysm, Teeth and Thorns). █
█ The growls are mid-range and have a harsh, echoey █
█ sound to them. They remind me a bit of Vorph from █
█ Samael or Anthony Kwan of the Australian █
█ gothic/doom band Elegeion. They fit the music very █
█ well and I found they had a slightly pained and █
█ anguished feel to them. He also does some clean █
█ singing and spoken word/whispers which remind me █
█ slightly of Lacrimas Profundere. I like the use of █
█ the layered vocals which were usually found during █
█ the chorus of a song. It added to the overall █
█ impact of the emotion and feeling. █
█ The female vocals come in two forms. An eerie █
█ spoken word and some nice clean singing each █
█ performed by different people. I found both styles █
█ to be good but not great. There were times when █
█ they sounded great and other times when they █
█ sounded forced or slightly out of place. Maybe █
█ itÆs because they seemed to be a bit louder in the █
█ mix than the male vocals. The spoken word had an █
█ empty, cavernous feel to them. They border on █
█ cheesy and interesting. I didnÆt like them at all █
█ the first few times I heard them but the more I █
█ listened to the album, for whatever reason, the █
█ more captivating I found them. █
█ The real strength of the album is the guitar work. █
█ Mist utilizes both heavy and clean guitars, █
█ sometimes even at the same time. The heavy guitars █
█ have a slightly cold, crisp tone to them which █
█ offers some decent heaviness. When theyÆre not █
█ playing power chords they sometimes appear as more █
█ of a melodic death style playing melodies and █
█ harmonies with the lead. They are usually heavy █
█ and catchy and I find myself nodding my head to █
█ the rhythm more often than not. The clean guitars █
█ have a warmer feeling to them. Every note is █
█ crystal clear and Mist makes the most of the clean █
█ guitars with soft, sorrowful melodies. There are █
█ times when the guitars are layered all playing █
█ basic melodies that when combined together sound █
█ quite nice. █
█ The bass is pretty unnoticeable and almost always █
█ follows the rhythm guitars. It has a low end to it █
█ so it tends to blend into the mix. The drums are █
█ programmed which is too bad. They do lack any kind █
█ of human feel to them but they are programmed well █
█ and offer variation and interest. ThereÆs nothing █
█ worse than hearing programmed drums that just █
█ repeat themselves over and over again but Dead █
█ Summer Society avoids that problem. Overall they █
█ add to the music but in a couple of places they █
█ really stand out as being programmed. An example █
█ of this is the blast beat found at the end of the █
█ third track ôShadow I Bearô. I would love to hear █
█ this album with real drums because I think it █
█ would have given it that extra edge and would have █
█ drastically improved the atmosphere and feeling of █
█ the music. █
█ Another real strength of the album is the █
█ keyboards and dark ambient elements. The █
█ piano/keyboard melodies are very memorable and █
█ beautiful. They donÆt do anything overly █
█ extravagant but itÆs the basic nature of them that █
█ really makes them work. All of my favourite songs █
█ on the album make good use of the piano and █
█ keyboards. The other keyboard elements such as █
█ halo type sounds help to forge a darker █
█ atmosphere. They are used well and compliment the █
█ music rather than take it over. █
█ There are many highlights on the album but a few █
█ that really stand out for me include ôI Met You in █
█ Heaven and Hellô, ôDown on Youô, ôThe KingÆs █
█ Aloneö and ôThe Wayô. ôI Met You in Heaven and █
█ Hellö has some great layered vocals on the chorus. █
█ The simple piano melody to start the song leads █
█ well into a heavier mix with spoken word and █
█ double kicking. ôDown on Youö begins with a █
█ beautiful piano melody which is sorrowful and █
█ enduring. It also does some interesting things █
█ with the vocals, mixing male and female vocals █
█ together. I also like the deeper growl which isnÆt █
█ used a lot throughout the album. Mid way through █
█ there is a soft, melodious interlude which is █
█ quite nice. ôThe KingÆs Aloneö is song from the █
█ pages of My Dying Bride but with a Dead Summer █
█ Society twist. ItÆs the longest song on the album █
█ at over 9 minutes but itÆs kept interesting with █
█ interludes and ambient passages. ôThe Wayö is a █
█ little different than the other tracks on the █
█ album. ItÆs basically an atmospheric, █
█ electronic/ambient driven song with some spoken █
█ word and clean guitars. ThereÆs just something in █
█ the sweet melodies which creates a dream-like █
█ atmosphere and the clean guitar is a nice touch. █
█ Overall Vision From a Thousand Lives is a pretty █
█ creative endeavour. Gothic/doom is a very crowded █
█ genre, like most, and there is a very fine line █
█ between cheese and quality. Dead Summer Society █
█ walks that border but manages to balance █
█ everything just well enough. Mist is not afraid to █
█ try new and interesting things which really gives █
█ Dead Summer Society itÆs own sound. ItÆs █
█ refreshing to see with so many bands choosing to █
█ play it safe. Every song on the album offers itÆs █
█ own unique experience and highlights different █
█ aspects of the music and atmosphere. It keeps █
█ everything interesting and I found myself looking █
█ forward to each new song wondering where it was █
█ going to take me. Dead Summer Society is an █
█ interesting band and I think that if they can █
█ incorporate real drums and refine the sound of the █
█ female vocals they will go on to do some great █
█ things. █
▓ ▓
▒ ▒
░ 1. Explicit 2:27 ░
░ 2. I Met You in Heaven and Hell 3:43 ░
░ 3. Shadow I Bear 6:02 ░
░ 4. The King's Alone 9:37 ░
░ 5. Down on You 5:01 ░
░ 6. Her White Body from the Coldest Winter 8:15 ░
░ 7. Last Winter I Died 1:22 ░
░ 8. The Way 2:36 ░
░ 9. Within Your Scars 5:09 ░
░ 10. Unreal 4:53 ░
░ 11. I Fade 5:51 ░
░ 12. Army of Winter (March of the Thousand 5:39 ░
░ Voices) ░
░ 60:35 ░
░ ▒ ▒
▓ █ ░ ▓ ░
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