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░ ██ ██ Artist: Disheartened ██ ██
▓ █░░ ■█ Album: The End █■ ░░█
■ █▓▀ █ Year: 2016 █ ▀▓█ ░
█ ▓ Rel. Date: 2017-11-10 ▓ █
▒ ▒ Genre: Black Metal ▒ ▒
█▄ ░ Label: Snow Falls Forever ░ ▄█
░ █▄ ░ Source: CD EP ░ ▄█
░ █▓ Type: Album ▓█ ░
▓ █ Quality: VBR, 44.1kHz, Joint Stereo █ ░ ▓
▓ █ █ ░ ▓
▄ ■ ■ ▓ ■
░█ █░ ▀
█ But, but, but ... this band has only really just █
█ begun! Well I guess Disheartened really lived up █
█ to their name after all by releasing a demo and █
█ then an album called "The End". From what I can █
█ find about this band, it was based in Svobodnyy in █
█ the Russian Far East not far from the Chinese █
█ border, but that's about all. █
█ Basically this recording is wall-2-wall fuzzy █
█ instrumental depressive BM flow with post-metal █
█ sheen and black shoegaze prettiness, enlivened █
█ with nature-based field recordings and soft █
█ orchestral music backing. There are four tracks █
█ but in each the music is not all that distinct so █
█ listeners can choose to hear out the album as one █
█ over-arching work. It really does flow where it █
█ will with purpose and sharp-edged energy, though █
█ there are few peaks and troughs. █
█ Undoubtedly a niche audience exists for this kind █
█ of ambient black metal sonic wallpaper but I don't █
█ count myself among that crowd. In itself the music █
█ is not very remarkable and much of it sounds like █
█ one cliche after another. There's no attempt to █
█ take the music to its sonic extremes or to explore █
█ atmosphere or mood for its own sake. More █
█ unforgiving people than myself might even say that █
█ parts of the album sound like cut-ups of other █
█ music and nature recordings in which the only █
█ remarkable bit is that the joins don't show. █
█ The musicians are very competent and the standard █
█ of playing is consistently good - certainly █
█ there's plenty of fiddly guitar riffing, the █
█ percussion is varied and resonant grand piano █
█ makes quite a few entrances. The sound quality is █
█ good and the whole recording has a polished feel. █
█ But I'm sure I won't be the only disheartened █
█ listener who comes away thinking so much of this █
█ album sounds just like ... muzak. █
█ █
█ --- █
█ █
█ Not much is known about Disheartened apart from █
█ the fact that they come from Svobodny in Russia █
█ (Google maps might come in handy here). The band █
█ classifies their music as atmospheric black metal █
█ and to this date has released a demo and the EP in █
█ question which has been optimistically titled "The █
█ end". It is a fitting title in many ways since the █
█ members have decided to part ways right after its █
█ release. █
█ It all sounds very melodramatic and that is what █
█ one might expect from their music. If you are one █
█ of those people who seek a bit of melancholy and █
█ drama on a CD or Vinyl you are bound to give this █
█ a couple spins. The end is not an ingenious record █
█ to be honest it`s very corny and sounds a lot like █
█ what most of these new fangled atmospheric black █
█ metal bands come up with. The band is clearly not █
█ experienced when it comes to selecting an album █
█ intro because what they have included is most █
█ likely to put people off. I nearly turned it off █
█ after the first twenty seconds because it reminded █
█ me too much of Richard Marx (or any other wanker █
█ that made piano driven music back in the 1980s). I █
█ am clenched my fists, tightened my anus and kept █
█ on listening. I`m glad I did because what I heard █
█ after the atrocious intro was a melodic, well █
█ composed, nicely produced record that sounded as █
█ unique as the next atmospheric black metal record █
█ you`d come across. █
█ "The End" does not stand out in many ways but the █
█ compositions come together to create a dandy █
█ little soundscape which you are most likely to █
█ enjoy for about 27 minutes. Many of you will █
█ probably not have to struggle to keep up with the █
█ complexity of the music, the riffs are █
█ melodic,easy on the ear,soothing and also █
█ reminiscent of Blutklinge for some strange reason. █
█ The drumming is not brutal its mostly slow and mid █
█ paced with the occasional high speed burst which █
█ is possibly a result of Viagra kicking in. █
█ Excessive keyboard work can be noticed throughout █
█ the EP but it all blends in well (even though some █
█ parts sound extremely cheesy). Oh and there are no █
█ vocals, the band might not have been able to find █
█ a vocalist or decided to fire him/her because █
█ he/she was becoming a drama queen but either which █
█ way instrumentals like this seem to do the trick █
█ for the band. █
█ The music flows beautifully like a waterfall. I`ll █
█ let you decide whether that's good or bad. I █
█ personally think you should give it a listen, █
█ after all you don`t have much to lose since its a █
█ free release . Who knows you might end up using it █
█ as background music (Guilty as charged). █
█ Personally I was a little disheartened (no pun █
█ intended) to know that the band split up. A couple █
█ of more years together and more time in the studio █
█ would`ve helped them reach much greater heights. █
▓ ▓
▒ ▒
░ 1. Depressed 0:58 ░
░ 2. Through the Desolate Waves 10:14 ░
░ 3. Disheartened 9:36 ░
░ 4. The End 7:03 ░
░ 27:51 ░
░ ▒ ▒
▓ █ ░ ▓ ░
■ █▄ ░ ██
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