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░ ██ ██ Artist: 0N0 ██ ██
▓ █░░ ■█ Album: Reconstruction and Synthesis █■ ░░█
■ █▓▀ █ Year: 2016 █ ▀▓█ ░
█ ▓ Rel. Date: 2018-01-07 ▓ █
▒ ▒ Genre: Death Metal ▒ ▒
█▄ ░ Label: The House of What You See ░ ▄█
░ █▄ ░ Source: CD ░ ▄█
░ █▓ Type: Album ▓█ ░
▓ █ Quality: VBR, 44.1kHz, Joint Stereo █ ░ ▓
▓ █ █ ░ ▓
▄ ■ ■ ▓ ■
░█ █░ ▀
█ The Slovak metal scene seems to be on the rise █
█ lately, giving birth to several bands that have █
█ started making a serious effort to come up with a █
█ unique sound. 0N0 definitely counts among these █
█ bands. Theirs is a brand of extreme doom metal █
█ that sounds anything but true to the genreÆs █
█ tested formulas, opting to use a host of █
█ progressive influences rather than staying in the █
█ doom realm. █
█ An apparent building block for the band is the █
█ tempo, based on the typical doom metal dirges that █
█ are then chopped up into more complex rhythms, not █
█ that far off from something Tool or Meshuggah █
█ would do. The former also seems an especially █
█ strong influence on the way the drums are █
█ programmed - no standard, dry beats are to be █
█ found here, instead, we get plenty of percussions █
█ and cymbals to flesh out the complicated beats. █
█ You can see that someone paid a lot of attention █
█ to detail when writing and arranging these █
█ patterns. Upon the rhythms, there is a definite █
█ metal torso to 0N0, as the sprawling riffs █
█ hypnotize the listener into an intense feeling of █
█ unease. █
█ Tempo-wise, it would seem that 0N0 hate to settle █
█ only for the slow sections in their music. For █
█ instance, ôLucid Transmutationö has this sudden █
█ speed-up around 4 minutes in, where they employ a █
█ blast beat with some very intense dissonant riffs █
█ (that later come in for a solo Fredrik Thordendal █
█ would be proud of). These bursts of intensity can █
█ also be found in the opening track, vaguely █
█ resembling the style of Deathspell Omega and, to a █
█ lesser extent, Inverloch. 0N0, however, are much █
█ more stylistically loose than these bands. Intense █
█ sections like this keep the listener on his/her █
█ toes and add a very welcome sense of progression █
█ when they are present. █
█ Another important layer to 0N0Æs music are the █
█ noise/industrial (and occasionally ambient) █
█ sounds. Together with the vocals, they envelop the █
█ music and, oddly enough, seem to lessen the █
█ crushing atmosphere somewhat. This is a blessing █
█ and a curse at the same time. While they █
█ definitely add to the otherworldly atmosphere of █
█ the album, the fact that the industrial passages █
█ have so much space stands in a slight conflict █
█ with the metal elements. They do come together in █
█ my favorite track, ôAt Sixes And Sevensö, where █
█ the impact of the developing, creepy main melody █
█ is expanded by some car siren samples. █
█ I mentioned that the drums have been polished to █
█ the fullest, and the same can be said about the █
█ vocals. They are mostly harsh in the form of █
█ fairly typical death growls and some very █
█ insane-sounding rasps. 0N0 donÆt refrain from █
█ cleans, either, albeit modified by strong vocal █
█ effects - the cleans on the more ambient tracks by █
█ Fear Factory being the closest comparison I can █
█ think of. Again, this varied approach serves the █
█ record well as it never gets boring. █
█ That being said, I do have a feeling that 0N0 are █
█ more about the experimental soundscapes than their █
█ own take on doom metal. This tendency is reflected █
█ in the hazy production - the heavier parts could █
█ have had the volume and power to grind you into █
█ paste, but fall short. Also, the two 10+ minute █
█ songs seem slightly lacking in terms of █
█ progression. On the title track, they develop █
█ probably the catchiest riff pattern for around 9 █
█ minutesà before abandoning it completely, and the █
█ song doesnÆt really get going again. Same thing █
█ applies for ôLucid Transmutationö - the final █
█ minutes arenÆt much more than an ambient outro █
█ without much gradation. █
█ ôReconstruction and Synthesisö has a lot of very █
█ likeable elements and is definitely worth your █
█ time. Sometimes, the band does tend to focus on █
█ their experiments rather the metal elements (or █
█ the whole picture in general). Tightening a few █
█ screws in the songwriting machine could also help, █
█ but as a whole, this is a highly enjoyable, █
█ artistic record. It may not be the most pleasant █
█ listening experience due to its extreme character, █
█ but rather than crushing, it comes across as oddly █
█ sinister. Perhaps an acquired taste for extreme █
█ metal fans, but still a recommended album. █
▓ ▓
▒ ▒
░ 1. A Farewell to Conscious Shores 7:54 ░
░ 2. Reconstruction and Synthesis 12:23 ░
░ 3. Desolatry 6:41 ░
░ 4. At Sixes and Sevens 5:50 ░
░ 5. Lucid Transmutation 10:02 ░
░ 6. Reformation/Absorption 6:05 ░
░ 48:55 ░
░ ▒ ▒
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