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|| Artist......: Yob ||
|| Album.......: Catharsis ||
|| Year........: 2003 ||
|| ||
|| Genre.......: Metal ||
|| Label.......: Abstract USA ||
|| ||
|| Source......: WEB (16bit) ||
|| Encoder.....: libFLAC ||
|| Bitrate.....: 914 kbps avg. ||
|| F.Rate......: 44.1kHz ||
|| ||
|| Playtime....: 00:49:06 / 334.05MB ||
|| R.Date......: 2024-09-07 ||
|| S.Date......: 2003-11-04 ||
|| Website.....: http://deezer.com/album/11871050 ||
|| ||
|| ||
|| 01. Aeons 17:59 ||
|| 02. Ether 7:18 ||
|| 03. Catharsis 23:49 ||
|| ||
|| ||
|| An artist most directly responsible for the modern doom boom, ||
|| an artist whose development from album to album was as gradual ||
|| and laboured as the music itself, and an artist that was slow ||
|| to gain a following. Prolific and retrospectively celebrated at ||
|| the turn of the century. But lack of recognition took its toll, ||
|| with Yob breaking up in 2006 only to reform in 2009. But their ||
|| early efforts were rewarded. And they are now acknowledged as ||
|| trailblazers of post 2000 doom metal. Yob pursued a lighter, ||
|| more spiritual calling, informed by Neurosis new-age twaddle. ||
|| ||
|| YobÆs approach to stoner metal is one of collaboration with the ||
|| listener. YobÆs first offering æElaborations of CarbonÆ (2002) ||
|| was a charmingly odd take on the groovy stoner doom. Mike ||
|| ScheidtÆs weird falsetto vocals that he intersperses with a ||
|| death metal growl make for an uncomfortable combination at ||
|| times. And the snare sound is bizarrely tinny, as if it was ||
|| more suited for punk music than anything below the 80 bpm mark. ||
|| æCatharsisÆ (2003), their difficult second album, works with ||
|| many of the same idiosyncratic limitations. But it turned out ||
|| to be a masterpiece of trippy stoner doom that has quite ||
|| frankly never been bettered, and YobÆs subsequent releases have ||
|| really been variations on the ideas found herein, in a noble ||
|| yet ultimately futile attempt to surpass it. ||
|| ||
|| So what is it about æCatharsisÆ that makes it so damn good? The ||
|| answer lies in the structure. This is stoner doomÆs answer to ||
|| BurzumÆs æHvis Lyset Tar OssÆ. Rather than pandering to easy ||
|| wins through Sabbath aping, the album is patiently built around ||
|| a rigid structure that utilises the basic building blocks of ||
|| stoner doom to a more ambitious purpose than is typical of the ||
|| subgenre. Opener æAeonsÆ begins by introducing themes through ||
|| repeated riffs and shifting dynamics. It builds slowly with ||
|| drum and bass grooves and gradual layering of ever thicker ||
|| guitars. The piece runs through the same cycle a few times, ||
|| with each reiteration introducing a new layer of music, and ||
|| with each reiteration we uncover something more within the ||
|| layer-cake. ||
|| ||
|| Then things take a turn for the more upbeat with æEtherÆ, which ||
|| sees the album elaborate on the more dramatic elements of ||
|| æAeonsÆ. The finale and title track brings all this together ||
|| with epic builds and crashes, until ending in chaos. Each ||
|| segment of the album references another, each section is placed ||
|| where it is for a reason. Metal has always been a champion of ||
|| long-form composition through the LP, but æCatharsisÆ is one of ||
|| those albums that takes this to another level. It transcends ||
|| the musical components it is made up of to reach for something ||
|| beyond. Each riff, rhythm, bassline and vocal technique will be ||
|| familiar, we know it belongs within the stoner doom style, but ||
|| they are all melted into a modern symphony of sorts. A reminder ||
|| that one need not be bound by the limitations of genre to ||
|| create something truly profound. ||
|| ||
|| I have praised both this album greatly because it pretty much ||
|| deserves it. It is a reminder of what the limited style of ||
|| stoner doom can be capable of. Praise where praise is due, ||
|| stoner doom rarely gets good, let alone this good. ||
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