Tag slow

A Swarm of the Sun – The Woods

Peter Jones Leave a comment

You know, some days are just lousy. They are. I don’t care how positive you feel, or how positive you try to be, some days just suck. It’s like life just wants you to know your place.

And that’s okay. Really, it is. Life shouldn’t be perfect all the time. It can’t be, if we are being honest with ourselves. There is a certain futility to what we do, at least it feels that way at times. I wouldn’t call it a hopelessness, that seems a bit melodramatic. But there exists a certain… something, a something that calls to a part of us we often hide, we often don’t want seen because it is a sign of weakness. A certain vulnerability that we might wish wasn’t there.

But A Swarm of the Sun wants us to remember that vulnerability. They want us to recognize that some days life gets the better of us. The Woods is the soundtrack for those days.

One could argue that simply calling The Woods a post-metal album is a bit reductive, but there is no question they are firmly in the post world. Comprised of only three tracks, the album still comes in at 39 minutes, with each track really reaching close to or above that 13 minute mark. These Swedes aren’t afraid to let things build. First track “Blackout” takes a full 8 1/2 minute before you might even think to call this a rock or metal record. This is all about the atmosphere, and I love that they let that be the driving force here. No words, just music. Beautiful, dark, contemplative music. Piano and strings really fill out the first 2/3 of the song, with the tension building throughout that time.

It is an excellent journey that reaches for that vulnerable part in all of us. With layers and textures, A Swarm of the Sun is able to tap into something deep within and convey a small portion of the human existence that we all now.

Follow up tracks “The Woods” and “And Heir to the Throne” continue the theme. We finally get some vocals on the second track. They are restrained, almost plaintive in nature. These aren’t vocals that blow your socks off, but they work perfectly for the music and the atmosphere that is being created. They display this same vulnerability that the album taps into. Minimal instrumentation accompanies the vocals and, again, the song builds so slowly it is almost painful at times.

But that restraint is what makes this such a compelling album. Yes, it takes some effort to get into. No, these aren’t songs that are going to get stuck in your head and have one humming them throughout the day. Yet, they are absolutely songs that will create feelings and emotions that will haunt the listener, long after the 39 minutes are over.

And, for me, sometimes that is the kind of music I love the most: music that reaches deep within to create an experience far greater than a catchy, 2 1/2 minute melody we are so used to. This isn’t feel good music, but it also isn’t oppressive. It’s just honest music that engages the listener and walks us through some of the darker parts of life. And that’s okay. We need to process that darkness some days. The Woods is a perfect soundtrack for those days, and a triumphant example of how powerful post-metal and its contrasting dynamics can be.

https://youtu.be/x1O0mftMePU

Bell Witch – Mirror Reaper

Peter Jones Leave a comment

Doom metal. It is epic, often majestic, heavy in the ponderous sense of the word It tends to be on the slower side, often with powerful, soaring vocals. Birthed in the roots of Black Sabbath, and honed to a real edge with the release of Candlemass’ essential Epica Doomica Metalicus, it is one of my very favorite sub-genres of metal.

And then there is funeral doom.

Funeral doom is a different beast all together. True, it is still rooted in doom metal, and shares many of the same hallmarks. It also borrows from doom/death. It then fuses these elements into one of the most punishing, extreme, esoteric, and inaccessible styles of music out there.

Take Mirror Reaper by Bell Witch. First off, look at that artwork. No, really. Look at it. It is beautiful. But it is also haunting, menacing, and creepy as hell. Then look at the song list. It consists of “Mirror Reaper”, and… well, that’s it. Yes, the album Mirror Reaper has a single song, the track titled “Mirror Reaper”. And then look at the run time for the album. It is 83 minutes and 15 seconds.

Add that all up and, in my experience, there are basically two reactions. On the one hand, I have seen almost revulsion, and instant reaction of “no way!” It is too much, too long, too ponderous. I get that. But on the other hand, it can also lead to fascination.

That’s what happened to me. I wasn’t familiar with the band prior to the 2017 release of Mirror Reaper, but I was instantly intrigued and decided I had to know more. Context is often king, and in this case that holds very true. Bell Witch is a 2 person band, just bass, drums, and vocals. And after the 2015 release of Four Phantoms, the drummer Adrian Guerra, passed away. The band carried on, with Jesse Shreibman joining bassist Dylan Desmond to continue the band. Mirror Reaper acts as a tribute to their lost brother, and that sense of loss permeates every minute of this epic.

The music is very stripped down. It is ponderously slow, with haunting clean vocals, and low, guttural growls that shake the roots of the earth. The drums plod, slowly building over the course of the song. Often the music builds, slowly, only to be stripped back down to a single, sustained note. The bass alternates between clean and clear, to heavily distorted and grinding.

Yet Bell Witch expertly prevents the music from every becoming too, well, too anything. It could be slower, but it doesn’t. It could get much, much heavier, but it restrains. Just when you think it is going to be too much of the same thing, and become boring, it will switch it up just enough to keep it interesting. For me, that is really what makes this such a fascinating album. It is too much, really, I recognize it is. But it balances all of its excess with such a level of care, concern, and skill that it is a haunting work I find myself drawn back to time and again.

https://youtu.be/10q1ZJyLXFk

Mammoth Storm – Alruna

Peter Jones Leave a comment

Heavy. What does it mean when discussing music? It is a nebulous term at best. For some, it is hyper-fast, aggressive, with harsh vocals. For others, it is down-tuned 8 string guitars with sick breakdowns. Yet others may think of slow, ponderous tunes.

And you know what? They are all right.

That’s part of what is fun about heavy music. There is a type of “heavy” for almost every mood. Some days, I’m looking for “Underneath the Waves” but Strapping Young Lad. Other days it’s “Rational Gaze” by Meshuggah. But when I really want heavy-as-a-two-ton-heavy-thing, can’t breathe it’s so heavy, being suffocated at the floor of the ocean, I turn to Mammoth Storm.

I became familiar with Mammoth Storm in 2015 with the release of their first full-length, Fornjot. And, finally, this year, they followed up with their second release, Alruna. And both are mammoth (pun intended) slabs of doom. Alruna is replete with low, chugging guitars, with a powerful rumble in the rhythm section. Vocals are clean, but with a raspy quality. And this stuff is slow.

Now, not quite funeral doom slow. I mean, we’re talking about more than 2-4 bpm here. But, unlike some doom metal (some Candlemass songs, some Khemmis tunes, to name a few), Mammoth Storm doesn’t ever speed things up. And the effect is profound. This is the soundtrack for the bottom of the ocean. This is the music of gravity slowly increasing, pulling you with more and more force to the ground. This is crushing music. But the slow crush of gradually being pressed to death, not the sudden crush of something along the lines of Misery Index.

And the guitar tone! I could go on and on about the guitar tone. It is full, rich, with a distortion that just screams “DOOM”. It builds the atmosphere of each song. At times, pulled back, other times, full throated and burly. This is the sound of guitars that know that music has power, that it can move people. This is the sound of guitars that know music can change the world. I don’t know exactly how they get this tone, but it is marvelous and I find myself wanting more.

Alruna is a great album. The songs are lengthy, given room to grow and build, without ever overstaying their welcome. The production fits the music excellently. It is clear enough to hear what is happening, but has just a little layer of grit over the top that helps with the sense of heaviness. I still prefer Fornjot over Alruna, but more Mammoth Storm is always a good thing, and I’ll gladly take what I can get.