Friday, December 21, 2007 1 Engineers

Album: Sea Of Bones - The Harvest


Artist: Sea Of Bones
Album: The Harvest
Label: Self Released
Year: 2007




Tracklist
01.Chapter Four
02.
Chapter Five
03.
Chapter Six
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Sea Of Bones is a funeral doom band at heart; one that employs a very different aesthetic and sonic quality than most funeral doom bands, but still part of the style nonetheless. Imagine if one of those frequently lauded post-metal bands like Isis or Pelican played funeral doom; that's the sort of thing that Sea Of Bones does. So while the sound of the music here is perhaps slightly more accessible than the majority of funeral doom, this still has more in common with Tyranny than it does Red Sparowes.

Sea Of Bones plays a sludgy variety of funeral doom that reminds me of cult French artist Monarch. Of course, Sea Of Bones is a lot more kinetic than Monarch; they don't drone nearly as constantly and repetitively as that band, and the music feels less like drowning in a swamp than them. There's more variety here, probably virtue of the post-metal influence, and it is well employed throughout 'The Harvest'. The tracks on this album all feature sections of noisy yet subdued ambiance, crushing doom plodding, and bombastic climaxes of post-metal with about 300% more bass in the mix. To say that this is heavy is an understatement, and to say that this is very musical is quite an overstatement. The constant, ambient rumble of bass is a major focus, as most of the riffing is just composed of two repeated, alternating single notes or chords. It doesn't sound like much, but each is employed carefully and effectively, despite how cyclic everything is. Much of the variety also comes from the drumming, with the slight adjustment of fills and rhythms helping to move the music forward.

'The Harvest' is an album that is much more than the sum of its parts. The individual elements are rather stale; the droning guitar/bass rumble with winding leads, the hoarsely screamed vocals, the tribalistic drumming, etc. All the elements have been done before. But Sea Of Bones employs them in just an interesting and unique enough way to make the whole package seem different. Really, if the tempo of this was 40 BPM higher or the vocals were whispered growls, it would be much less interesting; the band teeters on the edge of conventionality without ever quite slipping in, and any change from the way the album is designed now would cause it to topple instantly. In that regard, it's one of the more carefully and precisely designed albums that I've heard; every note is very well placed and, more importantly, interestingly placed, despite how played out the base elements of the music are.

Most of the doom/drone/ambient scene will want to give this album a listen; it's a good example of how to put a solid spin on the old conventions of these styles and make something new and engaging. Moreover, it's pretty impressive that they've been able to make the post-metal/funeral doom combination something that's interesting to listen to, where Monarch becomes and endurance test and Pelican slips into rock territory too often nowadays. Worth a look due to how good these guys are at composition, and because it's just a good listen. -noktorn.wordpress.com

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Wednesday, December 12, 2007 8 Engineers

Album: Riding Panico - Self Titled



Artist: Riding Panico
Album: Self Titled
Label: Self Released
Year: 2007





Tracklist
01.I See Nineteen
02.Formula
03.Halibute Persona
04.Ferramenta
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Sometimes fate is like a small sandstorm that keeps changing direction.' The intricate arbitrariness of the city has brought together the lives of six persons who have committed themselves to defeat static and inertia through music. Riding Panico builds electric landscapes suffused with tragedy and laughter. Their universe is one of high musical density where melancholic textures, dissonant gestures and layers of guitar loops work together to blur the lines of their own identity. Their sound invites you to ride through this lush atmosphere of stillness and motion. The storm is you.


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5 Engineers

Band: Junius




Artist: Junius
Album: Junius
Label: Radar Recordings
Year: 2007




Tracklist
01.[Elan Vitale]
02.Hiding Knives
03.From The Isle Of The Blessed
04.[Elan Fatale]
05.Forcing Out The Silence
06.[The Annunciation]
07.Blood Is Bright
08.A Word Could Kill Her
09.In The Hearts Of Titans
10.At The Age Of Decay
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This is a package release includes both of their EPs (Forcing Out The Silence, Blood Is Bright)



Artist: Junius
Album: The Fires of Antediluvia 7" vinyl EP
Label: Radar Recordings
Year: 2007




Tracklist
01.The Fires Of Antediluvia
02.Centurion
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Junius are:
Joseph E. Martinez guitar, vocals
Mike Repasch-Nieves guitar
Dana Filloon drums
Joel Munguia Reynolds bass

Characterized by spacey walls of guitar, driving rhythms and haunting vocal hooks, Junius blurs the line between dark New Wave and brooding cinematic art rock to form a genre-defining Post-Wave aesthetic.

Press clippings:
"Genius as far as contemporary new wave/cinematic art-rock goes... [an] epic audio masterpiece..."
- The Big Takeover

“Breathtaking atmospherics and dark sensibilities deserved of being likened to the Cure’s Disintegration punctuate this EP. Vocalist Joseph E. Martinez deadpans a brooding style that clashes at the perfect angle with the swirling sounds that rise around his words. Without straying into anything too heavy, Junius manages to maintain an intense presence that is as stylish as Interpol but carries a sincerity and distinction not found in enough young acts. This band seems to have borrowed just enough from previous decades to build and shape something all its own. This Boston-based quartet approach new wave tendencies with a shield of spacey guitars and artistic vocal stylings to create something that is not soon forgotten. With high energy emanating out of a pensive sound, Junius puncture each track with unshakable singularity until it turns into something addictive and encompassing.”
- Exclaim! Magazine

“They wear their brooding eighties swirling darkness on their sleeve, yet still manage to conjure something fresh, majestic and uplifting. The vocal drips onto a textured canvas of chiming echoed guitars and a throbbing backbeat reminiscent of Pornography-era Cure, with the bombastic crunch of My Bloody Valentine.” - The Noise

"Take the darkness of The Cure's best and mix it with the heaviness of A Perfect Circle and moodiness of Placebo... This fell into my lap at the right time."
- Razorcake

"A dark and brooding new wave vibe... with an airy, atmospheric feel to it, reminiscent of spacey, metal-tinged acts like Hum and Cave In... sounding at times like one of Devo's more aggressive offspring. An intriguing blend of influences both new and old."
- Performer Magazine

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Tuesday, December 11, 2007 2 Engineers

Album: Generation Of Vipers - Dead Circle



Artist: Generation Of Vipers
Album: Dead Circle
Label: Self Released
Year: 2007





Tracklist
01.A Beacon In The Fog
02.Blood In The Belly
03.Surfacing
04.Yearning
05.Black On Gold
Download

Generation of Vipers formed as a complete unit in September of 2004 and began performing their music in a live setting in the early months of 2005. They composed and constructed an audio recording of their music in July of 2005 titled "Grace" that was then released in February 2006 on their own Red Witch Recordings. Generation of Vipers have released a new full length record titled "Dead Circle" on October 23, 2007 on their own Red Witch Recordings imprint. Any interested parties that would like to assist in distributing the afformentioned recording, please feel free to contact them.

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Sunday, December 02, 2007 2 Engineers

Album: The Ghost Dance Movement - Commonwealth Tracks (EP)



Artist: The Ghost Dance Movement
Album: Commonwealth Tracks
Label: Self Released
Year: 2007




Tracklist
01.An Introduction To The Study of T(w)ogetherness
02.Something Hypnotic In The Kennedy Funeral Procession
03.If She Is Jacques Cousteau, I'm The Ocean
04.Redshift (What Is The Color Of The Void)
Download

The Ghost Dance refers to a type of messianic movement (1870-1878) that arose among the Indians of the western Great Basin and later (1898-1895) spread to the Plains. It expressed a desperate longing for the restoration of the past. A return to a life free of hunger, epidemic disease and the bitter warring and divisiveness that accompanied the Indians' subjugation by whites.

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1 Engineers

Album: Long Distance Calling - Satellite Bay



Artist: Long Distance Calling
Album: Satellite Bay
Label: Viva Hate Records
Year: 2007






Tracklist
01.Jungfernflug
02.Fire In The Mountain
03.Aurora
04.Horizon
05.The Very Last Day
06.Built Without Hands (feat.Peter Dolving from The Haunted)
07.Swallow The Water
Download

Nearly a year after releasing their first demo, the German post-rock ensemble Long Distance Calling has returned to the scene with a fiery debut that more than exceeds expectations. Experimental as well as accessible, Satellite Bay shows the band taking a more sophisticated approach to their songwriting, elaborating upon their unique blend of progressive rock, ambient instrumentals and hard-edged metal. The album features five brand new songs plus two completely redone tracks from last year’s demo, providing a near-60-minute epic journey through some of the best modern instrumental rock music this year has seen.

Having progressed beyond the somewhat undeveloped and inconsistent nature of their demo material, Satellite Bay shows the band delivering their sounds in a way that is as cohesive as it is diverse. This time around, Long Distance Calling seem to have successfully combined their various influences into one solid identity, seamlessly blending layered instrumental movements with their own special dash of edgy rock-based riffs. Typical “post-rock” techniques are quite dominant but delivered with skillful precision—interwoven guitar melodies, bold percussion and soft-to-loud transitions are all implemented in familiar but engaging ways. The real key to this album’s success though comes from tracks such as “Horizon,” which definitely stick out a bit from the rest with a groovier attitude and up-beat pace, giving the album just enough variation to keep things interesting without throwing off the flow.

In sum, what we can see on Satellite Bay is a band that has harnessed its artistic vision and found the perfect balance between experimentation and discipline, making for an exciting and engaging listen from start to finish. That said, one could also say that a lot of the stuff on this release has been done many times before, and perhaps for some of the genre's enthusiasts that might be enough to make this album less than amazing. Nevertheless, an album doesn't necessarily have to be completely ground-breaking to be good—it is the sheer quality and integrity of their music which makes Long Distance Calling so entertaining.

Those seeking a wholesome serving of some of the newest instrumental rock to hit the scene should definitely check out this release. Fans of groups such as ISIS, Tides, and Caspian will likely find Satellite Bay to be a refreshing and enjoyable addition to their rotation. -sonicfrontiers.net

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