By John Bedard
There is a scene in episode ten of season three of Doctor Who where, while exploring an old abandoned house, one of the characters says that she loves old things “because they make her feel sad”; when asked why this is a good thing she says that sad is happy for deep people. While being an admittedly cheesy line, it does sum up what I think about this album rather well. This is not some easy listening that you will put on in the background while you wash the dishes. This is an album you sit down by a fire with a glass of wine and give it your undivided attention. The real question is, however, is it worth the investment?
The vocals flow through quite a wide range of styles throughout the album. Ranging from a dark and angry growl to and even darker distorted sound similar to what is expected from black metal. On the other side of the spectrum however, there are also very clean soft vocals that carry a strong emotion of love and loss. All of these styles come together wonderfully to take the listener on an emotional journey of passion, sorrow, love, anger, hate, and disrepair. I honestly don’t think anything could be improved with the execution of the vocals. Absolutely brilliant.
The brilliance does not stop at the vocals however, the music is amazing as well. The heavy use of a soft violin really sells the sad Gothic style they were going for. Combine this with the dark gritty guitar tone and you have the perfect vehicle to deliver the dark emotional journey that has been set up so perfectly for the listener. Sometimes, I feel like musicians will over complicate their music simply because they have the skill and they can. This can take away from the final product as it can become less than genuine. At no point did I feel like there was complexity for just for the sake of complexity. That is not to say that it is not incredibly skillful work instead what I’m saying is that every note was extremely intentional. Nothing was done by accident.
This album is truly a work of art and absolutely is worth the investment. Pour yourself a glass of wine, take a seat, close your eyes, and let the emotion take you away. This is the kind of album that takes front and center in your collection. It is the type of music that can define your personality and you will always look back on throughout life. Honestly, I am grateful to have heard this album. It is like someone has trusted me with the deepest part of their soul. Truly a beautiful experience and tears were shed.
- ‘The Withering Of The Rose’ is released next Monday (20 January). You can get your copy HERE.
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