By John Bedard
There is something special about a one-man band. You often get a much more focused experience than you do with a band. You get one artist’s idea of what an album should be. In a way, you get a pretty good view into the mind of the artist. Sure, there can also be downsides to this approach but when it is done well you can end up with something that has this personal feeling to it that is rarely matched by something that has five artists’ hands all in it. The question is if this is one of those good ones…
The overall tone of the experience here is pretty gloomy in a good way. There is this deep emotional feeling to the style with this slight foreboding feeling throughout the whole experience. I will say that this is more complex than I would have expected from melodic doom metal. There is more to it than just that. I also get hints of ambient mixed in there as well. These elements are subtle but it did make it fun to analyze the album. Everything is very clearly thought out with that singular vision that is unique to a one-man-band.
Vocally things continue to impress. There is this wonderful contrast between a sung vocal and a dark distorted vocal that almost has a black metal feel to it. It really helps to set the tone and keep you as the listener engrossed into the experience. This vocal style mixed with the dark musical style really lends to the whole foreboding gloomy feel of the album without ever getting overbearing. This creates a memorable experience that is hard to dislike.
While I will admit doom metal is not something I would have picked up for myself I am happy this album came across my desk. Being reintroduced to a genre that you had once thought was not for you only to find something you like is a great feeling. This is one of those albums for me. I thoroughly enjoyed my time with this one. Even if you don’t really think the genre is for you, give this a try it might broaden your mind as it did for me, and if this is a genre that you are a fan of then you owe it to yourself to check this one out. This is definitely a good one!
- ‘Patterns of Light’ is released on 28 May. You can get your copy HERE.
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