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Steny Lda - Steny Lda review



Reviewer:
7.4

8 users:
7.88
Band: Steny Lda
Album: Steny Lda
Release date: December 2010


01. 1-0-2
02. O-M-G
03. 7-4-0
04. 0-5-7
05. H-M-T
06. C-O-W
07. C-W-B
08. 1-0

Steny Lda, or Walls of Ice to those of us who don't reside in Siberian slush, is a post-(insert genre here) band hailing from Russia. Part post-metal, part post-rock, but fortunately not post-good.

The band's oddly titled songs (seemingly random combination of numbers or letters) are woven together, largely based upon clean mellow pieces that swell as the song progresses. For sake of comparison, the starting point is akin to Explosions In The Sky (some of you might be familiar with their music via Friday Night Lights. They hold the distinction of being the only band in 25 years of music shopping that I've heard playing at the store and purchased on the spot), with clean guitar melodies hooking the listener in, while the drum, bass, and rhythm guitar are comfortable to sit in the background and support the 'voice' of the melodic guitar.

As the songs progress, the intensity picks up and the formerly background instruments slowly gain in volume and, uh, intensity. The support instruments push from the background to share the spotlight in a beautiful cacophony.

The structure is the sonic equivalent of watching a nice summer shower build up into a raging torrent of rain.

There are some vocals as well. They are less than stellar, but it really doesn't matter as they are (very) sparsely used and left largely in the background, making them unobtrusive.

Their self-titled release isn't particularly original (a claim I seem to be making about a lot of bands), but that didn't diminish my enjoyment of the music. I loved Explosions In The Sky so much back when that I bought it on the spot. I imagine my enjoyment of Steny Lda will be longer lasting based upon the relative same common starting point, but greater intensity during the build-up.

What that means is I liked it, and I think I'll still like to pop it in for a spin a couple years from now. I think enduring enjoyment is just as good a thing as innovation.


Rating breakdown
Performance: 8
Songwriting: 7
Originality: 6
Production: 8





Written on 20.03.2011 by BitterCOld has been officially reviewing albums for MetalStorm since 2009.


Comments

Comments: 8   Visited by: 115 users
20.03.2011 - 04:44
X-Ray Rod
Skandino
Quote:
I think enduring enjoyment is just as good a thing as innovation

Yeah, that is true.

Didn't know you liked Explosions In The Sky, if you compare this band to them then I would gladly check this out.
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Written by BloodTears on 19.08.2011 at 18:29
Like you could kiss my ass
Written by Milena on 20.06.2012 at 10:49
Rod, let me love you.
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20.03.2011 - 05:01
Rating: 7
BitterCOld
The Ancient One
Written by X-Ray Rod on 20.03.2011 at 04:44

Quote:
I think enduring enjoyment is just as good a thing as innovation

Yeah, that is true.

Didn't know you liked Explosions In The Sky, if you compare this band to them then I would gladly check this out.


1-0-2 sounded a lot like something that might be off "The World is not a Cold, Dead Place"



O-M-G (above) is the other end of the equation. good stuff.
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get the fuck off my lawn.

Beer Bug Virus Spotify Playlist crafted by Nikarg and I. Feel free to tune in and add some pertinent metal tunes!
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20.03.2011 - 11:12
(((O)))

I really enjoy this, where can i buy it?
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20.03.2011 - 11:25
Merchant of Doom

I've heard the demo... it's not bad - quite pleasant, actually - but a tad generic...
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20.03.2011 - 12:39
Doc G.
Full Grown Hoser
The cover artwork & song titles seemed a little really pretentious...Pretty good stuff though.
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"I got a lot of really good ideas, problem is, most of them suck."
- George Carlin
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20.03.2011 - 17:46
tea[m]ster
Au Pays Natal
I didn't look at the liner notes but after a few listens this album seems to sound like a couple of different recording sessions...a few songs recorded here a few songs recorded there. A couple of EP's spiced together - listen closely you can tell the difference, especially towards the end of the album. Too bad because I like this type of music (They remind me of my favorite Russian "post" band Fading Waves). 7/10
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rekt
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21.03.2011 - 09:07
solitude-prod

Written by (((O))) on 20.03.2011 at 11:12

I really enjoy this, where can i buy it?


label's website http://slowburn.ru
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https://solitude-prod.com - Solitude Productions - doom metal label
https://www.facebook.com/solitudeprod/ - Facebook
https://solitudeproductions.bandcamp.com/ - Bandcamp
https://bit.ly/solitudetube - YouTube channel
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29.03.2011 - 14:08
Gelati

I'm on the same page with Merchant. It's quite generic and you don't really remember anything specifically but it's pleasant and sounds good. It's definitely more about the mood/atmosphere.
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