Disc I[Part I: The Process Of Dying] 01. Crepusculum 02. Father's Breath 03. In Dialogue With Death 04. Diluculum 05. Consensus 06. Awakening From The Dream Of Life
Disc II[Part II: Metaflesh] 01. The World Destroyed By Water 02. Satori 03. Metanoia 04. Above The Stars Of God 05. Conclusion
Disc III[Part III: The Supernal Clear Light Of The Void] 01. The Third Ray Of Light 02. Cathartic Confession 03. Jacob's Dream 04. Maelstrom 05. The Empyrean
In recent years it seems double albums have been somewhat coming into fashion - both Iron Maiden and Metallica have recently released one, and Mastodon were initially planning the same for their upcoming album. However, Swallow The Sun in 2015 went one further by releasing a triple album, as did Schammasch in 2016 with Triangle. Including three discs within one self-contained package allows bands to offer up both more music, and potentially explore different genres by separating stylistically different material onto different discs. However, when releasing all this music as a single collective piece under one title, one can argue that there is both a need to link the music together, whether tonally, thematically, or otherwise, and also to optimize the quality and the pacing of the album, such that it can be enjoyed and consumed as a single whole. For this review I will cover each disc individually (all with very similar runtimes), and then the combined experience.
I lied about Satori, btw. I actually really like that song, and it's definitely not as weak as I had initially thought. There's a ton of weird layers of vocals and such going on in there that I didn't really pay attention to the first few times around. As a psychedelic, soundscape-based song, it's pretty good. The World Destroyed by Water is probably the weakest on that disc, and it's still great.
Well, just gave this one my first play through last night and doing so again now. Discs 1 and 2 are really more of the same. Not bad per se, just nothing too different from the previous album. I didn't notice that much of a difference in theme between the two of them other than the fact that Disc 2 is slightly more melodic. Disc 3 though is without question the coolest one here. My saying that is definitely a reflection of my tastes, but it's some really awesome, droney dark ambient kind of stuff. I would not at all mind them exploring this sound more in the future, so I really hope it wasn't just a one off thing for this album
EDIT: Yeah, this is worth a visit for that third disc alone. Really cool work, some of the best in the drone department thus far for this year
---- I am the Magician and the Exorcist. I am the axle of the wheel, and the cube in the circle. “Come unto me” is a foolish word: for it is I that go.
A beautiful huge sounding album, the three discs to this release all vary from one to the next. The third disc being mainly dark ambient, a truly astounding listening experience. Well worth sticking to the whole album duration & immersing yourself fully into it, definitely a contender for top 10 albums of the year.
Still a fucking great record. I've said it already, but the first two disks could seperately be nominated for the best BM albums of the year. The final one is one of the best demonstrations of drone this year.
I find everything by this band pretty boring. Contradiction had some great parts, but this is just forgettable. There arent many who would agree with me though.
What happens when you listen to bands of the calibre of Arizmenda, Today Is The Day etc. all the time. There is only mediocrity left in the genre. You probably are right that this is quite boring but its still way above the crowd. I for one, just don't dig the third disc a lot, not interesting enough drone for me otherwise its a good album.
Don't make me say that you guys don't get it:p seriously, the amount of work put into this album is stunning. You have the first disk, which is great demonstration of Ortho black gone program. The second disk is also just breathe taking for me, and it is already relatively unique. I did not expect every one to love drone with tribal drumming, but for me it was just perfect.
Can't wait for them to publish new material. They are already working on a new album.
Their performance is in my top 3 of the year, so yeah, they were pretty good. But right after it I was injured. So overall, that was not the greatest night ever...
By the time I reached the 3rd disc I really had no patience for that sort of stuff. The first two discs were pretty good, although I can't say I remember much from them. The clean vocals was a nice touch...not sure if they've done that before.
Revisited this today - seriously impressed by it. I think album 1 is the weakest of the 3, and maybe to cut down some of the crazy runtime of the whole package, a track or two could be lost from it. I think disc 2 is excellent - I really enjoy all 5 tracks, but especially Satori with its tribal ritualistic feel, Metanoia with an enjoyably effective mix of clean vocals and black metal, with some really good lead guitar stuff, and Above The Stars Of God, with a real slow burn feel. I like disc 3 as well, particularly the closing 2 tracks. One of this year's best metal albums in my opinion.
Discs 1,2 and 3 are the best. Like a full course meal.
The first two are perfect for sunbathing. It's the latter third climax equally, for cooling from intense sunlight, circa twilight time. Very Mediterranean/ Middle-East vibe with my friend @berlin.1969 appearing on the art.
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I may not have the largest collection but I certainly have the absolute best