Skepticism - Alloy - review
Skepticism - Alloy - review
Tracklist
01. The Arrival02. March October
03. Antimony
04. The Curtain
05. Pendulum
06. Oars In The Dusk
A review by
Daniell July 27, 2010
Skepticism is no exception. As much as I like Stromcrowfleet and Lead and Aether, I think they'd be much better off if someone removed those thick blankets from the microphones used to record these albums. Admittedly, the blankets are much thinner on Lead and Aether, and they seem to have been almost completely removed on the band's next full-length release, Farmakon. Skepticism sounds better and better with every album, and the latest one shows that they've found their perfect sound at last.
Excellent production quality is the first thing that hits your eardrums when you put Alloy in your CD player. The first track on the album, "The Arrival", simply hammered me into my armchair with its incredible heaviness, accentuated by the trademark of Skepticism - those wonderfully horror-movie-like church organs (they will always remind me of Mercyful Fate's "The Oath" - one of the best song intros ever!). The guitars plod along at a snail's pace, the keyboards turn your room into a cathedral at midnight, the vocals spell utter decimation of your soul - that's Skepticism in a nutshell for you. I can't imagine a better opener to a doom album than "The Arrival".
And it only gets better. "March October" quickly claimed the throne as the best Skepticism song on my private list - and I thought that the brilliant untitled track from Farmakon would never be toppled. "Antimony" wins my affections thanks to the great use of keyboards, especially when all other instruments go quiet - check them 36 seconds into the song. The motive they play is simple, delicate, and yet it manages to be eerie and creepy at the same time. That ethereal motive reappears several times throughout the song, always standing in stark contrast with the wall of sound that comes before and after it. Just brilliant.
Alloy is full of such tasty details. The acoustic intro of "Pendulum", the guitar "solo" about 6 minutes into "March October", the powerful drums at the end of "Oars in the Dusk". Although at first glance all six songs may seem similar, they're actually very varied, sparkling with the musicians' inventiveness and creativity.
Talk about a perfect doom album. Sorry, my dear Fins, that place is taken by your countrymen Shape Of Despair and their tour de force, Angels of Distress. But you rank just behind them.
Rating breakdown
| Performance: | 9 |
| Songwriting: | 10 |
| Originality: | 9 |
| Production: | 10 |
Comments
Comments:
18
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 Posts: 40071 |
Posts: 40071 Quote: No, it is not  That would be either Skepticism's Stormcrowfleet or Thergothon's Stream Of Heavens. ALthough the production is almost lacking on those tow albums it is very fitting for the music. My problem is that Shape Of Despair is almost overporduced and thus making it some sort of funeral doom light 
---- Member of the true crusade against European Flower Metal Yesterday is dead and gone, tomorrow is out of sight Dawn Crosby (r.i.p.) 05.04.1963 - 15.12.1996 
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| !J.O.O.E.!
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Posts: 6212
I think production is VERY important for some genres, doom included, hence quite a bit about it in my review. But I do hope that I conveyed the message about how much I like this album 
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 Posts: 15359 |
Posts: 15359
I have Farmakon and Aether EP in addition to Alloy - and I think Alloy is their strongest of the three, partially based upon the production. it sounds powerful and smothering.
---- 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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Posts: 6212 Written by BitterCOld on 27.07.2010 at 22:18 A medal for you mate! Just Take Wormphlegm's 'Tomb of the Ancient King' - good music and extremely gruesome vocals should make for a great release, but the album is marred by shitty production, lowering its overall quality CONSIDERABLY. Doom MUST sound good.
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Posts: 40071 Written by Daniell on 27.07.2010 at 22:21 And there I totally disagree. Wormphlegm will lose in intensity when a clear production is used. I won't call it a good production, because in the case of Wormphlegm such, what you call good, production will only hinder it. It depends on the sort of doom if has to sound good or not. Epic doom, yes certainly, death/doom dpenending on the sort of death/doom, black/doom nope, funeral doom nope.
---- Member of the true crusade against European Flower Metal Yesterday is dead and gone, tomorrow is out of sight Dawn Crosby (r.i.p.) 05.04.1963 - 15.12.1996
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Posts: 18615 Written by Marcel Hubregtse on 27.07.2010 at 22:26 I know very little about production stuff... But I do want doom albums to be LOUD and I don't know... Stormcrowfleet for example... I would love if everything was way more loud, the guitars are completely buried most of the time... But then again that's not the same thing as a cleaner production which imo is unnecessary here...So I garee with you. I just want my doom to be loud and that the guitars aren't that buried... Oh.... and I still preffer Ahabs debut, the second one is still awesome though.
---- Written by BloodTears on 19.08.2011 at 18:29 Written by Milena on 20.06.2012 at 10:49
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| mz
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| Posts: 40071 |
Posts: 40071
Having revisited all of Sketicism's albums last week it is safe to say this is their weakest
---- Member of the true crusade against European Flower Metal Yesterday is dead and gone, tomorrow is out of sight Dawn Crosby (r.i.p.) 05.04.1963 - 15.12.1996
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Posts: 6212 Written by [user id=110592] on 06.10.2013 at 11:49 I excel at that 
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| Posts: 6212 |
Posts: 6212 Written by Marcel Hubregtse on 07.10.2013 at 01:14 Having revisited all of Skepticism's albums about a month ago it is safe to say this is their strongest.
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| mz
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mz
Account deleted Written by Daniell on 07.10.2013 at 09:44 you have given another album a 10 in one of your reviews but 9.8 is still pretty a number
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| !J.O.O.E.!
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!J.O.O.E.!
Account deleted Written by [user id=110592] on 07.10.2013 at 09:51 Don't remind us
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| Posts: 40071 |
Posts: 40071 Written by [user id=4365] on 09.10.2013 at 13:01 yeah you were the first one to comment on that review and I totally agree with you on it. If that album is a 10 then at least two others in that bnads' catalogue are a 13
---- Member of the true crusade against European Flower Metal Yesterday is dead and gone, tomorrow is out of sight Dawn Crosby (r.i.p.) 05.04.1963 - 15.12.1996
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| mz
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mz
Account deleted Written by [user id=4365] on 09.10.2013 at 13:01 well, I did remind you it seems but seriously, I agree with his review of bong and enslaved. Chances are that I will also agree with this one and that nevermore review
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Posts: 40071 Written by [user id=110592] on 09.10.2013 at 15:47 I agree with his Bong and Enslaved reviews but toally do not agree with this review and the Nevermore one
---- Member of the true crusade against European Flower Metal Yesterday is dead and gone, tomorrow is out of sight Dawn Crosby (r.i.p.) 05.04.1963 - 15.12.1996
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| Posts: 6212 |
Posts: 6212
Apparently, if there is one thing I will be remembered for on this site, it's the Nevermore review I'm happy to provide such fond memories for some of you 
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| Posts: 6212 |
Posts: 6212 Written by Marcel Hubregtse on 09.10.2013 at 15:49 That's 50% satisfaction rate, not bad
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