Coexistence - Flow review
| Band: | Coexistence |
| Album: | Flow |
| Style: | Heavy metal, Progressive metal |
| Release date: | 2011 |
| A review by: | Milena |
01. Carrion Comfort
02. Web of Oppression
03. Twisted Soul
04. Flow
05. A Rose to Wither
06. Lord of War
07. Unspoken
08. Seize the Day
09. Layarteb
10. Akira
Rating in words: mildly enjoyable.
Let's do some debuts again! Unlike that Royal Hunt album I reviewed a couple of days ago, Flow is truly progressive power metal, and what a nice blend it is - the progressive aspect does not prevail until the album's end, which enables the people who don't usually listen to prog to enjoy it, but the influence and atmosphere is definitely there.
Coexistence is an internet collaboration between the singer Carl Lindquist and the guitarist and bassist Grégory Giraudo, and their debut album is released independently. The sound isn't what you'd expect from a self-produced album, quite the contrary - sure, it's not as squeaky clean as it could be, but it's far from muffled, a very old-school progressive metal atmosphere is emphasized and the programmed drums don't sound annoying at all. Kudos for the person responsible.
However, this release does have a number of flaws. Carl Lindquist is a man of a very strong, distinct voice, obviously influenced in the singing by the likes of Dio and Russell Allen. However, my first impression of the vocal melodies was that most of them don't lead you further into the song nor offer a lot of hooks, but simply serve the purpose of being in slight dissonance with the guitar sound, which is quite "fashionable" in (power) progressive metal but I personally don't see a point in it. By the third listen, I've gotten accustomed to it and I started to enjoy the vocals very much, but my first impression didn't entirely fade. Also, Grégory Giraudo's solos are very tasteful and quite enjoyable, but most of the riffs offered are of transitional or supportive character - maybe I'm just spoiled by last year's awesome prog albums but no riffs here managed to grab my attention.
Until the last track, that is, when the Fairy Godmother to Coexistence's Cinderella came up with a stunning dress to enhance her beauty. "Akira" is a 24-minute-long epic, and while I had my doubts about it (after all, even the masters of epics don't always get it right with songs longer than 20 minutes), it turned to be the most enjoyable track on the album. The buildup, riffs, transitions, vocal melodies and solos - every element complemented the other and I really enjoyed the track. However, I would have stopped it around the 15-minute-mark, as the part behind it is a bit redundant.
If you haven't had enough of melodic or traditional metal last year, search for this for a quick fix till you find something more appropriate to quench your thirst.
 | Written on 05.01.2012 by A part of the team since December 2011. 7.0 means the album is good. |
Comments
Comments: 13
Visited by: 161 users
| Troy Killjoy perfunctionist Staff Posts: 21306  |
What's your rating?
---- "Wise men talk because they have something to say; fools because they have to say something."
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| Milena gloom cookie Staff Posts: 4603  |
Written by Troy Killjoy on 05.01.2012 at 21:56 Nicely played, Troy. Nicely played.
---- 7.0 means the album is good
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| Ag Fox Angel No More Elite Posts: 4774  |
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| Boxcar Willy yr a kook Posts: 9157  |
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| Milena gloom cookie Staff Posts: 4603 |
Written by Boxcar Willy on 06.01.2012 at 21:37 Troy was merely teasing me because I complained how a certain person close to me immediately asks what is my rating on things when I tell him I reviewed something, and when I tell him I've decided to ditch ratings, he tells me that's lame, thus proving my point that the purpose of Metal Storm reviews is completely unknown to non-MSers 
---- 7.0 means the album is good
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| Boxcar Willy yr a kook Posts: 9157 |
Written by Milena on 07.01.2012 at 14:35 Oh, I just thought because your rating in words was the first sentance, I usually ask a dumb question that can be answered in the first few sentances. I have to learn how to read 
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| Milena gloom cookie Staff Posts: 4603 |
Written by Boxcar Willy on 07.01.2012 at 15:51 Don't worry, it happens to me all the time, usually when my reading comprehension gets tested on college I have the highest marks but when it comes to actually paying attention to what people say IRL... I completely lose it.
---- 7.0 means the album is good
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| RavenKing Posts: 1941  |
Written by Milena on 07.01.2012 at 14:35 Personally, I think we should ditch ratings permanently because people care too much for this thing I find utterly trivial. What matters to me in a review is the comments about music, comparison with other bands or overall views on metal genres, etc. Other reviewers here already decided to drop ratings in the past and I agree with their decision. I find it boring to come on a review thread and read comment after comment debating on the rating, while nobody comments on the actual album. I'm not sure but I believe that's what you mean here. And, if it's the case, I can only agree with you.
---- They shake your hand and they smile and they buy you a drink They say we'll be your friends we'll stick with you till the end But everybody's only looking out for themselves And you say who can you trust I'll tell you nobody
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| Milena gloom cookie Staff Posts: 4603 |
Written by RavenKing on 07.01.2012 at 20:20 Well, I usually don't mind that but I'm so lame in rating albums. Can't seem to get that right. You have that feeling that your reviews aren't good enough, ya know, so when it's mixed with the feeling you totally got the rating wrong... I'd like to leave that out 
---- 7.0 means the album is good
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| RavenKing Posts: 1941 |
Written by Milena on 07.01.2012 at 22:47 Your reviews are good enough. You write well, your english is very good and your comments make sense. That's what matters. Maybe you have trouble with rating albums (honestly, I don't know if it's the case or not, as I don't give a fuck at ratings and never remember them) but it's a minor detail, imo. I encourage you to continue your good work.
---- They shake your hand and they smile and they buy you a drink They say we'll be your friends we'll stick with you till the end But everybody's only looking out for themselves And you say who can you trust I'll tell you nobody
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| Milena gloom cookie Staff Posts: 4603 |
Written by RavenKing on 07.01.2012 at 23:52 I'm not at this time worried by the quality of my work, it's one of the rare things I still enjoy and am confident in but I think all reviewers in the team know that - you sometimes re-read your past works and say:"shit, did I write this, what the hell is this" and similar. As for rating, I'm not very good in it, so they change all the time... one month ago I had an average of 7.95 in my album rates and now I have somewhere around 7.80, and those are just the ratings without decimals.
---- 7.0 means the album is good
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| RavenKing Posts: 1941 |
Written by Milena on 08.01.2012 at 00:03 I see. I sometimes have this kind of feeling when I re-read my old posts.
---- They shake your hand and they smile and they buy you a drink They say we'll be your friends we'll stick with you till the end But everybody's only looking out for themselves And you say who can you trust I'll tell you nobody
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| Milena gloom cookie Staff Posts: 4603 |
Written by RavenKing on 08.01.2012 at 00:05 It happens to everyone considering everything, I guess
---- 7.0 means the album is good
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