Lychgate - An Antidote For The Glass Pill - review
Lychgate - An Antidote For The Glass Pill - review
Tracklist
01. Unto My Tempest02. Davamesque B2
03. I Am Contempt
04. A Principle On Seclusion
05. Letter XIX
06. Deus Te Videt
07. The Illness Named Imagination
08. An Acousmatic Guardian
09. My Fate To Burn Forever
10. The Pinnacle Known To Sisyphus
A review by
Auntie Sahar August 23, 2015
Right from the beginning of this sophomore effort, it's pretty clear that Lychgate have changed up their game. While the band's debut at many points felt somewhat lackluster and formulaic, An Antidote For The Glass Pill sees their music taking many more twists and turns, and leaning much more towards spontaneity. There's a very great feeling here that you never know what to expect, as, each track has a particular sound that makes it distinct from the others. Whether it's the somewhat doomy feel of "Davamesque B2," the more straightforward black metal approach of "A Principle On Seclusion," or the powerful chants in the middle of "Deus Te Videt," the diversity of techniques Lychgate are playing with here is quite far reaching.
Those looking for some hints of Esoteric on this album surely won't be entirely disappointed either, for, while it's not a funereal howl of misanthropy, An Antidote For The Glass Pill does nonetheless still carry a healthy dose of Chandler's ability to create wonderful, entrancing atmospheres. Of particular importance to this is the new additions of organ and piano, which run heavily throughout the entire album and often serves to create an epic, almost darkly orchestral undertone. An example of just how well this mood complements the heaviness of Lychgate is perhaps best evident on "An Acousmatic Garden," whose beautiful ending is a definite highlight of the album.
Listening to An Antidote For The Glass Pill, one can often get the feeling that Lychgate aren't exactly sure of which direction they really want to go in with their music, as multiple styles abound and it is very difficult to discern exactly which takes precedence. Yet with repeated listens, it becomes clearer that an amalgamation of sound really was what the band was going for here, and they certainly nailed it. This album is very much what I was hoping for out of the band's debut, yet didn't really get, and in that regard it is both highly enjoyable and redeeming. It may not be good to the point of being worthy of "masterpiece" status, but it certainly is a step in the right direction, and one that gets me highly interested in the future of Lychgate from here.
Like complex, ever-shifting metal with a good splash of atmosphere? Go and get it!
Rating breakdown
| Performance: | 9 |
| Songwriting: | 8 |
| Originality: | 8 |
| Production: | 9 |
Written by Auntie Sahar | August 23, 2015
Comments
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Posts: 1761
Mostly agree with your (as always well-written) review but I feel there's a lot of undeveloped potential still here. Though I like their style (organs, hell yeah) and what they are attempting to do, somehow the writing falls just short of my expectations. Maybe it will grow on me but this album mostly sounds like, well, lots of ideas. The atmosphere is the best part (now I won't need to try out bad-tripping in a church). Will definitely continue to keep my eye on these guys, feels like they could release a real killer album sometime soon.
---- My "blackened synth metal" solo project: maladomini.bandcamp.com. Whenever I write something funny, weird, or pretentious... I learned English by playing Baldur's Gate, okay?
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Posts: 5989 Written by Netzach on 23.08.2015 at 19:51 But cool ideas, nonetheless! Like I said, not a masterpiece or mindblowing awesome, really, but it's interesting to see all the different mash ups of styles going on here. I feel like once the band refines what's going on on this album a little bit, and (maybe) settles on which sound to embrace over the others, something totally awesome will result
---- 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. ~ II. VII
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