Ne Obliviscaris - Portal Of I - guest review
Ne Obliviscaris - Portal Of I - guest review
Tracklist
01. Tapestry Of The Starless Abstract02. Xenoflux
03. Of The Leper Butterflies
04. Forget Not
05. And Plague Flowers The Kaleidoscope
06. As Icicles Fall
07. Of Petrichor Weaves Black Noise
Guest review by
CobiWan1993 September 30, 2012
One of the first things I noticed about this album is the usage of violin, something heard much more frequently in folk metal as opposed to progressive extreme metal. It offers a unique flavor to the music being crafted and allows it to be much more diverse than it would have been already. I feel the violin is a refreshing take from many of the typical progressive metal artists who strictly focus on how technical their guitar player's solos are and so forth.
Keep in mind, this is still an extremely technical release, with fast riffs, blistering solos, and ever-changing time signatures at the drop of a hat. The clean vocals, while perhaps not outstanding on a technical level are still a delight to hear and help to accentuate the mood of each song alongside the impressive growling. Each member's performance is strong throughout, and while there may be a few drags here and there in the album's flow, considering the seventy-minute length, the members deliver a superb effort to keep the listener engaged in the world they have created.
The difference between this band and most of the typical progressive metal artists I've heard out there is that these men are able to weave a sort of literary and erudite mannerism into how they write and perform their material. The song titles themselves, including "Of The Leper Butterflies" and "Tapestry of the Starless Abstract" seem to demonstrate an interest on the part of the band in the surreal and otherworldly. This is also demonstrated in the lyrics themselves, including a quote from the second track, "As Saturn devours, of mind-streams' oddity. Rift wrought souls rupture, rippling... All shackles have now fallen, nebulae horses pulse on. Can I feel?"
Overall I feel this is an excellent start for this up-and-coming progressive extreme metal outfit, and I'm almost certain that this has met the expectations of those who were already fans of their previous EP. Portal of I is without a doubt one of the most unique items that I have heard come out of the 2010's decade thus far, and I look forward to what the future holds in this band's favor.
Rating breakdown
| Performance: | 9 |
| Songwriting: | 8 |
| Originality: | 9 |
| Production: | 8 |
Written by CobiWan1993 | September 30, 2012
Guest review disclaimer:
This is a guest review, which means it does not necessarily represent the point of view of the MS Staff.
This is a guest review, which means it does not necessarily represent the point of view of the MS Staff.
Rating:
N/A
N/A
|
Rating:
N/A |
Reading other people's opinions is a funny thing. Before I checked it out myself, I was convinced Ne Obliviscaris would sound like a bastard child of meloblack-infused Wintersun and Into Eternity on drugs. And I'm not going to lie to you, there's definitely a bit of that in Portal Of I, but that's only a part of the picture. Read more ›› |
Rating:
9.0
9.0
|
Rating:
9.0 |
I was introduced to this band by a friend of mine whose taste in metal was quite similar to mine; he showed me a video of "As Icicles Fall". This took my attention, and I decided to check these guys out; and I was very pleased with what I heard. Read more ›› |
Comments
Comments:
7
Visited by
204 users
 Posts: 1122 |
Posts: 1122
Nice review  In addition to the violin, I can't help but praise the taste of their bassist Brendan Brown. This is one of the rare albums where I was concentrating more on the bass leads than guitar on the initial spins.
Loading...
|
 Posts: 1374 |
Posts: 1374 Written by Risto on 30.09.2012 at 11:29 Thank you, I couldn't agree more. The bass also stood out for me quite nicely, especially during the soft introduction to "Of The Leper Butterflies".
---- Ordinary men hate solitude. But the Master makes use of it, embracing his aloneness, realizing he is one with the whole universe (Lao Tzu).
Loading...
|
 Posts: 11964 |
Posts: 11964
Really liked this release. I listened to it expecting something and it totally surprised me. I love albums like that.
Loading...
|
| Posts: 1374 |
Posts: 1374 Written by BloodTears on 01.10.2012 at 20:41 I agree, I was pleasantly surprised myself when I first encountered this album.
---- Ordinary men hate solitude. But the Master makes use of it, embracing his aloneness, realizing he is one with the whole universe (Lao Tzu).
Loading...
|
|
Posts: 2075  |
Posts: 2075
I love it when Aussie bands do quite well. Makes me happy. This band is amazing though!
---- When God made up the golden rule, do you think he noticed that it condones rape?
Loading...
|
 Posts: 232 |
Loading...
|
|
Posts: 2576 |
Hits total: 6015 | This month: 10