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Idol Of Fear - All Sights Affixed, Ablaze review




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Reviewer:
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Band: Idol Of Fear
Album: All Sights Affixed, Ablaze
Release date: November 2014


01. Vanquish
02. Morningstar
03. Circle Of Vortices
04. All Sights Affixed, Ablaze
05. It Demands
06. It Militates
07. It Tyrannizes
08. Carrion

Avoiding any genre classifications, Idol Of Fear presents us dark metal as cold as their Canadian dwellings. I guess at times I'd call this black metal with flair but at other times that feels completely wrong. There is much melody to be had, and enticing guitarwork, but the gruesome vocals and tightly suspended atmosphere bring to mind harsher metal offerings. It's like Idol Of Fear didn't fit in with the cool kids at black metal school so he started hanging out with the other rejects and got really into the occult and rebelled by playing melodic music. Or something.

This is raw and cold, yet autumn, not winter. The Halloween spirit is still alive here and you can actually feel the crisp leaves blow by on the damp ground as you listen. A chill is in the air as well as in the guitar lines.

Slower moments feel very "occultish" to me; whatever that word has come to signify musically, I can't quite put my finger on it. Just that you should definitely finish out "Circle of Vortices" by standing in the middle of a room with your arms outstretched and your head slightly back. Seriously. Do that.

Tempo and style changes all explore the same mood, though there are several awesome "is this still the same album" moments you may experience by the end. Creative drum flourishes add greatly to the mood as well, from timely use of cymbals to the recurring roll in "It Demands," which toys with your heartbeat.

Throughout it all: the wailing guitar. I keep coming back to that sound that paints the dominant colors here in the picture that is All Sights Affixed, Ablaze. The guitar solos and leads are the real "vocals," while the harsh yells and screams provide nearly instrumental texture in support.

I don't usually give away spoilers but this album has just an epic finish. Make this the last music you hear before heading outside on a dark, crisp night. You'll feel the air differently.

Fun fact: the band name is inspired by Ingmar Bergman's 1957 film Det Sjunde Inseglet (The Seventh Seal), which features the quote, "We must make an idol of our fear and that idol we shall call God." They say their music, like their name, can "be interpreted in different ways, depending upon an individual's perception of society, the self, humankind and the universe." This viewpoint explains the contemplative nature of the music.

Pre-order this debut full-length at Bandcamp or stream several songs from their Soundcloud page.





Written on 14.11.2014 by Susan appreciates quality metal regardless of sub-genre. Metal Storm Staff since 2006.

Twitter: @HeavyMetalSusan



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