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40 Watt Sun - Wider Than The Sky review



Reviewer:
9.0

96 users:
8.05
Band: 40 Watt Sun
Album: Wider Than The Sky
Style: Slowcore
Release date: October 14, 2016
A review by: BitterCOld


01. Stages
02. Beyond You
03. Another Room
04. Pictures
05. Craven Road
06. Marazion

Wider Than The Sky marks the tragic yet triumphant return of 40 Watt Sun, some five years after their inaugural effort, The Inside Room. The bar was set pretty high for this one.

How high?

Rarified air high considering The Inside Room was my 2011 co-album of the year (alongside Sleestak's The Fall Of Altrusia, if you must pry). Oh, and Watching From A Distance, the final album of Patrick Walker's prior band Warning sits atop my "Best of the 00's" article, though admittedly in a dead heat with Negură Bunget's Om.

So a bar as high in the wide sky.

As you can see from the green 9 you probably noticed before delving in to my ramblings, it's very safe to say they met and exceeded my expectations.

For starters, what's the same?

You have the same trio as last time out. You have Pat Walker's emotive (albeit "whiny" to some) vocals & lyrics as well as guitar work. You also have the relatively undersung contributions of William Spong, who plays bass as well as handles recording and mixing duties and Christian Leitch, who drums and handles the design work.

You have epic-length tracks conveying emotions of tragedy, loss, heart ache, etc. Songs continue to be minimalist in approach. The added space perhaps allows room for the lyrics to be absorbed by the listener. Additionally, there is some build up to the emotive value of the music as well. Not to some post-metal crescendo or anything, but just as a misty rain might build up to a moderate "I'd best get in out of the rain now" rain. "Beyond You" begins with a simple progression that goes on a bit, but builds up some steam and impact towards the end of the tune.

What's different is one of the reasons I like this album so much.

The SOUND. While the same basic song structures, minimalist execution and themes might trace back to Warning days, each album I treasure has its own very distinct sound and feel. Watching From A Distance was stark epic doom metal. The Inside Room was much warmer, a result of fuzzed-out overdrive tone. That album was already one step away from doom, and Walker seems to have been less than thrilled the album was tagged as doom by the label.

Now 40 Watt Sun is clearly no longer doom. Or metal. At all. All gone. Not a distortion pedal in sight.

Wider Than The Sky finds Walker using a clean, but reverbed tone on the guitar. They decided it was the best way to convey the emotive content, and I agree. It works. Further, I enjoy it because it's almost a sonic illusion of sorts. It seems the most stripped down of an already minimalist guitarist's work? but I think in reality there is actually more going on as the songs progress.

So yeah, not doom, not metal (so likely won't be appearing on a top metal list from me), but this is an album that will have a permanent place on my most memory-limited of listening devices.

Rarified air.


Rating breakdown
Performance: 9
Songwriting: 9
Originality: 8
Production: 9





Written on 14.10.2016 by BitterCOld has been officially reviewing albums for MetalStorm since 2009.


Comments

Comments: 17   Visited by: 344 users
14.10.2016 - 08:27
3rdWorld
China was a neat
Enjoyed it a lot yesterday. Definitely will be going back to it a lot. Maybe I will end up liking this more than Warning or their debut even.
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14.10.2016 - 08:48
Cynic Metalhead
Ambrish Saxena
Written by 3rdWorld on 14.10.2016 at 08:27

Maybe I will end up liking this more than Warning or their debut even.

I think you're jumping fences in exhilaration.

I can't take a responsibility of beating new 40 Watt Sun by Warning's debut, that's for sure. But, sure as fucking hell it wouldn't have gone better than "Watching From A Distance" which I believe is pinnacle record of Warning.

And if it has surpassed, it will come quite a shocker for me. But, again anything can be expected from metal world.

Having said that, i'll listen today.
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14.10.2016 - 16:16
LuciferOfGayness
Account deleted
A bit displeased with the review as I think the actual content of the album should have been reviewed. This feels a bit sloppy for such a rich and good album.
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14.10.2016 - 16:33
Rating: 8
X-Ray Rod
Skandino
Staff
^ The fuck? I thought the review gave me plenty of tips of what to expect and considering the two songs I've heard off the album... I'd say he described the album fairly well.
I wouldn't use the word rich too much with these album. Sure, it's rich in emotion but in musical context, the album is very stripped down like Craig said, more so than the already monotonous debut (which I also loved by the way).
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Written by BloodTears on 19.08.2011 at 18:29
Like you could kiss my ass

Written by Milena on 20.06.2012 at 10:49
Rod, let me love you.

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14.10.2016 - 16:45
Rating: 9
MeloDeathViking
I loved this album on the first play through. I imagine I'm only going to like it more with each listen. Also think the review describes this album perfectly, especially as to how it relates to Watching From a Distance and The Inside Room.
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"I am not superstitious, but I'm a little 'stitious." - Michael Scott
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14.10.2016 - 20:18
Rating: 9
Diverge
Written by [user id=157444] on 14.10.2016 at 16:16

A bit displeased with the review as I think the actual content of the album should have been reviewed. This feels a bit sloppy for such a rich and good album.

Hmm I don't think this is sloppy at all. Very focused and well-articulated review with some creative liberties.
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14.10.2016 - 20:48
3rdWorld
China was a neat
Written by Cynic Metalhead on 14.10.2016 at 08:48

I think you're jumping fences in exhilaration.

I can't take a responsibility of beating new 40 Watt Sun by Warning's debut, that's for sure. But, sure as fucking hell it wouldn't have gone better than "Watching From A Distance" which I believe is pinnacle record of Warning.

You blindly comprehended my comment for something which it isn't.

I said I might definitely enjoy this more than Warning's debut. Tbh that album is an archetypal doom album that clearly bored me out after a few listens years back. I don't go back to it at all cuz it doesn't have anything to surprise me, even though it is not an album that has to surprise you but give you emotions but there is nothing in it for me anyway. But this is leaps and bounds away from the other 2 albums, of which the 40WS debut I didn't enjoy at all. And when I listened to this yesterday it clearly had a fresh and interesting sound which definitely feels like a change in the good direction. And it is a unique album too, you can see people trying to label a genre to it and fail because it is that unique it is defo doom style vocals but done on a acoustic like songwriting. So yeah, defo more fun than that holy cock of an album for me.
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14.10.2016 - 22:13
Cynic Metalhead
Ambrish Saxena
Written by 3rdWorld on 14.10.2016 at 20:48

Written by Cynic Metalhead on 14.10.2016 at 08:48

I think you're jumping fences in exhilaration.

I can't take a responsibility of beating new 40 Watt Sun by Warning's debut, that's for sure. But, sure as fucking hell it wouldn't have gone better than "Watching From A Distance" which I believe is pinnacle record of Warning.

You blindly comprehended my comment for something which it isn't.

But this is leaps and bounds away from the other 2 albums, of which the 40WS debut I didn't enjoy at all. And when I listened to this yesterday it clearly had a fresh and interesting sound which definitely feels like a change in the good direction. And it is a unique album too, you can see people trying to label a genre to it and fail because it is that unique it is defo doom style vocals but done on a acoustic like songwriting.

"WTTS" definitely far outstretched and is on different frequency.

As i said, it's a very well written record. But again, genius behind Warning can only reach to this level of competence. The mark of excellence can only be seen once you know how you put your formulated ideas into well-formed musical composition( for example, "Wider Than The Sky").

That's the problem i'd see in Opeth. Everything seems to look good on papers but when it comes to "composition", they fuck up.
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14.10.2016 - 22:40
Maco
Pvt Funderground
I didn't understand that. Need to improve my english more.
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Crackhead Megadeth reigns supreme.
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15.10.2016 - 13:49
LuciferOfGayness
Account deleted
Written by X-Ray Rod on 14.10.2016 at 16:33

^ The fuck? I thought the review gave me plenty of tips of what to expect and considering the two songs I've heard off the album... I'd say he described the album fairly well.
I wouldn't use the word rich too much with these album. Sure, it's rich in emotion but in musical context, the album is very stripped down like Craig said, more so than the already monotonous debut (which I also loved by the way).

Fuck, fuck fuck, fuck it. fuck, fuck
It gave me knowledge of that the reviewer has the debut on some list somewhere and the wordplay with the title was quite horrendous to be honest I am still enjoying reviews here, but some criticism could be good to keep things at a decent level
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15.10.2016 - 15:56
Auntie Sahar
Drone Empress
Mr. Unpopular Opinion entering the fray here. Yes indeed the music is quite good, but as with the debut as well as that Warning album, I still just can't get over those Pat Walker vocals. Count me in that group of "some" that finds them more whiny and overpowering than amazing and sweet as sugar. When I listened to 40 Watt previously I got the impression that I'd enjoy the band a lot more if the vocals were more buried in the mix, almost like whispers or something like that, and I still feel that way
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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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15.10.2016 - 18:48
Rating: 9
BitterCOld
The Ancient One
Admin
I can get that, Apothecary, you aren't alone.

As for log, whatever, hombre. wake me when you contribute something to the site rather than criticize. if you think my wordplay was horrendous, just imagine how your smug arrogance comes across.
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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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15.10.2016 - 19:31
Rating: 8
ScreamingSteelUS
Editor-in-Chief
Admin
I like this review. It's plenty informative. I also find it clever that you've spaced out the review so much to reflect the sound of the album. +1 for symbolism.
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"Earth is small and I hate it" - Lum Invader

I'm the Agent of Steel.
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15.10.2016 - 23:54
Alondate
I want to listen 40 watt sun but they make me so sad every time I listen to them Beyond You is my favorite song right now
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17.10.2016 - 11:10
Fallen Ghost
Craft Beer Geek
An interesting album, but I'm not sure if it's something I'll buy. Very monotonous and extremely simplistic. Nevertheless, I do enjoy it, let's see if I can love it. Beyond You I'dpa really good song
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12.11.2016 - 23:02
Bloody Rain
I Am The Night
Finally got around to checking this guy out. It's damn good!
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24.12.2016 - 18:27
Rating: 7
tea[m]ster
Au Pays Natal
Contributor
Nailed it brother. Don't know much about this UK band and it's roots. What I do know this is pretty interesting stuff. Can "post doom" possibly be a genre tag? I hear crescendo's up the wahzoo and the guitar textures are close to "post - anything". Also, the vocals sound like the guy from R.E.M.
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rekt
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