Netherbird - Into The Vast Uncharted - review
Netherbird - Into The Vast Uncharted - review
Band
Netherbird Album
Into The Vast Uncharted Style
Melodic black metal Release date
September 27, 2019 Tracklist
01. Saturnine Ancestry02. Harvest The Stars
03. Mercury Skies
04. Lunar Pendulum
05. Eventide Evangel
06. The Obsidian White
07. Nexus Of Unlight
A review by
Troy Killjoy October 14, 2019
It may have taken several lineup and label changes over their 15 year existence, but the stars have finally aligned for Netherbird to drop what can only be described as a modern day masterpiece within the genre. Unlike previous releases, which were guilty of either overstaying their welcome or failing to expand on some interesting ideas, Into the Vast Uncharted is tight, concise, and filled with remarkable guitar work.
Building on their relentless Dissection worship, Netherbird manage to capture the gloomy atmosphere of any doom metal heavyweight that comes to mind, without sacrificing any of its commanding raw aggression. The songs are carefully woven so as not to detract too much from any one side of the spectrum too much, instead living dangerously in the middle, encapsulated by magnificent guitar harmonics and mesmerizing solos. Similar to their aforementioned countrymen, pulling from both the black and death metal pages of influence makes for a wider selection of inspiration, which only helps in the songwriting department. It's a legitimate buffet of delicious riffs, and repeat trips back to the serving tables comes highly recommended in order to achieve a proper sense of indulgence. There's more than enough to go around for even the most gluttonous among us.
Because the music is draped in a cover of brooding darkness, the intensive rhythmic portion conveys a far more sobering, deliberate message compared to some of the over-the-top gimmicky projects out there. Even though at times it feels like you're being taken on a power metal journey through the skies with how epic these screaming guitars are immediately upon being unleashed, the frequent pace changes and sense of poignancy keep the listener grounded in this captivating experience, luring you in a little deeper every time with its impressive array of melodies and harrowing undertones. Similar to when Deicide recruited the legendary Ralph Santolla for The Stench of Redemption, this album benefits immensely from its guitar-centric focus and as a result, engages its audience on a level never before seen during their lengthy time as a band.
It's safe to say every aspect of the musicianship is on point, with former Amon Amarth drummer Fredrik Andersson providing his characteristic weight behind the kit, and founding member Johan "Nephente" Fridell churning out another excellent vocal performance. Between his monstrous depth and pitched growls, combined with the top-notch musicianship from the rest of the band, not only is this album outstanding in its technicality and design, but for the performances on display. It's rare any time a band can make all the pieces of the puzzle fit, sometimes not even realizing what pieces are available to use, but with Into the Vast Uncharted, Netherbird have quite simply struck gold and crafted one of the year's most rewarding listens. Major props to Pontus "Bizmark" Andersson and his tireless attention to detail when it comes to songwriting. It all finally came together.
Rating breakdown
| Performance: | 10 |
| Songwriting: | 10 |
| Originality: | 5 |
| Production: | 10 |
Written on 14.10.2019 by
Written on 14.10.2019 by
I'm total pro; that's what I'm here for. Comments
Comments:
22
Visited by
210 users
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Posts: 142  |
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Posts: 21306 Written by OpethFlames on 14.10.2019 at 06:06 Thanks  Hopefully this review helps give it some more exposure because this is an absolute banger.
---- "Wise men talk because they have something to say; fools because they have to say something."
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Posts: 537  |
Posts: 537
Thank you for bringing this to my attention mate. Dissection is one of my all time favorite bands and this shit is right up my alley  .
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Posts: 21306 Written by silenius on 14.10.2019 at 08:24 My pleasure. This is an album that clearly caters to Dissection fans, but covers enough of an array of styles that should cater to fans of black and/or death metal regardless of personal preference. If there's a hill I'm willing to die on, it's that this album is at least deserving of an MS Awards nomination.
---- "Wise men talk because they have something to say; fools because they have to say something."
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Posts: 537 |
Posts: 537 Written by Troy Killjoy on 14.10.2019 at 08:36 Haha go for it! I'm getting some Tribulation vibes in some songs as well which is nice (Lunar Pendulum springs to mind).
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Posts: 9606
Marvelous record
---- Do you think if the heart keeps on shrinking One day there will be no heart at all?
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 Posts: 64373 |
Posts: 64373
Great band, great ABM, great home forest and cold winter feeling into music, its great band and I like disection as well.
---- I stand whit Ukraine and Israel. They have right to defend own citizens. Stormtroopers of Death - "Speak English or Die"  I better die, because I never will learn speek english, so I choose dieing
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Posts: 213  |
Posts: 213
This is so amazing, bought it right after the first listen.
---- World won't end today - it's already tomorrow in Australia.
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Posts: 21306 Written by RaduP on 14.10.2019 at 10:32 Right up there with Cult of Luna for me this year as my personal favorites. Hopefully they continue like this in the future.
---- "Wise men talk because they have something to say; fools because they have to say something."
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Posts: 21306 Written by boo-boo on 14.10.2019 at 14:15 I'm gonna look for a vinyl copy myself. I haven't bought a new album in a while but this one is worth it.
---- "Wise men talk because they have something to say; fools because they have to say something."
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Posts: 21306 Written by Bad English on 14.10.2019 at 13:56 It's the quintessential Bad English album. Have you listened to the rest of their albums or just this one?
---- "Wise men talk because they have something to say; fools because they have to say something."
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Posts: 64373 Written by Troy Killjoy on 14.10.2019 at 16:30 Yes but it was long ago before i start analize, i an in mood for thy primordial
---- I stand whit Ukraine and Israel. They have right to defend own citizens. Stormtroopers of Death - "Speak English or Die" I better die, because I never will learn speek english, so I choose dieing
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Posts: 21306 Written by Bad English on 14.10.2019 at 16:32 Fair enough, was just curious to see if you felt the same as me about their back catalog. Let me know if you go back and listen.
---- "Wise men talk because they have something to say; fools because they have to say something."
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Posts: 64373 Written by Troy Killjoy on 14.10.2019 at 16:35 I have ca 7000 bands to go trought whole disco
---- I stand whit Ukraine and Israel. They have right to defend own citizens. Stormtroopers of Death - "Speak English or Die" I better die, because I never will learn speek english, so I choose dieing
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Posts: 21306 Written by Bad English on 14.10.2019 at 18:13 Okay so this is 7001. Should only take you few days.
---- "Wise men talk because they have something to say; fools because they have to say something."
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Posts: 64373 Written by Troy Killjoy on 14.10.2019 at 18:15 You never know i bland genres from hm, doom, bm and so on
---- I stand whit Ukraine and Israel. They have right to defend own citizens. Stormtroopers of Death - "Speak English or Die" I better die, because I never will learn speek english, so I choose dieing
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Posts: 213 |
Posts: 213 Quote:Quote: Same thing here, I don't buy new records that often. This year is kind of special though, this is the second one after Under the Regolith by Antiverse (truly great stuff btw, deserves a lot more hype imo).
---- World won't end today - it's already tomorrow in Australia.
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Posts: 21306 Written by boo-boo on 15.10.2019 at 09:55 I hadn't heard that name until now and looked it up and it looks like it was released a year ago almost to the day my friend. Not that it changes how much you like it, just thought I'd point out its Oct 2018 release date. And thanks for the suggestion, I'll make sure to get around to that asap.
---- "Wise men talk because they have something to say; fools because they have to say something."
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Posts: 8236
Thanks for reviewing this. I would have missed it otherwise and it's a very good mbm album.
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Posts: 21306 Written by nikarg on 21.10.2019 at 11:18 Thank Mr Editor for passing it along. Without him, I probably never would have even bothered with this, at least not for another few months while I caught up with things higher up on my list.
---- "Wise men talk because they have something to say; fools because they have to say something."
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 Posts: 3580 |
Posts: 3580
Recently gave this a listen due to Netherbird's upcoming album #6 and quickly noticed that this is right up my alley, it's almost my home address. I just wish they would have varied the pace even more, specifically at the ends of the scale, but that's just my snobbish nagging rather than a genuine complaint. But to be perfectly honest, it wasn't the review that piqued my interest in the first place, it was the album thread. Reading that you and Bad English share the same opinion was an unreal experience, it felt like watching a movie starring Steven Seagal and Daniel Day-Lewis. Thanks to both of you for flagging this band up!
---- signatures = SPAM
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