I'm not really one for Psychedelic Progressive Sludge, similar to the sounds of bands like Interarma and The Moth Atlas. Not that I have anything against those bands, but it's just not my thing. However, here we are with Scientist's new release "Barbelith", and I definitely dig this. I'm just gonna come out and say it, this is what Mastodon would have matured into if they would've taken a slightly heavier path. So thank (insert preferred deity here) we have Scientist now instead to listen to. Look up the term Barbelith on the internet, and your search will definitely lead you to Grant Morrison and his DC/Vertigo comic series "The Invisibles". The band's band definitely confirms this as a key concept for this album, along with psychedelics and the occult.
So what you get out of that is massive sounding Cosmic Progressive Sludge that is both grand and majestic. I think what I like the most about this album, is that the songs give themselves time to breathe where they will take it down a few notches, but then as soon as the heavy comes in, it's just devastatingly heavy sludge, and it's the anticipation for those moments that really does it for me. The not so Sludgy, Post Metal-esque parts are definitely good, and as worthy of the listener's attention, creating a sonic balance of interesting thinking person's metal.
With it's solid sleek production value, the guitars both glisten and growl when needed, with the heavier parts definitely hitting you in the gut with a sledgehammer. The low end on the bass is bowel shattering low, adding to the fullness of each song and giving it that distinct Sludge character. The drummer sounds like he has 4 arms, and the vocals have a decent range on here, mixing it up, and singing/screaming where necessary. Combining all these elements creates a whirlwind of sound textures that range from ethereal to thick concrete soup, and it's fucking spectacular and monumental. So yeah give this album a listen, it's definitely worth your attention. Cheers! -Samir
No comments:
Post a Comment