Post by nocturnaliridescence on Oct 25, 2017 21:50:30 GMT -6
While I haven't really given GRIM's first album Scepter of Blood its deserved attention, I know enough about it to know that Vespers takes the project in a radically different direction from what the first album established. This album ... well, it's kind of difficult to describe -- in a way that gives it proper justice, anyway.
Put simply, it's blastbeats and black metal riffs over choir samples. This album eschews black metal vocals entirely, in favor of atmospheric choir tracks (adapted from the works of Sergei Rachmoninoff), while preserving the fuzziness of black metal guitars, and the energy of black metal percussion. You would be forgiven for doubting that an experimental idea like this could work, but it does, and it does so ... quite wonderfully! The drums switch between mid-paced and blasting, providing an overall brutal experience, but one that knows how to keep the listener's attention, and knows when it's time to change things up. "My Soul Doth Magnify the Lord" is a perfect example of how this works. After several songs of pretty much constant blastbeats, we get a much-needed 10+ minute song featuring almost entirely mid-paced drumming. This works almost perfectly, because the song appears right at a time when the blastbeats start to get a little bit monotonous. ... But they still appear at a couple points, so the slower pace doesn't become monotonous either. "Thou Didst Rise from the Tomb" and "Today Salvation Is Come" also expertly lift the album back up from the slower pace of the previous song, progressively back up to the high-intensity mood from before, without feeling forced.
The drums are the main "driving force" behind the album, which is probably the reason the above paragraph is so long, but don't get me wrong -- the guitars and choirs are equally crucial to the album. These two layers are what create the atmosphere of the album, and atmosphere is absolutely central to this album. Vespers isn't really a technical album. It lacks guitar solos, interludes, and even, as stated previously, vocals, so the music makes up for all of that in the atmosphere department. This comes primarily from the choirs, which are calm and reverberated. They're a little quiet, but not so much as to be overpowered by the other instruments. Think of it like this: the choirs sort of serve the purpose that guitars would normally have on an ambient black metal album. That is, they provide the backdrop/wall-of noise canvas, on which everything else is painted. The guitars are mixed very slightly above these choirs, but overall work with them to create more of an atmosphere. If I'm being honest, it's a bit difficult (for me, anyway) to pick out particular guitar riffs or choir melodies that stand out, since the emphasis here is clearly placed on atmosphere rather than technicality, but that's not really a bad thing, either, since the atmosphere works out so well. The melodies are there if you take the time to listen, and the album is definitely better for it than if the guitars had been reduced to mere fuzz, but "fuzz" sort of ends up being the primary purpose they serve. If anything, I think it works to the album's credit that it manages to have distinct, distorted guitar riffs (and blastbeats!) and still get its point across.
The aforementioned "calm" atmosphere contrasts well with the war-like percussion. It probably doesn't sound like a good mix on paper, but it is. The two seemingly conflicting ideas work hand-in-hand together. The calmness of the choirs and the fuzz of the guitars really help accentuate the ferocity of the blastbeats, which adds to the brutality. And likewise, the blastbeats themselves add to the volume of the music, adding to the atmosphere. It also helps that all three of these layers can be heard clearly. No layer overpowers any of the others, and you don't have to strain to hear anything. The variations in each track keep the music interesting, while not detracting from the atmosphere.
If I have any criticism of this album, it would probably be this one, single thought I've had a few times while listening to this album: the guitars almost seem a little too fuzzy. This is probably more of an opinion rather than an objective weighing of the album's merits, but when you pick out individual layers, the drums and choirs are noticeably more "crisp" than the guitars, and it's this one, single thing that I feel works against the album a bit; I can't help but wonder if the guitars could have benefited from a little extra "punch".
Overall though, this is a REALLY solid album that knows what it wants to do, and does it excellently. It's played/produced well, it changes things up at the right times, doesn't change things up more than they need to, and presents a very interesting mix of musical ideas that I hope more artists explore as time goes on.
Recommended for fans of (secular) Batushka, (Christian) Reverorum ib Malacht, IHS
Put simply, it's blastbeats and black metal riffs over choir samples. This album eschews black metal vocals entirely, in favor of atmospheric choir tracks (adapted from the works of Sergei Rachmoninoff), while preserving the fuzziness of black metal guitars, and the energy of black metal percussion. You would be forgiven for doubting that an experimental idea like this could work, but it does, and it does so ... quite wonderfully! The drums switch between mid-paced and blasting, providing an overall brutal experience, but one that knows how to keep the listener's attention, and knows when it's time to change things up. "My Soul Doth Magnify the Lord" is a perfect example of how this works. After several songs of pretty much constant blastbeats, we get a much-needed 10+ minute song featuring almost entirely mid-paced drumming. This works almost perfectly, because the song appears right at a time when the blastbeats start to get a little bit monotonous. ... But they still appear at a couple points, so the slower pace doesn't become monotonous either. "Thou Didst Rise from the Tomb" and "Today Salvation Is Come" also expertly lift the album back up from the slower pace of the previous song, progressively back up to the high-intensity mood from before, without feeling forced.
The drums are the main "driving force" behind the album, which is probably the reason the above paragraph is so long, but don't get me wrong -- the guitars and choirs are equally crucial to the album. These two layers are what create the atmosphere of the album, and atmosphere is absolutely central to this album. Vespers isn't really a technical album. It lacks guitar solos, interludes, and even, as stated previously, vocals, so the music makes up for all of that in the atmosphere department. This comes primarily from the choirs, which are calm and reverberated. They're a little quiet, but not so much as to be overpowered by the other instruments. Think of it like this: the choirs sort of serve the purpose that guitars would normally have on an ambient black metal album. That is, they provide the backdrop/wall-of noise canvas, on which everything else is painted. The guitars are mixed very slightly above these choirs, but overall work with them to create more of an atmosphere. If I'm being honest, it's a bit difficult (for me, anyway) to pick out particular guitar riffs or choir melodies that stand out, since the emphasis here is clearly placed on atmosphere rather than technicality, but that's not really a bad thing, either, since the atmosphere works out so well. The melodies are there if you take the time to listen, and the album is definitely better for it than if the guitars had been reduced to mere fuzz, but "fuzz" sort of ends up being the primary purpose they serve. If anything, I think it works to the album's credit that it manages to have distinct, distorted guitar riffs (and blastbeats!) and still get its point across.
The aforementioned "calm" atmosphere contrasts well with the war-like percussion. It probably doesn't sound like a good mix on paper, but it is. The two seemingly conflicting ideas work hand-in-hand together. The calmness of the choirs and the fuzz of the guitars really help accentuate the ferocity of the blastbeats, which adds to the brutality. And likewise, the blastbeats themselves add to the volume of the music, adding to the atmosphere. It also helps that all three of these layers can be heard clearly. No layer overpowers any of the others, and you don't have to strain to hear anything. The variations in each track keep the music interesting, while not detracting from the atmosphere.
If I have any criticism of this album, it would probably be this one, single thought I've had a few times while listening to this album: the guitars almost seem a little too fuzzy. This is probably more of an opinion rather than an objective weighing of the album's merits, but when you pick out individual layers, the drums and choirs are noticeably more "crisp" than the guitars, and it's this one, single thing that I feel works against the album a bit; I can't help but wonder if the guitars could have benefited from a little extra "punch".
Overall though, this is a REALLY solid album that knows what it wants to do, and does it excellently. It's played/produced well, it changes things up at the right times, doesn't change things up more than they need to, and presents a very interesting mix of musical ideas that I hope more artists explore as time goes on.
Recommended for fans of (secular) Batushka, (Christian) Reverorum ib Malacht, IHS