|
|
|
|
No doubt: we´re before an exotic band, to say the least. Scald doesn´t have anything to do with Northern mythology. In fact they hail from Northern Ireland. They´re not a celtic posse either. This release has been supported by the Arts Council of Northern Ireland. Needless to say this tawdry writer whose lines you´re reading right now didn´t know any band from there. They play... hummm, time for the dub. Progressive psychodelic instrumental doom metal? Something similar, if nothing else. Reviews are allegedly explanatory and I´ll try to do my best. Let´s go for something more about it, then. “Vermiculatus” is made off a single track lasting over 47 minutes. As you´ve noticed yet, there are no vocals here. The changes are continuous. The colour of the notes is manifold and kaleidoscopic. It sounds weird, and it really is. The process of listening and understanding of the whole album is certainly tough. Those of you prone to use the skip button will be disappointed if this is not for you. And let me imagine “Vermiculatus” is not an easy thing to taste. To be concise, I´ve got the impression this is an album that is constantly failing to take off. An unavoidable erratic feeling endowed with constant tempo changes and stops, it´s the responsible for that. Yes, it´s only one track in the album, and that´s both the hammer and the anvil the listener is placed between. Too movements, lack of thickness in the songmaking, sparse focus of the structures. Multitude of bits conform the track but the overall feeling is very loose and inconsistent. Ok, we´re not reviewing a concept metal release like the superb Edge Of Sanity´s “Crimson” in terms of conventional melodic focus and patterns, I assume it. Anyway, ambient/avantgarde music has got its own mysteries and tricks, and these guys still haven´t acquired the powers to rule them. The sound is an amalgam of varied landscapes showing evocative doomster mellow sequences, ambient intros, heavy riffing, industrial blinks and other gloomy sounds more akin to traditional eerie soundtracks. The guitar chords, the most prominent instrument to remark, often exhibit a slight dissonance in the vein of some bleak chords à la Esoteric. The listener receives a constant, fast slideshow of sounds hard to digest due to the mentioned lack of focus. Original and different from other typical releases? Of course. Er... and what about the quality? “Vermiculatus” is made to be excessive, magnificent and maybe epic in a certain way, but in the end it stays just as a brave album able to be categorised as incidental doom music or progressive ambient metal. Good in execution and sound, weak in the songmaking and global arrangement, this is just for fans of the unknown and bizarre.
| Tracklist |
| 1. Vermiculatus |
: 47.30
| Buy other Scald albums |
