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Jason "Deadtide.com" Muxlow has himself a real gem with his erstwhile band, The Living Fields and their self-titled, self-released (Harvester Records was created by Muxlow to "avoid the dreaded 'unsigned' label on reviews") full-length debut album. Where to begin? This thing is everywhere at once, both sonically and geographically, as well as categorically, featuring more subgenres than one can shake a stick at, so to speak. "Epic Progressive Doom" has been offered by the band as a descriptor and it works pretty well. The music displayed on The Living Fields is definitely Epic -- the soundscapes are huge, Progressive -- as evidenced by the many moods each song traverses, and elements of Doom are present, too. However, some Folk (strings, piano, and period instruments), plain ol' Thrash, and still more creep in over the album's 45+ minutes.
That this act is officially unsigned is a bit of a mystery. It can't be due to the fact that the musicians hail from across the globe -- Muxlow (instruments/composition) is in Chi-town, John Higgs (vocals/lyrics) is a Kiwi in London, and mercenary Chad "Captain Killdrums" Walls (drums/percussion) hails from parts unknown/unspecified. While this arrangement would definitely make recording and touring arduous at best, someone must be afraid of taking a chance. Surely not The End Records, right? Maybe their hands are full with Novembers Doom -- or curiously Mindless Self Indulgence and Lordi. Overall The Living Fields could perhaps best be described as laying somewhere between the excellent 3 Inches of Blood, particularly in the vocal chameleon aspect, and the awe-inspiring, fellow Chicagoans of Novembers Doom.
Individually, the guitars, bass, and assorted instrumentation is composed exceedingly well. No thought was left unexamined and no sound left unheard. The vocals are extreme in their range, going from high-pitched screams to ultra-guttural bellows to rasps/screeches to layered choral sounds and more. The drumming is always interesting and rather stunning. So are there any highlights? The whole album, really, though if forced to choose, I'd go with the opening and closing tracks. Word on the street -- er, web -- is that Muxlow and crew are back at it and recording another album. The world has been forewarned and I very much look forward to it. Highly recommended -- more for not being your average cup o' tea in any genre.
| Tracklist |
| 1. What is Left Behind |
| 2. Burial at Sky |
| 3. This Great Majority |
| 4. Feast for the Earth |
| 5. Monument |
| 6. The Soil Giveth |
| 7. The Overview Effect |
: 47:30
| Buy other The Living Fields albums |
