|
|
|
|
I took the summary on the back cover of this package to act as the benchmark for the album: “ambitious songs of melancholy and moodiness”. As I listened to the songs I wanted to see whether this was a reasonable definition, and after the first song I could tell that this was going to be true. Typical of the proggy style that Wolverine are directed towards, you can expect long, highly complex songs and there is an abundance of erratic, experimental structure to be found here. The first song ‘My Room’ (after the intro track) sets the precedent for this, and in this track in particular there is a very active rhythm section which constantly directs the pace and route that the song takes. Over this there are the vocals, which are versatile in that they vary from mellow passages to more aggressive tones, and powerful when holding the higher register.
The vocal responsibilities are shared between various band members. In this first track the guitars seem to take a bit of a back seat compared to more conventional song writing, as they largely work to emphasise the changes in section, and don’t often hold the central riff. This has no detrimental effect unless you are really looking for a continuous string of guitar riffs, because the gap is filled by the sound of the band as a whole, and you are not left to dwell to much on any lack by the fact that the songs are moved along so unpredictably by the section changes. This is not to say that the guitars are redundant by any means, because they work well alongside the erratic rhythm section, and do still hold melody, particularly on the occasions when we hear acoustic sections where guitars come in to the foreground more, not to mention some full-fledged soloing! Half way through the album, I could really connect with the reference to melancholy in the band’s description, as by this point I had heard a real mixture of moods and directions. The two part track ‘His Cold Touch’ was a particularly strong exhibit of this, because at nearly ten minutes long you are presented with the band’s whole range of styles, from the jazzy mellow preferences to the more pummelling, jumpy rhythm and aggressive vocals.
One thing I was looking out for on a personal level was things that stood out as memorable, as I sometimes find with this kind of genre that despite impressive instrumentation and structures, the songs don’t leave me with much at the end of it to remember. Perhaps I shouldn’t look for these more basic catchy elements in a style that is not really orientated towards that, but it is a main factor in my enjoyment of music. However, with this album I was pleased to find various melodies and ideas interspersed within the songs which were catchy and memorable as well as musically impressive, which I think they did well to preserve within such a dense style, even if they are a bit few and far between. There are more ingredients here than a lot of allegedly progressive material, and it takes a lot of attention to appreciate every song to its full extent. Like I’ve said with other examples of this genre this isn’t so much for the casual listener who is after catchy if simplistic riffs and tunes, but this is not the direction the band has chosen, and I think that given this ‘The Window Purpose’ is a solid presentation of a musically capable band who have not forsaken other elements that make the sound enjoyable. All delivered in nice crisp production, this is quite a treat waiting for those who want to delve into the moody, melancholic world of Wolverine.
Comment: This album was originally released in 2001 by the Dutch label DVS Records.
| Tracklist |
| 1. End |
| 2. My Room |
| 3. His Cold Touch Part 1 |
| 4. His Cold Touch Part 2 |
| 5. Leaving Yesterday |
| 6. Towards Loss |
| 7. The Storm Inside |
| 8. Coma |
| 9. Release |
| 10. Post Life |
| 11. Again! |
: 67.02
| Buy other Wolverine albums |
