Potential, like a beam of light can be seen in certain bands. From their infantile days of The Song Of The Crippled Bull, Black Crown Initiate have remained an experimental force to be reckoned with. Separating themselves from the nondescript eight string chugging of the modern Metal world the band have since instead grown into their own entity. Amassing a somewhat cult following after their debut The Wreckage Of Stars the band have returned with emir latest selections in excellence.
[tracklist]
- For Red Cloud
- Sorrowpsalm
- Again
- Belie The Machine
- Selves We Cannot Forgive
- Transmit To Disconnect
- Matriarch
- Vicious Lives
[/tracklist][details]
[length]54:00[/length]
[record_label]Long Branch Records[/record_label]
[release_date]July 22nd 2016[/release_date]
[/details]
Taking note from Prog pioneers, title track “Selves We Cannot Forgive” creates a sense of suspended animation giving the effect of an almost soundtrack quality. Making excellent use of both vocalists lachrymose chords embrace the listener from our piano before being dispelled by a barrage of distortion as the ominous boom of eight strings are summoned. Taking the ideas of contrast that the band have been playing with further into more experimental realms. To some it might come as a surprise as to just how far the band have pushed the boat out since their 2014 effort The Wreckage of Stars. Understanding that sometimes less is indeed more, the band are masters of dynamics.
The vastly more progressive “Again” showcases the bands aptitude for writing a simply knock out riff. Peppered with effects on guitar solos to create a truly psychedelic air the song is merely the tip of the creative iceberg Black Crown Initiate are able to create. Culminating in a final verse section that sees each melody coalesce to create something truly special. Put against the distinction of the likes of “Sorrowpsalm“, the slow moving lugubrious roll entwined with ethereal leads lurking in the background. The sepia tones of “Belie The Machine” follow a similar formula the band employ throughout the record after its beguiling introduction before being fed to the proverbial wolves.
At the albums tail end dour introductory chords of “Matriarch” paint a suitably bleak soundscape before the skronking style guitar bounds in juxtaposed by the arrival of the haunting clean vocals that give the weighty track a sense of arid lucidity. Not content with following in the footsteps of others Black Crown Initiate are carving their own maudlin niche. Having understood their roots with The Wrecakge Of Stars, Selves We Cannot Forgive sees the band begin to harness this potential bringing an organic ,new found beauty in the wilderness of Modern Metal. Selves We Cannot Forgive is an exceptional piece of work that will no doubt bring Black Crown Initiate higher than their current station in no time.
[verdict]Yes[/verdict]
[why]Selves We Cannot Forgive is an exceptional piece of work that will no doubt bring Black Crown Initiate far above their station in no time. [/why]
If you like what you read / heard then you can pick up a copy of the brand new record here!
