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Maudlin Of The
Well by: Jonathan Mariante |
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strangely-monikered crew, with a strangely titled album, have made some
strange music. Basically, it's Goth/metal, but with a lot of other styles
thrown in. A real concoction. There's influences from bands like Type
O Negative, Moonspell, and XTC, but also elements of classical music and
"world music". The album begins with "Stones Of October's Sobbing", which
starts off with folksy-style guitar and woodwinds, and then merges that
with Goth-style metal, dark riffs and growly vocals. They try to play
both styles of music at once, in the same song. I don't know, it kind
of clashes. Next is "Gleam In Ranks", which begins with some jazz-style
playing, then goes into being a semi-metal tune. This is followed by a
somber ballad called "Bizarre Flowers/A Violent Mist", after which comes
an untitled instrumental which is totally unplugged, using acoustic guitars,
violas, and hand-beaten drums. After this is "Garden Song", which see-saws
between being a heavier tune and a ballad, with haunting female vocals
(there are two women in this band). Then comes yet another ballad, titled
"Sleep Is A Curse", played entirely on acoustic guitar, with some more
violas at the end. A rather nice piece, actually. Next on tap is "Riseth
He, The Numberless" which starts off with a French horn, of all things,
then goes into being a thrashing, straight-ahead metal tune, the only
one on this album, really. After "Riseth..." is another untitled instro,
which starts off with Christmas-style jingle bells, and also uses acoustic
guitar and violas, a little more upbeat than the previous one. Then comes
the album's final track, "Monstrously Low Tide". This starts off heavy,
but then is played slow. And the ending goes on for bloody ever!! I'm
not sure about this band. They're talented enough musicians, and I appreciate
the fact that they're trying to do something different, but their music
just isn't my kind of thing at all. This didn't do much for me. If you're
in the mood for something out of the ordinary, though, you might want
to give this a whirl. More Ear Busters
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