PANOPTICON

Very heavy, very moody, and at times very powerful metal/post/hardcore/instrumental rock which slithers and shatters its ways way through easy description. Being a casual fan, I can hardly say how this release fits into the bands library, but I will say that it is often quite good, being filled with (usually dark,) sweeping melodies and spooky guitar work. The vocalist's singing is a coarse combination of monotonous growl and gravelly sustains-- becoming more like an instrument itself slipping into the tapestry of crunchy destruction created by the band; he only seems to sing during the loud parts, which doesn't distract the listener from the overall effect of the band's sound as most bad singers do though.

The real attraction here is the band's big, building compositions which often take minutes to reach their monstrous climax; fans of post-rock groups like God's Speed or Mogwai will be in similar territory and find a few new ideas (so long as they can withstand the growling). The quite moments hold their own handedly even against the black colossus of the band's trademark sound which makes for enough variety in sound to keep listening. I personally enjoy the heavy builds, and find "Panopticon"s sound an enjoyable dark diversion into the murky depths of instrumental moodiness, and recommend it to anyone looking for a more evil counterpart to some of there favorite post bands, or for black metal die-hards looking for something a little different.

Songwriting 3 Instrumental Performances 3 Lyrics/Vocals 3 Style/Emotion/Replay 2