WRITTEN IN WATERS

Sub-genre:Tech/Extreme Prog Metal (Some thrashiness of its death metal roots, but far more experimental and ethereal/psychedelic than their counterparts)
For Fans of: Voivod, Virus, Metal fans with an appreciation for early Floyd?and vice versa.
Vocal Style: Melancholy mid-range melodic with the rare evil warlock/robot sound. Sylvan female vocals appear as well.
Guitar Style: Highly textured electric vintage fuzzy distortion.
Keyboard Style:None
Percussion Style: Standard rock kit played very open with frequent thrash beats.
Bass Style: Picked electric
Other Instruments:
You are not likely to enjoy this album if: you want your metal to grind or hate your psychedelia to be anything but flowery and kind.

Summary: I was not fortunate to be aware of this band at its birth. In fact, 1995 saw progressive metal just beginning to solidify its following in its most generic forms. The idea of incorporating the dissonant and dark musical nuances of avant-garde and the spaciness of the late-60's into metal was only peripherally explored by Voivod. My experience with this band came after my exposure to their follow-up incarnation, Virus. Experiencing the evolution in retrospect possibly adds to the mystique of VBE. The sound is certainly not as matured as Virus, but provides an effective roadmap to its latter incarnation.
The undercurrent of the album is steeped in melancholy. The overall sound is echoing and distant, at times difficult to grab the context from the murk. Not in an unpleasant, annoying to listen too way, but in much the same way a reader is riveted to a mystery in which the conclusion may ultimately deeply disturb, but equally entertain. At times the sound conjures images of the Manson family, flower children twisted and wilted by headstrong madness. Indeed the strongest influence one can capture outside of the death metal undercurrent is that of Syd Barrett era Pink Floyd.

Final Score: This is not quite a 4 star album, but I am rounding up a 3.7 for pure innovation sake. The point losses come almost exclusively from recording quality. Though some may argue the production is as vital to the essence of the project as the composition.

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