UNTIL ALL THE GHOSTS ARE GONE

For me this was quite hard to get into, I wasn't immediately drawn by the vibes, the vocals and intrumentation, it interesred me but didn't seem to be above everage at first. It was quite hard to write this review as I had to settle my mind to make a proper analysis. I had conflicting opinions altroughout as I found some moments amazing and some very underwhelming and it's mostly because of the vocals. It's rare to find a band with two main vocalists and throughout the songs they are spread out in an uneven way, while Jan Erik sings in "Writing on the Wall", Nicklas Barker sings in most others except "Our Days are numbered". Nicklas's vocals are are far from ideal and it's much worst than Jan's vocals, his voice doesn't stand out, it killed the vibe in some of the songs because he just can't follow the intensity and beauty created by the instruments. The way he sings bothers me a bit, he streches the notes and make them deeper in the end, completelly losing the impact.

Aside from this minor issue, I quite like most of the songs, they are pretty, exciting and specially surprising as most constantly changed in very unique ways. I absolutely love the use of flute in this album but it's a shame it's only used in two of the songs and the others have a more traditional prog metal feel to them although there are a lot of melodic and quieter songs throughout. There are a lot of memorable moments, a lot of powerful melodies. My only major criticism aside from the voice is how little songs used exotic intruments like saxophone and flute because I really enjoyed the moments in which they were used.

1- Shooting Start (10:11): The song starts off with a pretty surreal mood, as lush chords play with the sound of running water. Then comes a heavy riff in the guitar accompanied by an interesting chord progression on the keys, the vibe is generally very Riverside like. Then comes a very dissonant guitar melody, the atmosphere is tense and the synth sounds are fascinating, it all creates a very rich atmosphere as the song travels through different solos and sounds, it's a joy to listen and it creates a very promising introduction. The instruments get quieter and the vocals come in.

I don't know if that's an unpopular opinion but I don't really enjoy the vocals from this band, the voice fits the vibes and the atmosphere pretty nicely but I don't really enjoy listening to it. It feels robotic and lacking in emotion and intensity, for me it's surviceable at best. Depending on the song it can sound a little better, but in general it bothered me almost all the way through. I don't like the vocals on this one but some moments are an exception, like the chorus, which I really enjoy. Speaking of the chorus I really enjoy the chords on guitar, the bass and percussion, even if it's far from my favorite part of the song.

I really like the part that follows, the riff is a blast and the guitars get intense and exciting. I specially like the sound made by the ride on drums and the pause between the riffs which leaves space for the percussion to shine. Next comes the synths and then the guitars take the spotlight, developing the melody in frenetic and unique ways. The song gets more intense, the riff moves to the background as we shuffle through guitar and keyboard solos, it's the most remarkable part of the song, the energy is impeccable.

After that comes a very emotional part, the chords expand, the guitar is mysterious and emotional and the drums continue to deliver as we get to a quieter section. The vocals really resemble those from Elder and I mean this as a criticism and also as a compliment because as is the case with this band, Nick's vocals are a double-edged sword, although they are melodical and strengthen the surreal vibes of the songs he clearly hasn't trained enough to sing specially in his early albums like Lore and Dead Roots Stirring. I get the same vibe from the vocalist of this album, his voice has a nice sound and timbre but he's awfully out of tune sometimes and it's not as emotional as Nick's voice even if they share a lot of the same problems. It's hard to get used to, it's not horrible but far from ideal as sometimes it feels like the songs would be better as intrumentals rather then featuring vocals at all. His voice almost sounds great but something in it's sound bothers me, it doesn't really follow the complex emotions of the songs and seems rather empty compared to the intrumentation.

the beautiful development of the melodies and specially the percussion in this next section really cought my attention. It's a stunning and harmonious section, but as the ending comes closer we get to the climax. Breathtaking chord progression, drums and vocal melodies, it's one of the best parts but it's followed by an even prettier keyboard solo as it end with ethereal echoey guitars playing together. It's overall a really beautiful song, although it didn't impact or interest me as other albums I've listened recently, but I can clearly see it's value and amazingly intelligent compositions. It's a really promising introduction. The album gets a lot more interesting and diverse after this song but it has a lot of fantastic and memorable moments (8.5/10)

2- Get Out Alive (7:32): Kinda blend intro, but fortunetly it gets more interesting really quickly. In 0:29 a tasteful riff comes in, the Elder vibes are really strong in this one. I don't like the vocals in this part, they feel streched, forced and just not pleasing.

I specially loved the part in 2:14 as the chords get louder and expansive, giving the sensation that you are floating or laying down looking at the sky full of stars. The development from this part onwards is a delight with very tasteful keyboard work and an intense and unique percussion, the song expands again in another incredibly surreal and floaty section. The ending has pretty chords and guitar but it's not really that interesting. In general, I'd consider this a very skippable song with not a a single moment that I'd consider impactful or memorable, but it's still great and melodic. (6.8/10)

3- If it All Came Down to You (5:52): Now we get to one of the my favorites. The atmosphere is breathtaking, the guitars are emotional and moving and the strings in combination with the flute is just perfection. I enjoy the vocals in this song more than the previous ones, they are more expressive and intense specially with the echoes. The melodies are very memorable, the vibes are chill, the guitars and chord following the flow of the vocals are magnificent. This song doesn't stop delivering.

I specially like the part of the lyrics where the vocalist sings "If it all came down to you" and a divine solo plays, it's so exciting and joyful. The flute solo by Theo Travis is heartfelt, dramatic, flowing and powerful, definetly one of the highlights of the whole album. As it comes back not long after it seems more innocent, light and sincere, it feels like exploring an unkown wonderland filled with beauty as the phenomenal melodies in both flute and guitars reflect. This song could be longer, but as it is, it's incredible. (9.5/10)

4- Writing on the Wall (9:03): I remember this song feeling like it lasted 15 minutes instead of nine for draging on too long in some section, but I will listen to it again to properly analise it. Really exciting intro, amazing chords and bassline, surprising and exciting chord progression, thrilling use of guitar and in general adding to the memorable melodies throughout. The drum groove is a delight.

I'm pretty sure there's a different vocalist in this song, both have a similar voice but I feel that this song's vocalist has a more remarkable and emotional voice, it feels like night and day compared to the last and it makes this song a lot more enjoyable. His voice is brighter, melodic, softer and generally prettier. The section from 1:45 to 4:28 is an absolute pleasure to listen, flowing melodies, amazing vocals, beautiful falsettos, guitar and synths.

The next section is wondrous and fascinating with Anekdoten's usual incredible chord progressions, guitar solos and percussions. The rhythm during the solo really caught my attention as it feels so full of life and hopeful following the everchanging melody of the guitar solo it accompanies.

The middle section between solos drags on for a while but then the next solo comes crashing through the door with amazing drumfills, keys and guitars, it's just so exciting, specially in the way it develops from an easy going melody to a more dramatic and tense melody in the end, absolutely incredible. I really underestimated this song in my first listen and I feel that it's even better than "If it All Came Down to You". (9.6/10)

5- Until All the Ghosts are Gone: The flute has more space to shine during the beginning as it plays only with a couple of guitar sounds. It floats between higher and deeper notes and then develops into an outstanding melody. The next section is breathtaking, the guitar accompaining only the vocals, creating a melancolic and powerful atmosphere as the chords and percussion come in. The harmonies are surreal and delicate as the drums and strings come crashing in.

The next section has an amazing guitar and the vocals get prettier and prettier. The flute solo accompanied by the voices is breathtaking and the guitar solo right after comprements the melody of the previous solo and makes it brighter and more intense. The voices and xylophone melodies in the end blew me away as a hopeful flute lays in the end. It's in a similar position to "If it All Came Down to you", it's in the shorter side but it still goes to a million different places and atmospheres.

It's really hard to decide which one I prefer, but I think this one is just a little bit less impactful, I enjoyed the use of flute in this song more and it has lot of memorable moments, but it stills suffers from the same problem in regards to the vocals and in this perspective I prefer "If it all Came Down to You", but it's really hard to decide as both had moments that really impacted me. I can't really point out what makes me feel this way but I think this one is a little worst but both are fantastic. (9.4/10)

6- Out Days are Numbered (8:39): Wow this one is amazing, most of the heavy riff reminded me a lot of Riverside, specially the synths solos accompanied by heavy guitars. This one is a joy to listen, it's starts off pretty chill with amazing guitars as the synths and xylophone. The song instantly changes as synthesized voices come in as they are inturrepted by an incredible bassline, exciting percussions and guitar melodies. The song keeps getting more intense as the chords change rapidly and the guitars play in harmony with the intense bassline.

The synth solo is exquisite and the riff that follows is even better. The dissonce on the chords and guitar are so exciting, it creates such an intense and interesting atmosphere. After that comes a quieter section that develops a little slower, it's the first time we hear saxophone being used in this album as it accompanies a moving guitar riff and drums, it's flowing back and forth as it slowly get more intense. The Änglagård and Shamblemaths vibes are stronger in this one specially with such expansive percussions, chords and use of saxophone. As the song gets more intense and it seems like it's screaming accompaining yhe growth of the melody.

This song takes longer to apreciate, but the synthesized voices and the slow and fantastic progression in the end as the guitar and sax get louder and more intense are an absolite joy to listen. Overall it's one of my favorites even if it didn't impact me as much as "Writing on the Wall", "If it All Came Down to You" and "Until all the ghosts are gone", it has some moments that are in the same level or even better than these songs. (9.1/10)

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