PART THE SECOND

Part of the Second represents my first venture into the post-metal genre. I was pretty impressed initially about the level of eclecticism. These guys use a ton of instruments, especially heavy use of violin, not to mention a heavy, audible bass. The playing is pretty intricate, with a variety of tempo and time signature changes. Unfortunately, I found it messy, and frankly, a lot of it simply went nowhere for me. But the moments I did find good, were very enjoyable.

'Excerpt'' truly surprised me; this song is extremely good. It is very diverse, yet there is nothing over the top about it. It changes tempo and time signature a few times, like the subtle 7/8 to 4/4 shift in the beginning. There are a few great melodies too, especially the simple, but effective piano parts near the end. But perhaps what I like most about it is the very spacey, almost empty atmosphere it conveys.

Unfortunately, the rest of the songs don't nearly meet this same quality. 'Another Excerpt' is alright, especially the crazy bass riff near the end. 'Rose Quartz Turning to Glass,' 'Clover Garland Island,' and 'Laboratories of the Invisible World' all have some good ideas, but they're few and far between, and it's mostly just aimless rambling.

Some people might like this album, especially those already accustomed to the genre. I feel like there was a lot of potential in this, but for whatever reason it just didn't captivate me.

4/10