LEISURELY

My first experience with this Russian project's music having been a little sour, this EP was a very pleasant surprise to say the least. Instead of going all over the map, the man behind the work of Misanthrofeel focuses his efforts on a particular genre; this time around, the realm of doom metal.

I must say, despite the recurring problems that Misanthrofeel works seem to have (in terms of the lack of actual instrumentation) things work out pretty well this time around, especially during the first track. The title song of this EP is composed beautifully, and does doom metal a real service. It builds up from something subdued and steadily builds on the idea from there, adding distortion, percussion and more complex melodies. This general incline lasts for the better part of the song, and is perfect for what it is. My greatest hope is that one day, Misanthrofeel will re-record this wonderful track with real instruments and do such a great composition justice!

The second track continues down the same doomy path as 'Leisurely,' but doesn't have the same memorable build up or emotional involvement. 'Thoughts' is a much different approach, and uses some very cool delay techniques to add to the atmosphere. However, due to the fact that this track tries to be 'heavier' than the first, alot of the '8-bit video game soundtrack' problems I had with the original demo start to arise again. From a purely compositional viewpoint however, the track is almost as solid as the first.

Misanthrofeel has impressed me with this one, and while there are certainly problems that the writer of this music should solve eventually in order to do his songwriting talent justice, 'Leisurely' remains an enjoyable listen and an intelligent piece of work.