LAID TO REST

I am very happy for the success of Frequency Drift as I have loved following the recent arrival and evolution of the band, from cinematic/soundtrack music to 2011's masterpiece, Ghosts.... They are an immensely talented, wonderfully creative band. But, try as hard as I have, (I've owned Laid to Rest for several months now), this 2012 release does not please me, does not draw me in or amaze me half as well as Ghosts... did/does. A lot of the dynamic shifts have been watered down, the band seems to have moved more toward a softer, more drawn out, slow development approach to composition and performance. I find myself waiting for the peaks, waiting for the dramatic shifts, even waiting for the magical weaves of multiple instruments that I so loved on Ghosts.... But they are not there. Over and over, weeks apart I've returned to this album saying to myself that I must be missing something, that I must be in the wrong mood or that I'm just not giving it my fullest attention. The posting of this review is my admission that I am finished trying. Laid to Rest is being laid to rest. I'm so sorry.