At the Gates
The Red In the Sky Is Ours
[Peaceville]
Another release that I can’t believe nobody has reviewed.
Okay, for all you newcomers, be forewarned: this does NOT sound anything at all like the infamous Slaughter of the Soul. While that release was smooth, flowing, rythmically sound, and very coherent, TRitSiO is anything but. Rythms shift from out of nowhere, riffs appear then disappear never to be heard from again, song structures sometimes follow no coherent pattern. There is even a purposeful (I imagine) use of an out of tune violin. My friend said he liked this CD because he likes “angular” music. That sums it up pretty well.
All that being said, this album is of course genius. Being primarily a black metal fan, I’m not too big on “angular” music, but this CD simply rocks. Vocals, the high-pitch Gotenberg skool, are very emotional, there is a feeling of sickness and despair behind the music, and the lyrics, which are sometimes pure pure genius, reflect this well. When everything does break down into a melodic, flowing passage, it is the culmination of much tension and aggression, and provides a sweet release. Guitars, drums, are all tuned ala Gothenberg, so you should know what they sound like. But again, don’t expect SotS. At the Gates have proven with their concise body of work that they are the masters of all permutations within and incarnations of the sub-genre they invented and that so few are able to draw from (Dark Tranquility) or imitate (everyone else) well.
Go buy this now. It is a seminal classic and a must have.
© 2002 the insider
Okay, for all you newcomers, be forewarned: this does NOT sound anything at all like the infamous Slaughter of the Soul. While that release was smooth, flowing, rythmically sound, and very coherent, TRitSiO is anything but. Rythms shift from out of nowhere, riffs appear then disappear never to be heard from again, song structures sometimes follow no coherent pattern. There is even a purposeful (I imagine) use of an out of tune violin. My friend said he liked this CD because he likes “angular” music. That sums it up pretty well.
All that being said, this album is of course genius. Being primarily a black metal fan, I’m not too big on “angular” music, but this CD simply rocks. Vocals, the high-pitch Gotenberg skool, are very emotional, there is a feeling of sickness and despair behind the music, and the lyrics, which are sometimes pure pure genius, reflect this well. When everything does break down into a melodic, flowing passage, it is the culmination of much tension and aggression, and provides a sweet release. Guitars, drums, are all tuned ala Gothenberg, so you should know what they sound like. But again, don’t expect SotS. At the Gates have proven with their concise body of work that they are the masters of all permutations within and incarnations of the sub-genre they invented and that so few are able to draw from (Dark Tranquility) or imitate (everyone else) well.
Go buy this now. It is a seminal classic and a must have.
© 2002 the insider