I was not the only one who had been waiting for the follow-up of the 2009 album “Metamorphosis”, one of those CDs that rotate most often in my player... Moreover, I caught a glimpse of the new material at some of the (unfortunately rare) gigs of the band.
Therefore I already knew that a slight change in the line up (Ville Suovaniemi, Jussi Saarelma, Jussi Pesonen, Janne Pappila, Sami Kurppa, Filip Franck and Mastermind Teemu Mäntynen) has not really affected the style – Crib45 continues their style, which they define as “Alternative metal/Post-metal/Experimental”. My attempt to describe the music: atmospheric soundscapes, catchy melodies with a melancholic touch, plus raw intense power, noise attacks and experimental excursions into unexpected musical areas, topped with growl vocals.
The latter dominate this album, unlike Metamorphosis, the clean vocals and choirs remain scarce. What was added are keyboard-electronics-sampling elements, and the overall impression is darker, even sardonic, which adds a sinister dimension to the calmer parts – in that sense the second album could be called much tougher than the first.
The powerful mystical, epic opening Gathering The Storms prepares the setting for the following tracks, and yes, also here you will find a saxophone. It’s ear candy, just like Waiting for Deliverance; when calmer parts are introduced – e.g. Catharsis – they could serve well as a soundtrack for a David Lynch movie. Or it´s like a parody of Pop, like the part in the middle of Fading Hope. The instrumental Towards Perdition reminds you of NINs best days and offers a good transition to the sinister Fading Hope with its hypnotic dialogue of vocals & choir.
But let´s stop the attempts to describe the music here, it has to fail because of those multilayered song structures and the variety of elements... just check out the band homepage where you find some of the old songs, and simply get hold of this new album. I hope it comes with a beautiful cover artwork like the predecessor (I had a digital version for the review).
PS: You can read how this album was recorded here: http://crib45studiodiary.blogspot.fi/
Tracklist:
1. Gathering The Storms 04:00
2. Catharsis 05:37
3. Waiting For Deliverance 09:31
4. Borderlines 12:47
5. Towards Perdition 05:08
6. Fading Hope 12:42
7. Into The Abyss 10:11
8. Clearing The Eye 03:41
9. Transcending 12:02
