 | Tracklist:
1. Venator
2. From Scythe to Sceptre
3. Outlive the Hand
4. Sun's Delusion
5. Held in Hollows
6. Husks
7. Aspect
8. Countless Skies
| Ranking: #58 for 2009 | |
| | other reviews | Crimson (4.5)
epic compositions within a progressive death metal context, breathtaking... |
On 6 Lists
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| Summary: A good follow-up to The Frail Tide, but have the guys in Be'lakor become a bit lazy? |
10 of 10 thought this review was well written
With The Frail Tide, Be'lakor firmly ratified themselves as one of melodeath's biggest newcomers. Their blend of dark, progressive melodic death metal is highly recognizable, making Be'lakor one of the most original melodic death metal bands today. With Stone's Reach, Be'lakor try to continue the initial success of their debut, and they pull it off quite well.
Stone's Reach is mainly like The Frail Tide vol.2. The sound has pretty much stayed the same, and the only noticeable difference is that the songs have become even longer than they were on The Frail Tide, one of them even clocking over 10 minutes ("Countless Skies"). The song themes have also stayed the same, mainly revolving around nature and paganism.
The album kicks off with the track "Venator". It starts calmly, and is quite relaxing till it hits the 1 minute mark. From there on, you can immediately hear the good old Be'lakor. Deep, dark vocals, fierce double-bass drumming, good lead guitar work, and interesting/beautiful melodies, are what define the track. There are a lot of twists and turns during the song, and the countless tempo changes keep it all very interesting. Solos and riffing are top notch, and there really is nothing to complain about the song. After "Venator" comes arguably the best track on the album, and it is titled "From Scythe to Sceptre". "From Scythe to Sceptre" is a classic Be'lakor song, its main attraction being the primary riff, that varies during the song a bit, but generally the melody of it stays the same. And what a melody it is. The bridge part is calmer then the rest of the song, but all in all, "From Scythe to Sceptre" is really energetic and groovy. "From Scythe to Sceptre" is somewhat comparable to "Neither Shape Nor Shadow" from Be'lakor's first album, because both of the tracks are very appealing to a common melodeath fan, but, at the same time, remaining very original and individual. Also, what makes "From Scythe to Sceptre" just a tad better than the rest of the songs, is the fact that it stays in your mind and is very compelling. And with that said, we have reached the point where I should introduce you to the biggest flaw of this record. It is a little bit forgettable.
What makes The Frail Tide better than this is that all the songs were very memorable and individually seperatable on that. In here, a lot of songs just melt together into a one big track (or so does it seem). If to skip "From Scythe to Sceptre", and listen to the songs "Venator", "Outlive the Hand" and "Sun's Delusion" back-to-back, there evolves a feeling that these tracks are really just a one, near 30 minute track. While these tracks contain all the good qualities of Be'lakor, like the chaotic cymbal fills or the extremely fascinating guitar melodies and the fanciful, progressive song build-ups, there is something missing, and that is individuality. All the mentioned songs have pretty much got the same build-up, and some of them (Sun's Delusion) are just a tad too long, losing its primal appeal in the end. Also, while the guitar work in the songs is great, it is always very similar to the previous track and that may become a little disturbing when giving the album repeated listens. The music is great but the lack of individuality really hurts this album.
[i]Stone's Reach is a decent follow-up to The Frail Tide. Musically it is very outstanding, and features all the good qualities Be'lakor has, like the chaotic cymbal fills, interesting and progressive song structures, great guitar work, and dark, growly vocals, but the lack of individuality hurts this album pretty bad. It seems that the guys in Be'lakor got used to their formula, and while the results are still good, this album is definitely not as exciting as The Frail Tide was.
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agreed. good stuff but nothing too memorable id admit. album art rules though.
Digging: Om - Conference of the Birds
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band was boring to begin with, i probably wont' bother with this. nice review.
Digging: Earth - Earth 2
| | | Album Rating: 4
idk i'm really liking this atm
Digging: The Swell Season - Strict Joy | | | Album Rating: 3.5
thanks guys, and Jingle, this is good, but in my eyes The Frail Tide is much more memorable and better
Digging: Dark Age - Acedia | | |
So these guys pulled a deathstars? That's too bad, I'll still end up getting this anyways, I'm thinking about buying the actual CD. Sweet review.
Digging: Disparaged - The Wrath of God
| | | Album Rating: 3.5
thanks man, yes you pretty much can say that they did
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Yeah well the problem with most bands is that if they get excellent feedback on an album that aren't likely to change their sound much. Since The Frail Tide was so well recieved that aren't likely to stray from their formula.
| | | Album Rating: 3.5
you are basically right my friend, and while this album is still good, it definitely should have more experimentation
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Good review man, still need to give this a listen.
Digging: Hooded Menace - Fulfill the Curse
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this is just more of the same, but i like the frail tide better idk i liked the atmosphere of it more while this sounds more "happy".
or maybe i like it more because i listened to the frail tide like a 100 times and know it better, even though it grew off me quite immensely and haven't listened to it in a really long time i remember most of it
| | | Album Rating: 4
I really dig the new album thus far. I'm going to agree that Scythe to Scepter is the best tune, but I just feel like the album as a whole is a touch better than TFT. It just sounds more complex/layered. TFT was a good album, but some of the songs lost their luster after just a few plays....
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^really? I'm thinking that's 2nd after Sun's Delusion...
Digging: Equilibrium - Sagas
| | | Album Rating: 3.5
idk for me it's
1) From Scythe to Sceptre
2) Held in Hollows
3)Husks or Countless Skies
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ok, ya. Husks is my 3rd.
| | | Album Rating: 4
that acoustic track is damn sexy
| | | Album Rating: 3.5
yep Husks fits the album so so well, one of the best acoustics I have ever heard tbh
| | | Album Rating: 3.5
oh and the drums on Held In Hollows are just soooo darn good
| | | Album Rating: 3.5
I agree about this not being as memorable as The Frail Tide, but its still really damn good. Can see myself raising this to a 4.5 but I need to let it sink in for a bit and see how it holds up.
Digging: Emery - ...In Shallow Seas We Sail | | | Album Rating: 3
"...and sound like a one big track." typo
Also, I haven't listened to this yet, but I'm sure it will rule.
Digging: Ghost Brigade - Isolation Songs | | | Album Rating: 3.5
alright, thanks for pointing that out, changed it
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