Review Summary: Migration is just what it implies; it’s a primal album, crushing, roaring, ripping through the plains of your mind. As ferocious as the sea, and as calming as a river, you never know quite what to expect. Other than it's going to be heavy. Really heavy.
Foreshadowing: A warning or indication of (a future event).
That’s the only way to describe
Migration. It’s foreshadowing, in more ways than one. Each song is dripping with slow riffs and hypnotic beats, each passage offering something different than the last. Each passage warns you of the next one, yet somehow you’ll still be caught off guard when it hits you. The songs flow together, into one epic experience, yet also have distinct personalities on each. “Track One” starts with an electronic swell. There’s this slow build-up, and you can tell something is about to happen. The song explodes with an enraged cry, a massive hit on the drums, and more bass and guitar than the average ears can handle; it’s in your face, it’s heavy, and it’s laced with doom. This, in a black, evil, and awesome nutshell, is
Buried At Sea. A band that one should not take lightly (pun accidentally intended). It’s honestly what extreme metal fans have come to expect of doom metal, but somehow it’s unique. It moves at the pace of a snail, crawling and writhing, it’s chaotic, and as fantastic as it is, it can become overwhelming at times. What Buried At Sea does differently, I think, is that they keep the songs flowing in an almost random way. The guitars will stop crunching and take a back seat, allowing for the drums to weave the next beat. Little sounds in the back of each song, from the cries of wolves to organs, add to the intensity and the mood. Each instrument is top notch here, and not a single rhythm, beat, or melody on the entire album, can be scrutinized. It’s, more or less, perfect.
Migration is also packed to the brim, not only with music, with crushing instruments, but with doom; and let’s face it, what’s more foreshadowing then that sense you’re about to be thrown into a sea of nothingness by a slew of musical notes? Though the album has several memorable moments, all of which seem to haunt the brain for hours after listening, one stands out for me. The opening to “Track Three”. The onslaught presented in the previous tracks takes a break, if only for a moment, and something... surprising happens. The sounds of a ship in the ocean, calmly moving with the waves, the creak of floorboards, maybe the chatter of sailors, meet your ears. This natural, raw, and soft section is still flowing with doom, still crowded with paranoia. Like that calm before the storm; you know the song will explode soon. And when you finally get to this part, the album just makes sense. The whole outburst from the first track, those constant drum beats, shrieking vocals, the hum of distortion, always looming overhead, they all make sense. You realize that this whole album has been one huge storm. It’s an epiphany of sorts, and you have to listen to the whole album to understand. Few bands can create an atmosphere such as this, whether it be Neurosis, or even Isis, and once you listen to
Migration you’ll understand what Buried At Sea does.
Buried At Sea’s done it again. They’ve crafted an excellent album from start to finish, with intense, galloping passages, deathly vocals, and neurotic drums. The songs warn the listener of what’s to come, and I sincerely hope that continues onto their next album, giving more doom than humanly possible. We, being simply human, long for the bleak music presented here, and it has been delivered. Hopefully the trend of
Migration and
Ghost will soon be followed with an equally destructive album, though more tracks would be nice. But instead of looking to the future, just close your eyes and listen. You’ll soon be lost in the world of Migration.
