Review Summary: A truly esoteric listening experience and one of the finest music out there.
There are two kinds of listening experiences that bands can provide. The first is the kind of bands that provide an
enjoyable experience which most rock and metal bands do. The songs are predictable and similarly structured and therefore are limited to how much they can make an impact on the listener. The second listening experience is of
emotional intensity. Bands like Neurosis and Minsk achieve this by creating their music simply by pouring out their emotions. Their song is not just tunes and riffs, but a piece of emotion in itself. And Esoteric (in a different way though) have their songs achieving similar effects.
When you listen to Esoteric you never know what’s coming. A subtle indication might tell you the speakers are just about to blast but it quickly fades away. They keep playing with their music just long enough to provide you with a small break between those moments of intensity. The extremely long build-up in the first track
Dissident proves how skillful these guys are as musicians. Every second of the song is carefully planned and all together it synergizes and plays into a mammoth of emotion you could never have expected. You can just tell how much effort they put into this because within every intricacy you can feel the simplicity.
In addition to the brilliant songwriting, the growls of vocalist/guitarist Greg Chandler are just amazing. He is very articulate and his high pitched shrieks are the most menacing I’ve ever heard. They have the power to send a chill right down your spine every time you hear one unexpectedly. In their slow-paced doomy music, Greg Chandler proceeds very slowly with the lyrics as well, building it u to its climax just alongside the music so beautifully that it’s simply breathtaking.
The reason why doom metal and sludge metal usually ends up making more of an impact than other kinds of music is because it gives our mind enough time to do most of the work. Images slowly conjure in our mind as the music draws us from our plane of existence closer to its own. Since Esoteric only released double albums before this, it was generally harder to absorb the music as a whole and stay into it. But on
Metamorphogenesis, the album-length is just optimum to feel all the elements in their sound, let it plant the darkest seeds in your mind and to create an atmosphere for yourselves. Music doesn’t only work on the level of listening and Esoteric proves it on this record.
