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 | Tracklist:
1. Weathering the Blight
2. Open Veins to a Curtain Closed
3. Cut Up, Depressed and Alone
4. Deprived of The Void
5. An Ill Body Seats My Sinking Sight
6. Despond
7. Shallow Pulse
8. Conceptual Funeralism Unto the Final Act (Of Being)
9. Silent and Completely Overcome
10. The Irreparable Act
Release Date: 05/31/2011 | |
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On 47 Lists
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| Summary: life without Loss... death without reason. |
8 of 8 thought this review was well written
Having struggled to really come to terms with being one of the genre’s most promising bands, Loss have over the years left fans with very little material to become destitute over. Their most talked about release prior to Despond was Life Without Hope... Death Without Reason, a demo that came out in 2004 which has since seen several reissues (one recently on 10” vinyl). Between then and now, the band has teased us with several splits, contributing no more than four tracks across the three splits. These splits were something else however – one with Worship, another with Necros Christos and a four-way split called Four Burials with Mournful Congregation, Otesanek and Orthodox. While Loss have no bad material, their track on Four Burials is a 14 minute epic, both crushing and despondent, and their contribution to the masterful Worship split is no less excellent.
And now in 2011 the funeral doom act has graced us with a full length. Out on Profound Lore, I feel a little hard-pressed to call this a proper LP – both tracks from the demo and the track from the Worship split have been re-used. While I don’t really care because the three songs are brilliant, they still constitute something like 26 minutes of the album. However, there is one huge plus to all of this, and it’s that any older material here has been rerecorded, and additional parts have been added to the compositions, such as chants in ‘Conceptual Funeralism Unto the Final Act (of Being)’.
The older tracks have been worked into the template of the new record, and do not feel out of place whatsoever. Being rerecorded, they meld into the overall atmosphere, and do not hinder the very cohesive sound the band has achieved on this album. I say without any doubt that this is the ‘magnum opus’ of Loss, the album that they have been waiting seven years to release.
The closest reference point I can make in regards to Loss is probably Worship. The bands share a similar aesthetic in terms of doom, where melancholy and destitution is mixed with anger and aggression. Much like Worship’s second LP Dooom, Loss follow a slightly more melodic path than, say, Worship’s first album, but there are absolutely no over the top themes here. Even when clean singing is included in one of the tracks, the last thing it reminded me of was some lame Euro-doom – everything here simply works.
Every facet of this record is pleasing. Production-wise, the band has gone all out, with the lo-fi nature of their earlier material being non-existent. The sound is clear and precise, though never venturing into the realms of artificial or clinical. The production also complements the sound perfectly – the dichotomy between soft/loud that Loss frequently wander around is skilfully achieved. Mike Meacham’s low gutturals are mixed in perfectly, at times being overshadowed by the riffs but still maintaining a presence.
In terms of composition, Despond is immaculate. Anyone who has listened to their songs before will know that Loss are able to craft songs which traverse many emotions within a doom template, with highly engaging song-writing that twists and turns through heart wrenching and finetuned melodies. Despond portrays this talent to the utmost degree.
Within the genre of funeral doom, this is the best LP since Stabat Mater’s self titled. Fuck everything else. Releases like this are few and far between, and I’ve no doubt this will top any other doom records that come out this year. Oh wait, isn’t Worship recording a new album in July? Looks like we’re in for a rough year.
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| Recent reviews by this author | | | |
I wrote this in May but due to DC undergoing a site renewal it was never published. So here it is.
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nice review, best metal album of the year for me. still listen to it regularly
Digging: Florence & The Machine - Split
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Great review
Have you heard the new Esoteric yet?
Digging: Walknut - Graveforests And Their Shadows Digging: Walknut - Graveforests And Their Shadows
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loss > mournful > esoteric
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nice review, best metal album of the year for me. still listen to it regularly
not quite no.1 for me but it's in the top 5
Have you heard the new Esoteric yet?
...
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loss > mournful > esoteric
agreed, but also new worship. will be next year though, pharos has to write his slow music slowly
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Great review
but thanks
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in terms of metal its probably loss > fell voices > blasperian = mournful for me
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in terms of metal its probably loss > fell voices > blasperian = mournful for me
haha almost exactly the same with me except loss and fell voices are the other way around
though my list isn't really complete yet, bunch of stuff still has to be further listened and perhaps removed/reordered
new antediluvian is already high up though and will probably move higher
| | | Album Rating: 4
Good review, album is easily in the top 5 of the year. Agreed that they are one of the most promising bands in the genre, they just sort of... get it when it comes to writing doom.
Digging: Mount Eerie - Clear Moon | | |
Agreed that they are one of the most promising bands in the genre, they just sort of... get it when it comes to writing doom.
yeah definitely, not many bands do
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new antediluvian is already high up though and will probably move higher
ep or full-length? ive heard revelations and it was pretty good
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lol this got BNM'd, didnt even know
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nah the full length
EP was the best thing they've done so far but the LP leaked the other day, only have had one full listen but I was quite impressed
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sweet, will listen
| | | Album Rating: 4
Good review rasp, I got this album when it came out but never actually listened to it. Thanks for reminding me of its existence.
Digging: Rosetta - The Galilean Satellites Digging: Rosetta - The Galilean Satellites | | | Album Rating: 4
New Encoffination is great too
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yeah have had one listen so far, didn't grab me anywhere near as much as the new antediluvian, but then i had to play the ritual ascension tape like 4 or 5 times before i decided i loved it
| | | Album Rating: 3
This is pretty cool, but I dont think I'll come back to it a lot.
good review, pos'd this
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This band is pretty gimmicky and lame.
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