Review Summary: A debut demo from a one-man band that shows how to correctly pull off the mixture of black metal and shoegaze.
4 of 5 thought this review was well written
What can be said about Nameless Coyote? First off, it's a one-man project from the Bay Area, and the man behind the whole thing is none other than one of Sputnik's very own users, Foxblood. The type of music he opts to play is becoming extremely popular, and that is black metal mixed with shoegaze and post-rock and this is his 2011 demo entitled Devoured by the Swirling Night.
Now, does Nameless Coyote really do anything to separate himself from the hordes of other bands/projects trying to do this kind of thing? No, not really. But more importantly does he do it evenly, and not just over-emphasize either the black metal parts or the shoegaze? Yes, and that's the reason why this demo is a very good start for him. Take the beginning of the first track, Tastes Like Snow. It starts off by drawing you in with a very soothing atmosphere, like you're floating in the clouds above some mountains on a winter day. Then a little over a minute into it, you're left with the shoegaze elements, but also hit with some tremolo picking and shrieked vocals. It's a very good balance and it keeps going back and forth throughout the duration of the song. The second track, which is simply called Untitled, is the shortest song on the demo, clocking in at just over 3 minutes. This song is pretty much completely consisted of shoegaze and wouldn't sound out of place on an Alcest album. This is the first time the clean vocals are utilized and they're pulled off very well and very Neige-like. The last track on the demo is the title track and it follows pretty much the same formula as the first track, mixing both black metal and shoegaze elements in a very balanced manner and creating a very smooth atmosphere once again. There's also a very nice ambient-esque outro.
The production here is actually very clean, especially for a first demo. No static or buzzing like you would expect from someone who is releasing their very first demo in the black metal genre. Everything is clean and everything can be heard very clearly and precisely. Nothing is too high or too low in the mix and nothing gets drowned out.
Overall, this is definitely an impressive debut for Nameless Coyote. Really the only problem is the fact that it doesn't do too much to make itself stand out from the bunch of other bands doing this kind of music. If he continues experimenting with these genres and tries to add in some different elements that would help him be noticed in a very stagnant genre, he could do some big things. Fans of shoegaze infused black metal should definitely give this demo a chance and see what you think.
I didn't wanna do any more reviews, but Foxblood asked me and I figured I'd help my bud out. Definitely a good start for him though and a really good demo. Can be heard on his bandcamp page for anyone that's interested.
Not really into the genre (yet), so I can't say anything about originality, but I quite liked this. Pretty impressive to hear this coming from a one-man project. Especially since it's only your/his first demo. I agree that the production was really well done, and I like the album art a lot.
dude i love you bro, thanks so much. didn't expect a review up so damn quickly. glad you liked it. the production probably took the most time on this. i really tried to get a clear and even sound with my very limited equipment.
with the whole not standing out thing, one of my goals with this was to utilize a "gliding" playing style with a tremelo bar, which to my knowledge, hasn't been done before in this genre. plus the utilization of synths and feedback in a fairly different way
No problem at all buddy. I gave it about 5 listens today alone and figured I could put one out since it's just a short demo. I can definitely see what you mean about the "gliding" thing too. As long as you keep focusing on stuff like that I'm sure you'll get even better. I enjoyed this for sure.
@ CasinoColumbus
thanks man, glad you liked it. yes it's my first official release but i've recorded a lot of stuff in the past, which has really helped my knowledge of production.
and the album art is some of my own artwork. here's the hi res cover: http://i1141.photobucket.com/albums/n593/NamelessCoyote/NamelessCoyoteCover.png
@ hawks
you'll definitely be hearing more from me. i'll probably take a bit of a breather though, this took me almost 5 months to complete and a full length will probably consume the better part of a year for me to do it the way i'd like, since i have to do everything by myself
"the whole thing is none other than one Sputnik's very own users, Foxblood"
Throw an "of" in after "one".
Good review Hawks. I got a sense of what to expect from this demo, and I appreciate your unbiased approach. I'm not familiar with "shoegaze", but I am excited to check this out. I've always gained much pleasure from hearing music from "up and comers". The link is blocked at my work so I'll give this a listen later on tonight when I get off. Its good to see you helping a friend out.
@foxblood
I like the artwork, pretty trippy. I'm assuming that's the skeleton of a coyote. Best wishes to you bro ;]
