Review Summary: By adding a new drummer along with a heavy dose of stoner aggression and a bigger production, to the spacey psychedelic music on Catharsis and their debut. YOB created their masterpiece, a monolithic record that captures the true essence of doom metal.
3 of 3 thought this review was well written
Eugene, Oregon's highly underrated YOB have been doing long winding sludge and stoner driven progressive doom metal for close to fifteen years. From the 2001 debut Elaborations of Carbon to this year's Atma, the band has given us six amazing metal records. Enduring three lineup changes, a break up, and legal problems the band continues to prevail. After the critically hailed Catharsis, the band released their most cohesive statement to this date in The Illusion of Motion. A gigantic fifty six minute opus of unrelentingly crushing doom. That will keep you totally mesmerized by its psychedelic leads as your head is bashed in by the powerful rhythm section.
YOB are the masters of dynamics and never lose your attention or momentum for the album's running time. Even when it's for the sparse tempo change, as in the album highlight Doom #2. That in retrospect to the sluggish speed of the other songs, seems to fly by alarmingly. It's an album that never gets tiring, even with numerous listens. As you hear more and more things you didn't pick up on before, each listen is almost like an entirely new experience. Like the gorgeous lead playing at the 7:40 mark of Exorcism of the Host, that I only picked up on after. Once you're hooked on the infectious rhythms and magnificently colossal guitar playing, you'll want to keep traveling back into the world of YOB.
With its gargantuan riffs and bowel rupturing bass lines, fierce opener Ball of Molten Lead leaves little to be desired. As does the mammoth title track, a desolately atmospheric epic. Disguised as a lumbering beast for most of its duration, its picks up for a frantically groovy finish. The album is nearly flawless in execution, showcasing doom done right. In a genre that for a large part is stale and littered with imitators. It will continue to stand tall as a testament to YOB's legacy and the magic of a great groove.
On their Metal Blade debut The Illusion of Motion, they created their masterpiece. By adding a new drummer along with a heavy dose of stoner aggression and a bigger production, to the spacey psychedelic music on Catharsis and their debut.
Read that sentence out loud and tell me if it makes any sense to you.
loose should be "lose"
Once you're hooked you'll want to keep traveling back into the world of YOB. Just to hear the infectious rhythms, and colossal yet magnificent guitar playing the album displays.
This is awkwardly divided up
From the fierce opener Ball of Molten Lead, with its gargantuan riffs and bowel rupturing bass lines. To the mammoth title track, that slowly builds. Lumbering along for most of its duration, until the end as its picks up for a frantically groovy finish.
So is this
The album is completly flawless
*completely, and be careful about making such assertions
A truly unique album that in a genre that for a large part is stale and littered with imitators, will continue to stand tall.
Lots of fragments in this review, so I guess it's fitting it should end with one too. Overall this review is really choppy, but there are definitely hints of good writing in here. Try to clean up your grammar a little bit (we do have a proofreading thread if you are interested) and maybe just flesh out your detailed explanations a little more. It's only your first review (most people's first reviews suck, and I remember mine wasn't that great either) so just keep working at it and I think you will end up writing some decent reviews. Oh, and length isn't an issue as long as you are concise and articulate with your points.
I love the length of the review and it's about time this album gets some recognition. The above mentioned grammar/ sentence structure points are something you will have to work on with future reviews too. For a first review though, have a vote for doing this album justice.
Thanks for the comments, really appreciate it. I tried fixing the stuff Sowingseason mentioned, so it would read a little better. YOB does deserve alot more recognition than they get. They are without a doubt my favorite doom metal band of all time. I want to try reviewing maybe Catharsis and the Middian album next.
