 | Tracklist:
01.) King's Approach
02.) Soul Before Flesh
03.) We Rest in the Valley
04.) God Has a Plan for Me
05.) Why Have You Summoned Me?
Release Date: 12/01/2011 | |
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On 5 Lists
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| Summary: Grandiosity redefined. |
3 of 3 thought this review was well written
In what was arguably an incredibly mediocre year for post-metal as a whole, the genre's domineering release was, unfortunately, heard of by few and actually listened to by fewer. Return, the sophomore full-length of British ambient sludge act All the Empires of the World, truly is an enigma. Seemingly released out of nowhere by a band that not many knew of to begin with, it was met with very little fanfare, existing only as a free digital download on the label's website and the group's Bandcamp. This lack of recognition is an utter travesty, for in a year with so little proficient post-metal to latch on to, Return satisfies in utterly every way imaginable. Over five tracks and 54 minutes of slowed-to-a-crawl, highly atmospheric sludge, this album spans more territory than anyone else in the genre has for quite a long time.
This is not, in any sense of the word, a truly easy listen. Opener Kings Approach clocks in at a hefty 17 minutes, with vocals only coming into the mix in the fourteenth minute. God Has a Plan for Me is five minutes of directionless acoustic meandering, while closer Why Have You Summoned Me? gives the first two thirds of its duration to am ambient build before the long-awaited climax comes in. But for those lucky few with the patience and attention spans to sit through Return, it will be a trip well worth taking. The atmosphere that All the Empires of the World are able to conjure is nothing short of magnificent: an immense, desolate soundscape of gaping sonic abysses, towering peaks, and soul-crushing riffs that never ceases to engage the listener even in its most subdued moments. It is a fierce dichotomy of peace and unfiltered chaos and obliteration, the peace taking the form of lengthy passages of ambiance and the chaos incarnating itself as an absolutely caustic frenzy of variable-tempo riffs accentuated by tortured, aimless shrieks (Return represents the band's first use of vocals, and it works better than anyone could have ever hoped).
If Blessings was an incredibly organic montage of beautiful climaxes and calming atmosphere, Return, while being very similar in a multitude of aspects, is its antithesis. Open tunings previously used to lift one's soul are now used to mercilessly crush it, spaces of atmospheric meanderings now build tension as opposed to relaxing the listener, and the inclusion of a Godflesh-style drum machine only accentuates the darkness of this album. Everything, from the destructive final minutes of Kings Approach to the more-than-welcome tempo changes of We Rest in the Valley to the brooding open-tuning strummings of God Has a Plan for me, proves All the Empires of the World to be a trio of truly brilliant musicians. The pure grandeur of Return only makes the lack of recognition it's received that much more injust, but not all is yet lost. Do yourself a favor and listen to the most epic, grandiose, crushing, and atmospheric post-metal album of 2011. The near-hour you spend doing so will assuredly breeze by, leaving you wondering afterward how you ever could have missed something like this.
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| Recent reviews by this author | | | |
Album Rating: 4.5 | Sound Off
http://alltheempiresoftheworld.bandcamp.com/
I've been meaning to write this for quite a while, and the completely out-of-nowhere release of Old Gods, Old Worlds, Old Wounds motivated me to finally write it. It's not the best I've ever done, but hey.
Album rules hard.
Digging: Old Man Gloom - NO Digging: Old Man Gloom - NO | | |
"Opener Kinds Approach clocks in at a hefty 17 minutes,"
other than that nice review
Digging: Black Sun Empire - Driving Insane Digging: Black Sun Empire - Driving Insane
| | | Album Rating: 4.5 | Sound Off
crap, thanks
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looks interesting will check
Digging: Wintersun - Time
| | | Album Rating: 4.5 | Sound Off
bumping b/c wtf only 3 ratings
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Got this waiting in my iTunes for me, loved blessings
Digging: Titus Andronicus - The Monitor
| | | Album Rating: 4.5 | Sound Off
new album is fucking suave
Digging: Sidi Touré - Koima | | | Album Rating: 4.5 | Sound Off
Awesome man, this was reviewed too? Thank goodness. These guys are quickly becoming my favorite band. EASILY my favorite release of the past year.
Digging: johnny_ripper - Still Images & Other Dreams Digging: johnny_ripper - Still Images & Other Dreams | | | Album Rating: 4.5 | Sound Off
Also, this is nitpicking, but "Return represents the band's first use of vocals, and it works better than anyone could have ever hoped"
The band included some subtle vocals on [I Perceive Your Resonance] on 'Blessings'
| | | Album Rating: 4.5 | Sound Off
this still only has 4 ratings
why
| | | Album Rating: 4.5
This album blew my mind.
| | | Album Rating: 4.5 | Sound Off
this still only has 4 ratings
cuz people are fuckin gay.
its funny that double that are fappin to the new one which isnt even as good
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