Review Summary: swing and a miss.
Although the brand of funeral doom that Sektarism display on their debut release
L'Offrande is worthy of my approval, it’s unfortunate that the band do not capitalize on their chosen style, falling into a directionless mire with this 17 minute track.
Much like the raw and bleak nature of
Worship’s first release
Last CD Before Doomsday, Sektarism revel in a raw and minimal setting, the feedback driven guitars providing all the texturing required to propel the music. In that regard, there is much to be admired in the song from a compositional standpoint; when it’s the actual feedback on either side of the guitar notes that conjure the atmosphere, it’s obvious that something has been done right.
Nevertheless, Sektarism make a grave mistake with
L'Offrande, one which plagues this genre profusely – rather than taking the time to allow something of a climactic ascendance in the song, ‘L’Offrande’ just plods. It is often the intention of similar bands to transcribe the feelings of bleakness and despondency simply through raw and grating noise, but in most cases it results in pure monotony.
With
L’Offrande, Sektarismhas without a doubt not learned from the mistakes of others, and it’s rather unfortunate because the ingredients for something relatively profound are there. The track begins wonderfully, and for a few minutes holds one’s hopes high for a stretch of good doom, but said hopes are shattered before the song even reaches its midpoint.
The mixture of low growls and mostly ridiculous, ‘emotionally charged’ shouts simply extends the EP’s failure. Had the vocals been kept at Marianas Trench levels, this would have broken the average rating mark, but alas, this cannot be.
As mentioned before, the elements for something worthwhile are all here – Sektarism need only to put them together in the right way. Here’s hoping.
