Closure in Moscow
First Temple


4.0
excellent

Review

by Channing Freeman STAFF
May 9th, 2009 | 433 replies


Release Date: 2009 | Tracklist

Review Summary: Meat-Pied in the Kangatorium

You know those bands that automatically get described as "a mixture of The Mars Volta, Minus The Bear, and The Fall Of Troy!"? Well here's another one, and they kick ass. Closure In Moscow's First Temple is their debut album, and it's one of the strongest in recent memory. It's like an Australian Deloused In The Comatorium with Thomas Erak riffs.

And before everyone starts screaming about how derivative this is, I'll just save you the trouble. Yes, Closure In Moscow sound pretty derivative here, mostly because of the vocals. Christopher de Cinque sometimes sounds exactly like Cedric Bixler-Zavala and he sometimes sounds exactly like Thomas Erak, but he never really sounds original. Fortunately, those are great vocalists to take after, and of all the bands that have been labeled as Mars Volta ripoffs, Closure In Moscow are, if not the strongest one, the one with the most potential. Even so, comparisons abound, and the most common one seems to be "Closure In Moscow are the pop version of The Mars Volta," and that's pretty true. Before The Mars Volta started releasing albums with a bunch of crappy noise, there was the incredibly catchy Deloused In The Comatorium, an album full of strong songs devoid of bullshit. First Temple is similar, only it's even catchier and somewhat crazier instrumentally.

The best thing about First Temple is that it combines all the best things about music's current trends. It's got the immense catchiness of the poppy post-hardcore bands ("Sweet#hart"), the technicality of the "math"core bands ("Vanguard"), and a bit of that outside influence (an "Eastern-sounding" riff here and there) that bands love incorporating into songs ("Deluge"). And one of the most promising things is that First Temple has no filler except for centerpiece "Permafrost," an ambient track with spaced-out vocals that goes on for around a minute and a half longer than it should. I'd be willing to bet money that on their next album, Closure In Moscow will learn how to incorporate snatches of something like "Permafrost" into their songs instead of having moments like that placed as an awkward interlude. Other than that, every song is ridiculously strong. Opener "Kissing Cousins" gets things started with a bang, immediately displaying Closure In Moscow's ear for melody and de Cinque's delicious vocals. The guitarists are very proficient; they know how to show off without being overly flashy - the riffs and leads always serve to make the songs stronger, and every one seems perfectly fitting. It's nice to see such strong songwriting from a young band. The best song is "Deluge," with the album's catchiest chorus (seriously, it rules), and the best display of the guitarists' lack of masturbatory riffing. The chorus leads fit so perfectly that you probably won't even notice how skillful they are at first. First Temple is full of moments like that, and while the album is immediately gripping, it warrants further listens to take in all of the subtleties.

While Closure In Moscow may not give people any hope for the direction of "scene music" as a whole, First Temple is definitely worth a listen, and because of how many influences they have, there's something for everyone. While First Temple is derivative, the songs are strong enough and they sound original enough to silence the naysayers. At the very least, you can hope for an even better sophomore album, because Closure In Moscow are full of potential. Crikey!



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Comments:Add a Comment 
roofi
May 9th 2009


959 Comments

Album Rating: 3.0

summary rules



may check this out

jrowa001
May 9th 2009


8752 Comments

Album Rating: 3.5

i need to get this. i enjoyed The Penance and the Patience. the vocals were a bit weak at first but grew a little on me. i liked the instrumentation, fun band.

Athom
Emeritus
May 9th 2009


17244 Comments


cool beans



fireaboveicebelow
May 9th 2009


6835 Comments

Album Rating: 4.0

this was awesome but I cant find it :[

marksellsuswallets
May 9th 2009


4884 Comments

Album Rating: 3.5

Enjoyed their EP for a while but wore pretty thin with the exception of We Want Guarantees and Here's To Entropy. Do they still have the guitarist/backup vocalist they had on their EP because I don't hear him anywhere in the couple of songs I've heard off this.

joshuatree
Emeritus
May 9th 2009


3744 Comments


i might listen to this

Acre
May 10th 2009


847 Comments

Album Rating: 4.0

Just listened to Sweet#hart, it's really solid. Will have to get this.

Waior
May 10th 2009


11778 Comments


album cover is the alchemy index V & VI.

will check this out, but not for that reason

Mikesn
Emeritus
May 10th 2009


3707 Comments


haven't listened to this yet but The Penance and the Patience was solid

Shrapnel94
May 10th 2009


2213 Comments

Album Rating: 3.5

I am usually strangely attracted to TMV references...

kitsch
May 10th 2009


5117 Comments


that sounds like something elim would say

oathfbass
May 10th 2009


388 Comments

Album Rating: 3.0

Hmmm.....sounds interesting. I'm going to check this out.

xNintendoCorex
May 10th 2009


1269 Comments

Album Rating: 4.0

the only thing i hate about this album is the delayed australian release.

WTF?



vanguard rules so hard

oathfbass
May 10th 2009


388 Comments

Album Rating: 3.0

found a stream of it here



http://www.purevolume.com/closureinmoscow/albums/99606126

xNintendoCorex
May 10th 2009


1269 Comments

Album Rating: 4.0

its like biting the hand that fed you when you were a little child.

gayyy.



i still think their guitarists use too much compression.

oathfbass
May 10th 2009


388 Comments

Album Rating: 3.0

Listened to a couple songs so far. It's really poppy for my taste, but I see TMV sound.





They have a lot of potential. I would like to know who these guys are influenced so I can get a good idea they will go in the future with their sound.

AtavanHalen
May 10th 2009


17919 Comments

Album Rating: 3.5

You know those bands that automatically get described as "a mixture of The Mars Volta, Minus The Bear, and The Fall Of Troy!"? Well here's another one, and they kick ass.


You never fail to bring the lulz, Freeman.

Got told this was good; I may look into it.

oathfbass
May 10th 2009


388 Comments

Album Rating: 3.0

Finished the album.



Afterbirth and Vanguard are the most memorable songs in my opinion. The rest are just to poppy or downright forgettable.

oathfbass
May 10th 2009


388 Comments

Album Rating: 3.0

They are to poppy in the way a band like Chiodos is.



And if I thought they were catchy I would like them more, but I do not.



Like I said earlier, they have potential.

oathfbass
May 10th 2009


388 Comments

Album Rating: 3.0

lol okay



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