Review Summary: Jazzy, Jazzy, Progressive, than atmospheric, so Death Metal, than moody, sometimes, very smooth and beautiful. While not the most centered, it's the nicest, in my opinion. Is very nice to see a great band in its start.
"Well, well, well, my droogies" as Alex DeLarge would say. Since you, my brothers, complained I don't had much to say about "Thick as A Brick", I'll try to fix this in this review. Growing and learning.
This album, while still not my favourite on the short and great maudlin of the Well's discography, it's the nicest, in my opinion. For many people, many bands only reach the point of greatness on the middle of its career, but is always awesome to hear the sound totally rustic, because, only there, you can see the real soul of the band, its emotional core. And if you do this with maudlin of the Well, you do right, because, the band had a great musical feeling on this album. Well, it's not the most centered album, but it's very nice to see a band in its start.
The album opens with the jazzy, bombastic "Ferocious Weights", featuring the sweet voice of Marie-Stella Fountolakis, and it's a very pleasure to hear her voice. The song drives you into a very unprecedented experience in therms of Metal. The second track, "A Conception Pathetic" breaks into the traditional Heavy Metal way. Heavy, powerful, explosive. Both, the growled and clean vocals, are awesome. The track ends with a funny and ironic piano. "Undine and Underwater Flowers" have a nice mood, the slow-paced introduction breaks into a soft song, with hypnotic clean vocals and a free jazz drum style. The acoustic sections are great. "The Ocean, the Kingdom and the Temptation" starts with creeping vocals, and, still, a hypnotic vocals, but not so clean. The guitar evolves, from an atmospheric and trance rhytm, to an strong an solid Death Metal guitar. Enforced by the growled vocals, the riffs and the solo become just awesome. Than the track is taken by another jazzy rhytm, with smooth vocals, than - surprise - Death Metal again, than an atmospheric section. It's just breath-taking and, at the same time, calm. I know, buddies, my description is confused, but this song is just confused. In a good way.
Well, I keep writting. "Pondering a Wall" have its videoclip, you know it. The song starts explosive - Yeah, I love this kind of words - and keeps in this Metal way, until the entering of Marie-Stella, than it takes a Progressive Rock pace, very surrounding. "Catharsis of Sea - Sleep and Dreaming Shrine" is a song very, very impressive for me. It starts jazzy, breaks into Death Metal, goes to the Prog Rock style, and it unfolds, coming back to the Death Metal. "Blight of River Systems" is a prologue to 2001 Bath's "Geography". It's very nice and calm, with a duo between the male and female vocals, in a jazzy way - Hey, its jazzy, your bastards, I swear -, the drums are very cool, the guitar is very nice. It's just a fine piece of smooth music in the maudlin's way. "Outro" is a very weird outro recorded for the album. It just creeps me out.
The only thing I would like to add on this, was the Maria-Stella vocals. I would like to hear more her voice. Anyway, the trio of Jason Byron, Toby Driver and Maria-Stella make a good job on the album. Finally, this album is a great demonstration of experimental music, blending Progressive Metal, Progressive Rock, Atmospheric Rock, Death Metal, Jazz, Chamber Music, whatsoever more they like to experiment with. Simply great. I love it.
