Review Summary: The biggest letdown of 2010
One of a music listeners biggest fears is when a favored artist of theirs is about to release a new album. Sure there’s the possibility it could be a total success, a musical vision of everything the listener wanted, but in the back crevices of the mind of every person anticipating a release there is one major concern lurking: will it be a letdown; a colossal failure that will break my heart? This was my thought process when I began listening to
Revenants, the second album from Sumerian band Conducting From the Grave.
Their debut album
When Legends Become Dust instantly hooked me, and I regard it as one of my favorite metal albums of all time; so when it came time to listen to their follow-up album,
Revenants, needless to say my expectations were through the roof. I am sad to say that this album will not go down as one of my favorite, nor will it likely even make it into my usual listening rotation. It does do a few things right, but the majority of it is a letdown of epic proportions.
The biggest thing that made their debut stick so well was the melodic guitars and the drums. While the drums are back and running wild with full force, the melodic guitars, which on
When Legends Become Dust were very free flowing and high in the mix, on
Revenants the lines are much more subdued and darker. There is still some nice lines, like in “We Who Shall Conquer”, but the overall tone of the album is darker, which takes away some of what made the first album such a fun listen.
The darker tone is evident in the new vocalist as well. He has a much more developed growl and tends to stay in this range, sometimes venturing into higher pitched screams in a few tracks like “And Our War Will Dawn”. The higher screams come off as a little weak, and although the growls are better then on the debut, they don’t work as well with the music.
This album also suffers from a lack of fun and catchiness. While the first album had tons of guitar lines and hooks that would get stuck in my head for hours, if not days,
Revenants is missing much in this department. There is really nothing memorable that warrants multiple listens; nothing tells me I need to venture back to this album, but instead should just go listen to
When Legends Become Dust.
The biggest positive toward this album is the drums. Whether it is the drummer’s talent, or just the good production, I really love this band for their drum work. With interesting fills, as well as nice variety of double kick rhythms, and immaculate production, the drumming is really the only thing that makes me want to listen to this album.
If you were a fan of Conducting From the Grave’s debut album, then I would suggest staying away from
Revenants, as it is not even in the same ocean, much less the same boat. If you thought the first album was too melodic, then give
Revenants a try.
