Ampere
Like Shadows


4.0
excellent

Review

by craigy2 USER (120 Reviews)
October 27th, 2011 | 83 replies


Release Date: 2011 | Tracklist

Review Summary: Ampere are back to reclaim their throne as kings of screamo.

If it weren’t for the overall quality of ‘Like Shadows’, fans of Amherst, MA screamo legends, Ampere may feel somewhat cheated. Six years between full-length releases, and a 13-minute running time - really?! This feeling of being cheated may be furthered considering the skin-deep comparisons to their previous output as this could be said to reflect a lack of progress. However, it would be more accurate to think of it as Ampere boldly sticking to their convictions and this is hardly a bad thing. 2005’s ‘All Our Tomorrows End Today’ was a thrilling exercise in unrelenting, messy passion and you’ll be glad to hear that 2011’s ‘Like Shadows’ is very much the same. Once the ring of feedback at the start of ‘(We’re) Stranded’ gives way to startlingly furious linear rhythms and octave chords you know, as a listener, what you’re getting yourself in for, and you know that Ampere mean business. This immediacy is maintained throughout the album, with each track assaulting the listener, often in under a minute, and leaving, job done.

However, in spite of its immediacy, ‘Like Shadows’ is a deceptively thoughtful affair. True, its levels of intensity offer much in the way of instant gratification for the tortured ear, but once you peel back the layers, the scale of the album becomes apparent. Each track here is surprisingly well structured and full-bodied, cramming in several motifs, dynamic changes and structural transitions. This is all the more impressive considering that the average running time is a succinct 53 seconds. The album, and indeed, each track, seamlessly vaults from one section to the next with meticulous concentration and this makes for a very exciting listen. For all its focussed intensity however, ‘Like Shadows’ is at its best when it offers more diverse dynamics. The transition from down-tuned guitars to a manic bombardment of octave chords, impassioned vocals and a convulsive rhythm section in ‘Maps, Legends’ may be relatively straightforward, yet is disturbingly effective. Better yet is the series of (faux) crescendos and diminuendos in ‘Escapism Pt. II’ that are more subtly complex, and eventually combine to give the impression of jaw-droppingly abrupt change.

All of this is not immediately obvious on ‘Like Shadows’, however. At a cursory glance it may just resemble nothing more than chaotic noise to the untrained ear. What is immediately obvious though is its gripping ferocity, but even on first listen you get the impression that there is more to be dissected. It is a very dark record, the secrecy of it all giving it a sense of mystique which is frequently, cathartically broken down to reveal glimpses of hope. For example, the soaring melodies in ‘Flightless’ penetrate through its murk to offer release from the unnervingly focussed build up preceding them. Similarly, amidst the jarring cacophony of ‘The Submerged Tenth’ lies a more melodic passage, which offers clarity as well as diversity. At times however, the search for clarity and something beyond primal emotion is frustratingly fruitless, but this is rare, and mostly, the album’s intensity compensates for this.

‘Like Shadows’ is just as dark and mysterious as its title suggests. The palpable force of the album is beautifully counterpointed by masterful structuring which allows for both sophisticated dynamics and emotional vehemence. Furthermore, the relationship between the obvious belligerence of the album and the intricacies it conceals makes for a rewarding listen just as much as it suggests the writing process was a rewarding process for the band. You can almost picture the quartet deliberately hiding away joyous melodies with glee! As such, ‘Like Shadows’ is a wholly cathartic album, and it is one which re-establishes Ampere as titans of screamo.



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user ratings (273)
3.7
great
other reviews of this album
tigersuit1031 (4.5)
Ampere returns like they never left...

related reviews

All Our Tomorrows End Tod


Comments:Add a Comment 
seedofnothing
October 28th 2011


3422 Comments


female armpit hair

eternium
October 28th 2011


16358 Comments

Album Rating: 4.0

This is better than All Our Tomorrows.

craigy2
October 28th 2011


551 Comments

Album Rating: 4.0

yah. er, vaginal belch.

Relinquished
October 28th 2011


48975 Comments

Album Rating: 4.0

great album

cvlts
October 28th 2011


9943 Comments


albums my 'immediate satisfaction album of the year'

Enotron
October 28th 2011


7695 Comments

Album Rating: 4.0

This is better than All Our Tomorrows.




youre buggin

craigy2
October 28th 2011


551 Comments

Album Rating: 4.0

no, it really is.

AbyssalCreation
October 28th 2011


2064 Comments


This is better than All Our Tomorrows.


Backed.


witchxrapist
October 28th 2011


11117 Comments

Album Rating: 4.5

No it's not, sorry.

sniper
October 28th 2011


19075 Comments


this is pretty much just ampere being ampere

Aids
October 28th 2011


24542 Comments

Album Rating: 4.0

rules

accompliceofmydeath
October 28th 2011


4921 Comments

Album Rating: 3.5

Brings da skramz.

Adabelle
October 28th 2011


4425 Comments

Album Rating: 3.5

Nice to see this get a review, even nicer to see this get a really good review.

sixthgoldenticket
December 2nd 2011


1176 Comments


best screamo this year

Adabelle
December 2nd 2011


4425 Comments

Album Rating: 3.5

^ Or Raein.

witchxrapist
December 2nd 2011


11117 Comments

Album Rating: 4.5

This is my favorite album of the year... and that Raein LP is a compilation of songs off splits, and

aside from Parte I and II (their two best songs), not really their best material.

Adabelle
December 2nd 2011


4425 Comments

Album Rating: 3.5

I'm confused, I was talking about Sulla linea... not Ah, As If?

witchxrapist
December 2nd 2011


11117 Comments

Album Rating: 4.5

Wait.. wait... there was an actually NEW Raein?!



Gotta get me on that right meow.

Adabelle
December 2nd 2011


4425 Comments

Album Rating: 3.5

I really enjoyed it, legit flowing.

Tyler.
June 30th 2012


19033 Comments

Album Rating: 4.0

i don't understamd this it's just scrraming and you can't even undrersand a word! you can't undrrstand the guitars either



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