Review Summary: If youtube people would listen to this, they would say "this is a beast"
Hailing from Umeå, Sweden, the same city as post masterminds Cult of Luna, that punk band who shaped punk you know, Refused. And last but not least metal maniacs Meshuggah. Well done Umeå, a town with 80.000 inhabitants and most of them are students who live there for three years and then move somewhere warmer.
The progressive doom metal/post metal band Moloken (english translation = downhearted, depressed) does at least as well, if not better than their better known neighbours.
These long hard winters we have over here in Sweden is often audioable in Swedish music. Such aswell is the case in this piece of angsty art. I bet it's hard to make happy music with 9 months of winter. With vice versa complex rythms and simple sludgier parts. With a vocalist that surely shows real devotion and a real interesting drummer who is a real treat. Imagine a Neurosis force fed on dissonance, an Opeth with balls, a even more hardcore smelling Ne Obliviscaris or whatever you people like... This proves to be one of the best realeases in 2009.
The debut ep "We all face the dark alone" was a real treat back in 2008. But on Our Astral Circle, Moloken has stepped up their game at so many levels. This is darker, heavier it's more of everything that we all love. Our Astral Circle is a nine track, 54 minute long journey through darkness, despair and anger. With dissonant complex rythms, angsty screams and heavy drumming a hammer of darkness hits the listener repeadetly from start to finish. Only broken off from time to time when a simple yet tasty plocked guitar without any effects gives the listener a second to breath before all hell brakes loose again. There is no ambient parts, there is no noise, there is no "fun" breaks. This is hardcore darkness my friends. A perfectly executed mix where everything is audioable and the guitar and drum tone only brings the feeling of Mr. Doomsday coming to knock on your door oh so much closer. Is the last and oh so important part in this masterpiece.
This whole album flows really nice but especially the Untitled trilogy. Who played on a row becomes one long (17 minute) piece of perfection. Even though there might be some part of heavy parts turning to mellow parts that may seem forced and out of place. Me, I choose to see it as a part of the beauty but it still bugs me.
Another thing that I just can't see past is the singing in the beginning of epos 11'12. Now matter how emotional it is, it's hella anoying. Besides from that, the singing is great and it's a great part in my overall judgement, 4,5. Lyrically Moloken brings the listener what's expected of them. Dark lyrics that complement the overall feeling of the album very well.
This is an album that should be listened to as a whole. Preferably in a dark room, lying in bed, staring up at the roof and just focusing all and everything towards this massive wall of sound. But if I have to say a track that stands out I'll have do say Die Fear Will and 11'12 who lets up into a massive, beautiful sludgy crescendo that is a perfect way to end an almost perfect record.
So if you woke up this morning feeling like you didn't want to go to work. Put this record on and you never want to wake up again.
