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Review Summary: Dulled and disinterested, Vorbkt's second full-length is definitely beautiful, yet difficult to connect with. There's something very hollow about the way that For Silence sounds, both literally and figuratively. Practically non-existent bass isn't something that's new to black metal, and for many bands towards the rawer end of the spectrum this is a major characteristic of their sound. Yet, Vorbkt also eschew the vicious, eardrum-lacerating treble that epitomises the aforementioned subgenre, setting them apart from other lo-fi affairs. Where some seek to attack the listener with a full-frontal aural assault, the Newfoundlanders seem to keep their distance for much of the album. The reverberating quality of some tracks give the illusion of cold, empty space, which only adds to this nebulous 'distance' that they place between themselves and the listener.
Admittedly, For Silence is a fairly untidy album. Strewn across the album are dropped notes, shaky transitions, different production values (the slightly harsher recording style on 'Fading Into Infinity' in particular is noticeably different to the more cavern-like 'Coma...'), and small yet awkward tempo fluctuations. It would be a cop-out to dismiss these as all being 'perfectly fitting with the music', as most are clearly the product of occasional sloppy musicianship, yet conversely they yield a certain je ne sais quoi that an immaculate performance of this album would not be able to. Nevertheless, this isn't an easy album to connect with. Its hollow, withdrawn style may make it an 'easier' listen than Axis of Light (for example), yet this detached characteristic means that the overwhelming feeling exuded is a pure form of hopelessness. For Silence feels removed, dead inside, uncaring for its faults. It's a strangely beautiful album, just one I hope to never truly identify with.
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Bleak stuff. Review's a bit short but I didn't want to repeat myself any more than I could have done. Comments, corrections and whatnot as always welcomed :] Stream/name-your-price download here -> https://vorbkt.bandcamp.com/album/for-silence
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A practically non-existent bass presence isn't something that's new to black metal
Get rid of "a" and "presence", it reads a little funny otherwise.
Where some seek to attack the listener with a full-frontal aural assault, the Newfoundlanders seem to keep their distance for much of the album; it's undeniably malevolent, yet they seem to shy away from the direct confrontation many of their contemporaries partake in.
I don't think the bit after the semi-colon is really necessary, it just sort of rephrases what the first part of the sentence says.
The reverberating quality given to certain parts of this album, giving the illusion of cold..
Should prob revise your word choices, there. Actually, the sentence itself is a bit of a mess. I'd change it to something like "The reverberating quality of some tracks gives the illusion of a cold, empty space, which adds to the..." you get it.
yet this detached characteristic means that the overwhelming feeling exuded is a pure form of hopelessness
"yet this detached characteristic creates an overwhelming feeling of hopelessness" is more effective, IMO.
just one I hope to never truly understand.
I think "understand" is probably the wrong kind of word for this send off. A phrase like "identify with" implies that you do understand where the musicians are coming from, but that you wish to never personally experience what they're going through, if that makes sense.
Nice review, I'm liking your minimalist approach more and more. You could probably combine the second and third paragraphs so it doesn't look as fragmented at a glance, but that's a really minor suggestion. Pos : )
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Great review, second paragraph is bang on which is why I hesistated a little bit to 3.5 this, but at the same time I love their approach. The middle-ground drawling quality is something I dig, it's atmospheric without being 'atmospheric'. I really like their newest single too (the one I played in dubtrack). But yeah very accurate review and I'm really glad to see one for this.
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@Jac cheers dude :] I agree with the points you've made entirely, and I considered taking out the second one even while writing it and audibly went 'naaaaah'. Oops :L Will fix!
@Scuro thanks for playing it in Dubtrack in the first place! It's weird for me; it's messy, and I'm not sure I'd like it if it wasn't messy, but at the same time it being messy is an issue. It's a frustrating paradox.
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Exactly how I feel, it's messy without being 'amateur' but at the same time it's kinda hard to accept the sloppy playing as an aesthetic thing and not just laziness or ineptitude.
| | | Album Rating: 2.0
sounds like ineptitude to me. production is ass; it doesn't even get by on charm. best song is the last one but it doesn't even approach justifying its length
| | | Album Rating: 2.0
Will jam this within the next few days.
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Album cover is fantastic, need to check this out.
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This still jams, dude put a comp. album out too not long ago
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'sounds like ineptitude to me.' - it is a VERY fine line, so I can understand why it doesn't work for you.
| | | Album Rating: 2.0
Damn this sucks.
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I'm bored just reading about it
| | | Album Rating: 2.0
Yeah bro don't jam.
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Damn :/ I still kinda like this.
I'm bored just reading about it
Hope that's not a reflection on my reviewing :P But in all seriousness, if it is I'd appreciate any feedback you have.
| | | Album Rating: 2.0
Nah bro the review is good. The album is not lol.
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Something I still like about this, it's charmed me
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