Review Summary: A paragon of emotion in metal.
Yob has become one of the most respected Stoner/Doom bands since their 2002 debut release, Elaborations of Carbon. Clearing the Path to Ascend marks their 7th, and most mature release. It contains 4 songs and clocks in at just over an hour.
The album kicks off with the riff-heavy "In Our Blood," and sets the tone for the album perfectly. The riffs sound like pure hellfire while Mike Scheidt's vocals sound like that of an angry sorcerer. The bass is raspy and the drums have the signature Travis Foster slow, pummeling, groove. After about 14 minutes of this hell on earth, the quiet comes back, and a sample from philosopher Alan Watts chanting "What is reality?" Overall, this is a track that any fan of heavy riffs and spacey-atmospherics can love.
The second song is titled, "Nothing to Win," and is by far the fastest song on the album. Not only is it the fastest piece on the album, but it is probably the most catchy, especially the chorus. You can hear death metal influence throughout this song and A LOT of Melvins influence. All of this said, Yob does a fantastic job at adding some diversity to the album with this song.
"Unmask the Spectre," the third song off Clearing, is easily the most haunting and atmospheric song on the album. It frequently switches between a chilling, quiet tone, and a heavy, somber hammer smashing over your skull. The lyrics are standard Mike Scheidt lyrics, featuring themes of oceans, stars, space, and whatever the *** and "Rigpa" is.
The final track off this album is the beautiful "Marrow," which in my humble opinion, is the greatest metal song ever made, and certainly the best metal song of the year. Never have I heard a song that contains as much passion, and emotion as "Marrow" does. It starts off quiet with an alluring chord progression, and eventually continues the progression at a louder, more distorted volume. Mike Scheidt's vocals are so ethereal and angelic that they are truly the highlight of the song. Marrow is a look ahead to the future, a true masterpiece.
