The follow up to Tiger & The Duke, The Sound of Animals Fighting’s latest attempt at an experimental musical style Lover, The Lord Has Left Us… definitely branches off from the normal into an expansive array of music.
This time around, the band consists of some new musicians many know and love from their own bands such as Craig Owens from Chiodos, Keith Goodwin from Days Away, and Matthew Kelly from the Autumns. Also, the old favorites return (Anthony Green, Matthew Embree, Chris Tsagakis….)
While this album may fall on deaf ears to the bands returning fans who loved the first four songs put out by this band, it is true the new, very experimental band, may not be for some. A first listen through in fact, I hated this cd; but I’ve taught myself by now to always give music a second listen to soak it all in, and there are many highlights on this cd if people would look past all the awkward opera and Indian singing and see the rock outfit that lays beneath.
Track by Track:
Intro: This track starts off the record with a high pitched static that goes into a weird droning effect. Very soon into this track, an array of horns can be heard swirling around this droning tone, and with the track being so short, there is a slight swell and it ends. Not much to talk about, just an intro. However, it gets the job done, as any intro should. 6/10
Un'aria: The first vocal track of the cd kicks in here, with Craig Owens doing a stand alone track. In my opinion he does a great job. Being a vocals only track, I have to say this is one of the only tracks with no musical background that I can sit back and actually enjoy to listen to. He has great tonality, he is one of the main reasons that I picked up this cd. This is very enjoyable and a great starting track. 8/10
Skullflower: This track starts out with a good drum beat and eventually the guitars come in; both in a very clean, mellow tone, and showing the bands ability to make very melodic riffs. A constant distorted sound in the background adds to the overall experience, bringing the listener into a more abstract sound. Then the vocals kick in (Anthony Green I believe); and I must say, vocals are the highlight of this album. With such great talents, everything seems to fit so well together, and this song shows this talent off extremely well. Eventually an Indian woman begins to sing a few phrases (translated to: “Take me from darkness to light” and “Take me from death to eternity”). My only complaint with this beautiful song is that the Indian vocals seem to detract from the overall experience of this song, but a beautiful song none the less, a highlight of the album. 9/10
My Horse Must Lose: This is by far one of my favorite songs on the album. A slightly awkward intro with a woman speaking something in what seems to be German, but I could be wrong. The drum beat seems reversed and plays a very catchy introduction, followed by a mix of guitar and keyboards, and then the vocals kick in. This is what draws me completely in to the song; as a matter of fact I usually skip the first minute to get to the vocals of the song. An organ kicks in and a very mellow voice follows soon after; a very poppy and catchy song. 9/10
Chiriacho Summit: This can be described as nothing more than an interlude, one disappointment of this cd as I was looking forward to much more musical tracks then the bands previous cd. This is definitely skippable; actually I see no point to listen to this track unless you’re trying to take in the whole album. It is nothing more than a spoken track, one voice high pitched and urgent, the other mellow and deeper. 5/10
Horses in the Sky: Another track that seems to start out with German spoken word, fronting a mix of different instruments; seems all very disorderly, which I enjoyed. Then, again, Craig Owens’ vocals kick in. This time however, they seem out of place; too forceful for the overall feeling of this song. Many interesting effects are used throughout the song though, some on his voice, and a repeating of that German spoken intro. The chorus picks the song up slightly more, and is definitely the highlight of this song; saving it in my opinion. I enjoyed the guitar work throughout the song though; riffs seem injected into the song at almost completely random moments, but somehow enjoyable. The solo is also pretty impressive and a good listen; a good song but not a highlight of the cd. The outro, however saves this song for me, very interesting string arrangement into giuitar arrangement and back to the chorus. 8/10
Stockhausen, Es Ist Ihr Gehirn, Das Ich Suche: No idea what this song title means, if someone would like to look it up, I gladly encourage you, but this is an epic of a song coming in at 8:02 also sharing a very epic feel to it. Like many of the other tracks on this cd, a drum beat starts out the song (almost sounds like a crunching) and in comes an arrangement of guitars with a nice delay effect and good use of harmonics, followed by piano to blend with and create a very interesting intro. The crunching drum beat comes back, and some more beautiful vocal work kicks into action (another Anthony Green track), at times duel vocals harmonize. About four minutes into the song, an opera singer begins a 1 minute vocal interlude, slightly distracting to me. Then, the verse kicks back in for another great vocal harmonization. Very interesting song and another highlight of the cd. 9/10
Prayers on Fire: An interesting track, but not worth listening to more than a once or twice unless you’ve really enjoyed this whole Indian thing by now. It mostly consists of only Indian vocals and very hard to decipher spoken word. Interesting musicianship, but not easy to get into; basically another interlude. 5/10
The Golden Boy That Was Swallowed By The Sea: This is almost identical to the first spoken word track. Basically a story told over a static background; no need to really listen to this track. 5/10
This Heat: Another epic song, this track clocks in at around 10:35, the longest track on the cd. One of my favorite intros on the cd, with a drum pattern play an obscure track then an organ joining in on it; leading to mild chaos which somehow leads to a very mellow drum beat. This brings up some beautifully arranged lyrics with some very interesting lyrics and experimental riffs. This mellow track leads into a more chaotic track with duel vocals, very interesting change and very listenable if interested in something a little different. After this vocal and music track of slight disorder a very weird two minute long track of humming and chanting kicks in. Up until this last part of the song the song is quite enjoyable. 9/10
Un'aria Ancora: This is pretty much a reiteration of Craig’s first vocal only track. One thing this record seems to do is reiterate itself throughout in a way that adds slight structure, yet slight a very interesting twist to the overall listening experience. Some do not enjoy his vocal only tracks, but I myself love them. 8/10
St. Broadrick Is In Antarctica: One of the shorter tracks of this cd, a very interesting introduction of some sound I can’t even describe, and a quick drum track plays through a few times. The vocals seem mildly distant in this song, and adds to the idea that each track has its own uniqueness; the best thing about this cd next to the vocals. Very interesting lyrics about the idea of not wanting change; a very common theme of thought to many. Half way through the song, the melodic tones kick out and a spoken word speaks a story and the music from the beginning of the track picks back up and ends like this. I love how I can listen to this cd and not only take it as a musical experience at times, but also be able to think of this as a type of story. 9/10
The Heretic: My favorite song off the cd (sung by Matthew Kelly from the Autumns), a very mellow and laid back song. If I had to describe this song I would say experimental Coldplay, although many will probably disagree with me. The vocals are nearly perfect, picking up almost a third of the way through the track. Picking up near the end, ending in a very drawing in acoustic guitar riff, this song ends in beauty. Not much to say about this song other than a must listen even if this cd doesn’t interest you 10/10
There Is No Dispute That Monsters Live Among Us: Another epic song, in time, coming in at 6:33. This is however, my least favorite actual song, song on this cd. While a very distinct acoustic guitar plays along with a bongo beat you’d hear at a poetry jam, the worst vocals of the cd come in. A trembling tonality ruins this song for me, and the questionable ending to this cd comes with this song. However, it is not completely horrible, still mildly listenable. My main gripe with this song is that there is no change within the whole 6 minutes of the track. Almost seems like it was meant to be part of a different song, or from a different band altogether. 6/10
In the end, this cd may take some getting used to and may fall on deaf ears of fans of the more progressive hardcore SOAF, this is a step in a different direction and at times a very enjoyable listening experience. My rating for this cd is based upon the actual songs themselves, ignoring the spoken word interludes that just seem to take up space. Like with the first cd, I would have enjoyed this more if it were an ep consisting of the actual 6 or 7 musical tracks and lacking of the interludes. While the Indian music, german speaking, and opera singing might detract from the whole experience, the rest of the actual music is worth the waiting. Listen through it once, and if you don’t enjoy it give it a few more listens.
Highlight Tracks: The heretic, St. Broadrick in Antartica, This Heat, Stockhausen, Es Ist Ihr Gehirn, Das Ich Suche, My Horse Must Lose, Skullflower
