Review Summary: Even after hearing so much music that's concise, cinematic and intense with concepts to story tell about, I've never heard anything with quite the effect this had on me. Every second feels planned out and perfect with the intent to tell you something and
This has long surpassed my favorite album Hospice by The Antlers, this an epic chilling tale of revenge, discovery and lost lineage. All tracks but one cover a piece of the main character portrayed in the album's lineage as he slowly chisels away at his origins to find deceit, rape, false imprisonment and ties to the catholic church who were behind all of it. It's amazing and the lyrics may seem pretentious or gibberish but if you read along with the album you'll realize that it's just heavily coded and covered in these oozing thick metaphors + similes. The label ***ed this release up for Volta, not including the title track which is supposed to be the intro and the setting piece of this all dealing with Frances himself and setting up a tiny sliver of the narrative that's expanded upon later. They also made the last track multiple tiny split up tracks as opposed to one big 30 minute piece but missing context aside, the official release is still amazing. It's apparently all based on their deceased friend and a journal he had found and related to before his passing. The Widow calls back to the one song i said doesn't deal with the lineage story, a very touching tribute to their friend and that touches on the dangers of cigarette smoking and cancer and is still tied into the narrative although feeling like the weakest link here in terms of that.
I've never been that into prog-rock but this just touched me in all the right ways, it's this epic Odyssey with twists and turns everywhere, dead-ends, confusion and sadness until it finally pulls no punches and hits you with a 30-minute lament about revenge as the main character discovers the corruption in his family legacy, how his mother was raped and his father was killed and falsely accused by the catholic church. Just oh my god. So good. I've never heard anything like this put into record, and the ambition paid off. Cedric's voice is spine-chillingly amazing with tons of moog effects and all the instruments are crazy, math-rocky and just never stay the same for too long. There's been very few metal or rock "epic's" I've been able to get into with exception of like, The Mantle and Dopethrone or some Candlemass but this just hits everything I've ever wanted in a album ever. Genuine 10/10.
