2016 Album Review #9

Divinity – The Immortalist, Pt. 1 – Awestruck (Nuclear Blast Records)

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Divinity is a death metal band from Calgary, Alberta, Canada that combines elements of technical death metal with melodic death metal. The band came from crossing of paths between singer Sean Jenkins with guitarist James Duncan while they were both in high school. The band released their first solid EP in 2002, and later their first studio album in 2007. Their second album, The Singularity, quickly became one of my favorite technical death metal albums, and I have been hooked on them ever since. After a brief hiatus, the band returned in 2013 with the first part of a trilogy concept album. Each of the three EPs would contain 4 songs based on a lyrical and musical story. Their former bassist became a 2^nd vocalist, and this is really prevalent in the shaping and changing of their sound.  Musically, the sound goes back and forth between sounding like Swedish melodic death metal bands such as Soilwork, Dark Tranquility, In Flames, and At The Gates, and the technical death metal bands of Canada such as Quo Vadis, Beyond Creation, Into Eternity, and Cryptopsy. All of this is mixed with a healthy does of influence by industrial metal bands like Devin Townsend, Strapping Young Lad, and Fear Factory. I love how the album seems to progress more and more as it goes on. It starts out fast and heavy, and adds more melody and diversity towards the end of the album. This EP is an excellent release that is sure to please any fan of extreme metal, and it does a great job of allowing fans to be excited for the other two releases that are part of the trilogy.

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Album Score: 9/10

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– Jordan Salfity

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Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/divinitymetal/

Website: http://www.divinity.ca/

“Pigs on the Wing – Part 1” (Acoustic Guitar Cover)

Here is my acoustic guitar cover of “Pigs on the Wing – Part 1” by Pink Floyd, the closing opening off their classic album Animals from the year 1977.

2015 Album Review #25

(Review originally posted by That Metal Station. Link to original can be found here: http://thatmetalstation.com/brave-the-waters-chapter-1-dawn-of-days-self-released/)

Brave the Waters – Chapter 1: Dawn of Days – 8.0/10

Brave the Waters is a project consisting of just two members by the names of Tom Anderer and Rick Habeeb. These two met in 2012 when Rick joined Tom’s band, Buckshot Facelift. Also around that same time, Tom joined Rick’s band Grey Skies Fallen because they were in need of a new bass player. Three years later, the two of them collaborated and this is the result. Brave the Waters is much different than Grey Skies Fallen and Buckshot Facelift because it is not a metal band by any means necessary. Perhaps at best, it is reminiscent of the more calmer moments found on certain Grey Skies Fallen, but it is definitely something new entirely.

Their first release is just 6 tracks long and clocks in about 18 minutes. The entire endeavor is instrumental and contains no drums. Tom focuses on bass guitar and acoustic guitar playing. His bass lines are nice and prevalent as he focuses on the higher register of the instrument. His acoustic playing helps to fill out the background. Rick focuses on the guitar lines, which are the majority of the album. Rick extensively uses a Big Sky reverb pedal, which in my opinion is one of the best in the business when trying to create an ethereal and atmospheric quality.

The members explain that this release was “recorded one sunny weekend during the summer of 2014 at Audio Playground, Long Island”. Keith Morrow who owns the studio also has worked on almost all of Grey Skies Fallen’s releases. The release works great as background music and helps capture that sunny element with its bright tones and post-rock like chord progressions. There is not a lot of diversity to this release, so don’t go into it expecting a wild roller coaster ride. Go into it with your eyes closed, relax, and enjoy the world around you. Really hope that Rick and Tom continue with this project, and that we will see another release really soon.

– Jordan Salfity

Bandcamp Page: bravethewaters.bandcamp.com/releases

Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/bravethewaters