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--------------------------- ▀▀▀▀▀ ▀▀▀▀████████████ ███████████▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ ▀▀▀█▀▀▀ ▀ ▀ ▀▀▀▀▀ ▀▀ █▀▀▀ ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀████████ ████████▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ █ ▀ █ █ █ ▀▀▀▀█ ██ █ ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀█████ █████████████▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ ▀ ▀ ▀▀▀▀▀ ▀▀▀▀▀ ▀▀ ▀▀▀▀ ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀████████ ████████████████▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ ----- D─I─V─i─S─i─O─N ------ ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀████████████ ███████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████ █╔════════----- ┌─┐ ┌── ┌ ┌── ┌┐ ┌──┐┌── ─ ─ ┌┐ ┌ ┌── ┌──┐────---═════════╗█ █║╔══════───--- │─└┐├─ │ ├─ ┌├└┐└──┐├─ ── │ │└┐│ ├─ │ │─────---═══════╗║█ █║╠══════────── └ └└── └── └───┘ └───┘└── ─ └── └┘ ┘ └──┘────────═══════╣║█ █║║█▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀█║║█ █║║█▀ artist : Ebonylake ▀█║║█ █║╠█═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════█╣║█ █║║█▀ title : In Swathes Of Brooding Light ▀█║║█ █║╠█═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════█╣║█ █║║█▀ genre : Black Metal ▀█║║█ █║╠█═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════█╣║█ █║║█▀ source : CDDA ▀█║║█ █║╠█═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════█╣║█ █║║█▀ type : Album ▀█║║█ █║╠█══════════════════════════════════╗╔═══════════════════════════════════█╣║█ █║║█▀ rls date : 01.08.2012 ║║ st date : 00.00.0000 ▀█║║█ █║╠█══════════════════════════════════╣╠═══════════════════════════════════█╣║█ █║║█▀ size : 122,5 MB ║║ tracks : 10 ▀█║║█ █║╠█══════════════════════════════════╣╠═══════════════════════════════════█╣║█ █║║█▀ encoder : Lame 3.98 ║║ label : n/a ▀█║║█ █║╠█══════════════════════════════════╝╚═══════════════════════════════════█╣║█ █║║█▀ quality : avg. 263kbps / 44,1kHz / Joint-Stereo ▀█║║█ █║╠█═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════█╣║█ █║║█▀ website : n/a ▀█║║█ █║╠█═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════█╣║█ █║║█▀ similar artist : n/a ▀█║║█ █║╠█═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════█╣║█ █║║█████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████║║█ █║╠█═════------ ┌─┐ ┌── ┌ ┌── ┌┐ ┌──┐┌── ─ ┌┐ ┌ ┌──┐─┬─┌──┌──┐ ---══════█╣║█ █║╠█══════──--- │─└┐├─ │ ├─ ┌├└┐└──┐├─ ── │└┐│ │ │ │ ├─ └──┐ ----═════█╣║█ █║╠█══════───── └ └└── └── └───┘ └───┘└── ─ ─ └┘ └──┘ └ └─────┘ ─────════█╣║█ █║║█▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀█║║█ █║║█ In Swathes Of Brooding Light marks the first album by England's █║║█ █║║█ black metal act Ebony Lake in a dozen years. █║║█ █║║█ █║║█ █║║█ If I were forced to describe this album in three words, I would █║║█ █║║█ describe it thus: █║║█ █║║█ █║║█ █║║█ Chaotic. Fucking. Mess. █║║█ █║║█ █║║█ █║║█ There is a fine line between genius and insanity. Ebony Lake walks █║║█ █║║█ this line in much the same fashion as the guy on Cops who just blew █║║█ █║║█ a .254 into the breathalyzer does that field sobriety test. At some █║║█ █║║█ points the chaos synchs up into something awesome. At others times █║║█ █║║█ it synchs up to "make the bad people stop!" Think "Bungle-Sagoth." █║║█ █║║█ █║║█ █║║█ Trying to describe this album in the word count allotted is █║║█ █║║█ extremely difficult. Hell, some of the absurdly long song names █║║█ █║║█ damn near hit the word cap on their own. I will do my best to █║║█ █║║█ approximate this release. █║║█ █║║█ █║║█ █║║█ Musically the basic backbone is furious black metal riffing, █║║█ █║║█ reminiscent of early Emperor, with the occasional hat tip to █║║█ █║║█ Blessed Are The Sick era Morbid Angel. The guitarist loves to █║║█ █║║█ dabble in "what can I do here to increase tension", as well as █║║█ █║║█ occasionally, "what is the absolute wrongest possible chord I could █║║█ █║║█ play here?" The drumming is often buried deep in the mix, but I do █║║█ █║║█ like what I hear on the title track, when he goes "George of the █║║█ █║║█ Ebony Jungle", as well as furious kit bashing on "The Curious █║║█ █║║█ Caves..." The attack - and it is a hostile invasion of your █║║█ █║║█ auditory senses - is furthered by synths and keyboards, which often █║║█ █║║█ times sound like someone trying to score an early 80's slasher film █║║█ █║║█ on a toy piano. Oh, and there is a bassist as well whom we █║║█ █║║█ occasionally hear from. █║║█ █║║█ █║║█ █║║█ So guitars, drums, keyboards, bass... standard stuff. Just only █║║█ █║║█ occasionally used in the manner a black metal fan is familiar. █║║█ █║║█ Frequently it seems like perhaps they went Captain Beefheart on us, █║║█ █║║█ and had the band split into two different rooms to record parts, █║║█ █║║█ completely unaware of what was going on in the other room. Or it █║║█ █║║█ was a deliberate attempt on their part... "What can we do to make █║║█ █║║█ this more discordant? Unsettling?" At other points it all drops █║║█ █║║█ away to creepy ambient moments to allow you to let your guard down █║║█ █║║█ before unpleasantness resumes. █║║█ █║║█ █║║█ █║║█ It's a lot of chaos. █║║█ █║║█ █║║█ █║║█ Oh. And the vocals. █║║█ █║║█ █║║█ █║║█ Ebony Lake seems to have had more vocalists on board for this █║║█ █║║█ recording than Anthrax has gone through in their 30 year history. █║║█ █║║█ Vocal approaches used, but are not limited to, include rasped, █║║█ █║║█ shouted, wails, creepy female vocals, roars, spoken bits... male █║║█ █║║█ and female. All used sporadically, and all buried in the raging █║║█ █║║█ wall of sound rather than in the fore... so it's all sort of █║║█ █║║█ ephemeral. █║║█ █║║█ █║║█ █║║█ To give you an example of what's going on, "Licking At The █║║█ █║║█ Nesting's Of Young Fledglings" around the middle mark of the 10 █║║█ █║║█ minute track they just stop in the middle of furious Morbid Angel █║║█ █║║█ riffing and pounding, collapsing into moody strings, acoustic █║║█ █║║█ guitar quietly plucking a funereal dirge... this is buried under █║║█ █║║█ what sounds like the raging winds of a rainstorm breaking on the █║║█ █║║█ coastline. █║║█ █║║█ █║║█ █║║█ In your right ear is a spoken part that sounds as if the speaking █║║█ █║║█ part were cast to one of the orcs from LOTR. In your other ear, you █║║█ █║║█ get a male operatic lead running through what sounds like vocal █║║█ █║║█ warm-up exercises. This goes on for a couple minutes before even █║║█ █║║█ the vocals drop out to a creepy ambient passage which goes on for █║║█ █║║█ four minutes. █║║█ █║║█ █║║█ █║║█ I'm not making this shit up. █║║█ █║║█ █║║█ █║║█ This album oscillates wildly between moods, tempos, and sonic █║║█ █║║█ approaches. Almost maddeningly. As I said before, these guys █║║█ █║║█ approached the fine line between genius and insanity like a █║║█ █║║█ downhill skier running a slalom. █║║█ █║║█ █║║█ █║║█ This is the kind of album which will elicit a reaction. It might be █║║█ █║║█ amazement. It might be "kill this album with fire!" It might be █║║█ █║║█ annoyance. Incredulity. Hell, just open your thesaurus to an █║║█ █║║█ adjective at random and it will likely inspire that as well at some █║║█ █║║█ point. █║║█ █║║█ █║║█ █║║█ So in a music scene with entirely too many bands playing it safe █║║█ █║║█ aping what came before, it's always good to hear an act willing to █║║█ █║║█ go off the deep end. █║║█ █║║█ █║║█ █║║█ Ebony Lake opted to go off the deep end. By way of nitro burning █║║█ █║║█ funny car. █║║█ █║║█ █║║█ █║║█ █║║█ █║║█ http://www.metalstorm.net/pub/review.php?review_id=9900 █║║█ █║║█ █║║█ █║║█ /team FKK █║║█ █║║█ █║║█ █║║█████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████║║█ █║╠█═════──────────────── ─┬─ ┌─┐ ┌┐ ┌── ┐┌ ┌──┐ ──────────────────══════█╣║█ █║╠█══════─────────────── │ │─└┐┌├└┐│ ├─┐ └──┐ ───────────────────═════█╣║█ █║╠█══════─────────────── └ └ └┘ └└──── └────┘ ────────────────────════█╣║█ █║║█▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀█║║█ █║║█ 01 And From The Seas The Sickening Things 04:17 █║║█ █║║█ 02 I Painted The Suicide Of Neptune 07:01 █║║█ █║║█ 03 The Curious Cave Of Deformities 04:41 █║║█ █║║█ 04 In Swathes Of Brooding Light Skeletal Birds 05:50 █║║█ █║║█ Scratch At Broken Windows █║║█ █║║█ 05 Human Mannequin Puppeteer 01:46 █║║█ █║║█ 06 Licking At The Nesting's Of Young Fledglings 09:56 █║║█ █║║█ 07 Amethyst Lung Concerto 05:50 █║║█ █║║█ 08 Within Deepest Red (The Opening Of..) 09:49 █║║█ █║║█ 09 The Theory Of Sexual Carvings 06:02 █║║█ █║║█ 10 A Voice In The Piano 10:25 █║║█ █║║█ █║║█ █║║█ 65:37 min █║║█ █║║█ █║║█ █║║█████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████║║█ █║╠█═════------------- ┌── ┌─┐ ┌──┌── ─┬─ ─ ┌┐ ┌┌── ┌──┐ ------------══════█╣║█ █║╠█══════──---------- │ ─┐│─└┐├─ ├─ │ │ │└┐││ ─┐└──┐ -------------═════█╣║█ █║╠█══════─────────--- └──┘└ └└──└─── └ └ ─ └┘└──┘───┘ ──────────────════█╣║█ █║║█▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀█║║█ █║║█▀ greetings to everyone supporting us ▀█║║█ █║║█▀ ▀█║║█ █╚╚█══════╗╔════════╗╔═════════╗╔══════════╗╔═════════╗╔══════════╗╔═══════█╝╝█ ███████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████ ▀▀▀██▀███▀║║▀██████▀║║▀███████▀║║▀████████▀║║▀███████▀║║▀████████▀║║▀█████▀█▀▀▀ ██▄▄▄▄▄║║▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄║║▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄║║▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄║║▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄║║▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄║║▄▄▄▄▄▄▄█ ▀▀▀▀▀██║║▀▀████▀▀║║▀▀█████▀▀║║▀▀██████▀▀║║▀▀█████▀▀║║▀▀██████▀▀║║██▀▀▀▀▀▀ ██╚║════════╣╚═════════╠╚══════════╠╚═════════╠╚══════════║╝██ ██ │ ▀▀ │ ▀▀ │ ▀▀▀▀ │ ▀▀▀ │ ▀▀▀▀ │ ██ █ ▀ ▀ ▀▀ ▀ ▀▀ █