Style: Post/Prog Metal (mixed vocals)
Review by: LegionAF
Country: US-NY
Release date: 13-04-2018
NOTE: This album was originally included in the 2018 missed albums issue of The Progressive Subway
This album was an interesting pick for my first-ever album review. I’m not exactly a Post-Rock aficionado, but I feel that my lack of background gives me a relatively unbiased view with which to critique this album.
I entered the album with no expectations and I left the album with no expectations. Listening through the album was like feeling a breeze across the face; it was noticeable and pleasing while listening, but just like a breeze it gently dissipated from my mind, creating a fleeing memory rather than an engaged experience. I felt no need to listen to the album again aside for the sake of review.
The album has its merits nonetheless. The lead singer is phenomenal, and her voice is able to convey both power and emotion. She evokes the image of a “warrior princess,” and it would not be an exaggeration to say that her voice was the highlight of the album. Furthermore, the band has a pleasant sound which settles itself in a comfortable middleground between intensity and simplicity which makes it easily accessible for metal listeners who tend to shy away from the rigor of death metal. Overall, the album is atmospheric.
As for the decent parts, the album has fine production. It is fine in the sense that everything sounds as it should, but it doesn’t push any boundaries or add an real power.
The fatal flaw, however, is how unmemorable the album is is. I’ve found that the most memorable tracks are those which take a step back from the metal and veer more towards acoustic. The majority of the tracks, however, feel indistinguishable. The tuning does not change between songs, and time signature changes are ubiquitous to the point where I was unable to tell when one song ended and another started. If there is any silver lining to this, the album was consistent- but consistency does not necessarily grab attention.
All in all, The Candleman and the Curtain is a solid album, but not one that I’ll sit ever sit down and listen to.
Recommended tracks: And Now for a Slight Departure, The Hollow Deluge, Skies Like Fences
Recommended for fans of: ????
Final verdict: 6/10
Related links: Bandcamp | Spotify | Facebook | RYM page
Label: Independent
The Earth and I is:
– Kendyle Wolven (vocals)
– Daniel Siew (guitars)
– Suss Mackenzie (drums)
– Nick Petromilli (bass)
– Liam Zintz-Kunkel (guitars)
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