Review: Stormhaven – Liquid Imagery

Style: death/extreme (mixed vocals)
Review by: Sam
Country: France
Release date: 30-01-2019

NOTE: This album was originally included in Reports from the (progressive metal) underground: January 2019 – The Progressive Subway

There’s a small part of my brain that goes completely crazy every time a band lists Opeth as a major influence. Bands which can pull off extreme progressive metal well are rare, but also extremely special. A lot of my favorite bands play in this style. However, I’m also very picky. Last year for October I reviewed this band called Piah Mater, which was basically Opeth worship, and that didn’t sit well with me at all. So the question for this album is, do Stormhaven give their own take on the genre, or is it just another Piah Mater?

The answer is… somewhere in the middle, but probably more on the worship side. It basically floats in and out of the Opeth worship. This is best exemplified by the intro to the (I don’t count 2 minute interludes) opening track The Storm. It starts with an Opeth riff, then goes into a super cool and unique black metal part, and then reverts back to Opeth riffs. Then the song (like the rest of the album) continues with this on-off style for the rest of its duration.

So now that we established the worship-degree of this album, let’s dive into the music a bit more. There are two primary aspects on this in which they clearly distinguish themselves from Opeth. One is the incorporation of black metal parts in their writing, and the other is the use of piano. I’d say the Black Metal parts by themselves aren’t super interesting, but they’re serviceable enough to elevate the music. The piano is the real draw here though. I (again) wouldn’t say it’s very inventive playing by itself, but they’re done effectively and provide some absolutely beautiful melodies. What’s a shame though is that, softer parts aside, they’re barely audible in the mix. With enough effort you can hear them, but they’re just very far back in the mix.

What I also like about this band is that they clearly have a good grasp on songwriting. Worship comments aside, they make very good use of all the tools at their disposal. The vocal lines are memorable with good delivery. The harsh vocals are like a more raspy, -core like take on Akerfeldt’s devilish guttural vocals. Certainly not as good, but they’re very strong nonetheless. The singing takes more obvious notes from Akerfeldt’s book. Again not as good, but some of the best moments on the album are from their brilliant vocal lines (see Echoes’ chorus, it’s beautiful). And instrumentally they know their shit as well. The riffs are often clearly borrowed, but the placement of every idea is done with significant skill, which makes for some amazing moments.

So to come to a conclusion on my ramble, Opeth worship aspects aside, Liquid Imagery is an excellent album. This is clearly a talented group, and (thus far) this is definitely my favorite album of 2019 yet. However, I’m going to have to mention it anyway, as this album definitely steers too close to Opeth worship to truly justify a high score. Had it not been for this lack of originality this album would have probably been like an 8.5, but as a reviewer I have to be objective. Let’s hope they’ll find their own sound more in the future.

Recommended tracks: The Storm, Starless Night, Sirens, Aurora
Recommended for fans of: Opeth, Piah Mater
Final verdict: 7.2/10

Related links:  Bandcamp | Spotify | Facebook | Metal-Archives page

Label: Independent

Stormhaven is:
– Zach (vocals, guitars)
– Quentin Geniez (drums)
– Jonathan (bass)
– Regis (keyboards, vocals)