Missed Album Review: Ode and Elegy – Ode and Elegy

Style: Progressive Metal, Post-Metal, Doom Metal, Post-Hardcore, Neoclassical Chamber Music, Folk (mixed vocals)
Recommended for fans of: Alcest, Aesthesys, A Winged Victory For The Sullen
Review by: Doug
Country: New York, United States
Release date: 1 February, 2022

Ah, the rare triple-self-titled release, where the band name, album title, and song title are all the same. Indeed, the name Ode and Elegy represents a uniquely compact musical project, a single track on a single album by an ensemble never before assembled. Masterminded by Kent Fairman Wilson and featuring multiple of his former bandmates from The Pax Cecilia, this ambitious genre-fusion novelty combines progressive post-doom metal and neoclassical chamber-folk music into an impressive mouthful of diverse styles and sounds.

The fifty-five-minute runtime of “Ode and Elegy,” divided loosely into seven movements, showcases all kinds of musical talents. All throughout, each musician contributes their own beautiful music-making to a core atmosphere, achieving a surprising level of stylistic cohesion given the variety of instruments. From the mournful chamber orchestra that opens the piece to the string-infused post-hardcore shouts that kick in for movement II, the heavy and distorted doom guitars of the middle sections to the ominous choir features in movements VI and VII, Ode and Elegy emulates the symphonic compositional approach of its classical ensemble roots, each section building on the previous despite the widely differing genres involved.

Although it can be challenging in long compositions such as this, Ode and Elegy masterfully cultivate a feeling of tight, careful construction with their division of movements. Each shift from one movement to the next brings an ebb and flow of structure, the previous portion fading away as the new one begins with shapeless melodies and wandering rhythms that gradually develop into more focused and traditionally-organized passages. Even within each movement, the energy and volume of the music waxes and wanes, sometimes matching the crushing existentialism of the lyrics with heavy and intense metal vocals and guitar, but just as often settling into the solemn, despairing quietness of post-metal and/or chamber strings. Many times the recording goes almost completely silent, allowing the prior moment more time to sink in before rising softly into the next. Most notable in the calm, string-filled valley between movements II and III, as well as the manifold sections of movement VI – first harsh and sludgy, then choral, then introducing strings, and finally piano – these transitions in tone play a critical role in keeping “Ode and Elegy” engaging and distinct throughout its great length.

Really, my one complaint – such as it is – about Ode and Elegy is the challenge it presents to a casual listener. Between the ponderous length of its single song and its quiet and subtle composition, this album is not one to throw on in the background; it demands the listener’s full attention every time it plays. As much as it may be a treat for those of us who like to invest in our listening, even I like to listen to music in the background too, and such a release is more difficult to continue enjoying and appreciating over time in a less focused setting. I don’t think that changes my perception of the album much as a piece of music, but it bears mentioning as an extra factor that has definitely shaped my personal listening experience of Ode and Elegy.

I always appreciate the opportunity to take a deep, careful listen when an album such as this comes along, rich with lyrical meaning and emotion and made all the more memorable by stellar composition and performances encompassing a wide blend of genres. I began my first listen of Ode and Elegy with little idea of what to expect, but this monolithic and incomparable project defied any expectations I could reasonably have had. I repeatedly found myself at a loss for how to describe what I was hearing, caught completely off guard as I rounded each corner of the musical labyrinth. Even still, when I can devote my full attention for nearly an hour, Ode and Elegy invariably and thoroughly thrills me from start to finish every time I hear it.

Recommended tracks: Ode and Elegy, what else?
You may also like: Dead to a Dying World, The Pax Cecilia, BRUIT ≤, Latitudes, DVNE
Final verdict: 8/10

Related links: Bandcamp | Spotify | Official Website | Instagram
Label: Independent

Ode and Elegy is:
– Kent Fairman Wilson
– Harold Taddy
– Reilly Solomon Taylor-Cook (bass)
– Chris McCune (drums)
– Gregory Austin (drums)
– Alice Roberts (harp)
With:
– Laurels String Quartet (strings)
– Sofia Session Orchestra (brass)
– Sofia Session Choir (choral vocals)
– Stefano Fasce (flute)