Time To Burn - Is. (intro) and Nayeli
Runs for: 7:42
All heaped into one. Fucking brilliant start to the album and the song ends like a catastrophic thunder.
This album has been in my library for some time and I’ve come to hold it in regard as an album of potential. The band is unfortunately no longer together but had they kept on going and continued with the stronger sounds on the album, they might have made the best sludge metal release since EVER.
So what makes this album good? The band managed to create this incredible climatic feel. From the word go, the album hits you with a brooding then thundering intro, rolled on to the first proper track Nayeli. Even then by the end of that song it builds up into this incredible tremolo, thrashing out a thundering end. ‘Emma Peel’ also has a brilliant rolling riff at the start and finishes with some nice droning segments mixed with sung lyrics sometimes employed by neo post-hardcore acts.
The vocals are very grindy. There’s a shriek being employed here rather than a bellow and I’m not sure if that works to its advantage. You get used to it over time and I believe its unique and complements the album nicely in the long run, but I can’t help but wonder how good the album might sound with more traditional roaring hardcore/metalcore vocals, or even a backing vocalist employing this style.
The final tracks on the album leave something to be desired as well. They drag on a bit and don’t really offer the atmosphere or climatic display that we get on the earlier tracks. The worst part about these tracks probably lies in the instruments seeming relatively uninspired. For the rest of the album, we get a powerful display of mixed noises and technique, something that’s really individual and puts the band apart from other sludge metal acts. Their sludge riffs and composing set these guys apart from a lot of other bands in the scene, but for the end of the album to put the brakes on this and bring it to a halt was a bit disappointing. Not to say that the final track, ‘Land’ was a bad finisher at all, the album wraps up very nicely with a slower, droning track that takes the heat off the rest of the album.
Overall, I’m a little gutted that the band fell apart before we got to see another album out of them. This one is a bit of a gem in my library and while it’s not my favourite – it’s definitely something I’d recommend to anyone dabbling in sludge metal. I know I’ve painted out a lot of the negatives of the album, but what is good here is REALLY good… nearly groundbreaking. It’s very difficult to find sludge metal of this calibre or distinctiveness, that alone should be reason for you to listen to it.
Reccomended for: People who liked Tempest, fans of early Isis. Also –corewhores.
Time To Burn - Isle Of Men
Runs for: 2:51
Instrumental track that really highlights the band's musical strengths.
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