Reissue of the band's second album from 2007. 2026 repress in jewel case.
After hearing the first release by this band, the self-titled full-length, I was somewhat disappointed that a band with such a name and statement delivered such boring and generic music. This is not the case with this release. I shall review both tracks individually, to pay full credit to this masterpiece.
Life Revisited contains some of the best DSBM music currently available. Slow piano, far in the distance introduces the track. Though many bands in this genre attempt to utilize piano in the music, many fail. This is simply the best use of the instrument, and creates a depressive, melancholic yet simultaneously grim and foreboding atmosphere. The fact that it lasts for 3 minutes is no issue, as the music itself is cold and powerful enough to be enjoyed. Slowly, the guitars fade in, droning on one note whilst varying the other. Demented screams lie with (as opposed to on top of) the music, and a treble-less bass lies just underneath, creating a fog of dark and suicidal music. Drums are skilfully used, with appropriate fills and variations of the hihat, double bass drums and snare. The musical intervals (two notes played together) vary from minor to major, first creating a saddened mood and then fortifying it with lost hope. The track progresses to include depressive minor harmonics, and the vocals take a darker, more whispered approach. Throughout, tremolo picked higher notes drearily weep from guitars panned to one ear or the other, adding further layers of depressive guitar noise. There is an acoustic interlude towards the end with ritual-esque voices singing in harmony, and the vocals shrieking above amongst them. This track is mid-paced, with little variation on the tempo throughout. A track to inspire depression, if ever there was one.
Fooling the Weak is a fast track, whose intervals are based on higher pitched notes. Drums blast beneath the depressive train that thunders through the listener's ears, fast beats that vary with the song's tempo changes. Bass again remains free of treble, and lays low in the mix, creating a deep thick mesh of depressive riffage. The track changes towards the end, slowing down and progressing into more major sounding layers of guitar noise that describe the imminent doom approaching. The track fades with Ynleborgaz still whispering his lyrical prophecy of death.
The emotion conveyed on these two tracks may be the most powerful of any metal album ever written. Utter genius composition and violently depressive and morbid lyrics create what may be one of the best metal albums ever, despite being so unknown. Get this album.
Sample:
Make a Change Killyourself - II Full Album
