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Palace of Worms - The Forgotten

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 February 15 2010 at 09:26:19 PM




Palace of Worms' story is similar to that of Leviathan and Xasthur; one dude, lives in sunny Cali and plays atmospheric black metal. While The Forgotten is too 'upbeat' to be compared to Xasthur, I guess one could find a few similarities to Leviathan. While all 'bedroom' black metal bands are not created equal, there will always be certain similarities especially with intricacies and nuances throughout that make them them. I'm talking details, much of which The Forgotten has plenty of. I guess one good thing about working alone is the ability to refine at your own pace, sans the nonsense with other band members, but I digress. Despite possible similarities, Palace of Worms is far and away a clone of Leviathan and this review will not delve into a compare and contrast of both.

One of the strongest qualities of The Forgotten is it's production. There are no studio credits given in the (very sparse) layout, just production credits. So I've no idea if this recorded in a legit studio or at home. Point being, the album sounds rather massive for a BM album and if was recorded at home, then home recording has come a long way. As big as it sounds, it's not overkill nor overly clean and fits the mood of the album perfectly. No range is lacking nor overbearing. It's pretty much perfect for these ears. I know some listeners would prefer a purer production akin to that of Ildjarn or Blodulv for black metal and while I appreciate that aesthetic perfectly well, such a production on The Forgotten simply wouldn't work.

Why? Because of all the layering. The intricacies, nuances and details would be lost in the dirt and over modulation of a rawer production and would take away the essence of the songwriting. This brings up another reason why The Forgotten = success. I don't write many reviews, but if you have read some of the few I've done in the past (ie., Caves), you'd know I'm a sucker for an atmosphere created by these layers. Different ideas and subtleties harmoniously (or vigorously) fusing to become whole and cohesive. It brings life to a foundation that's been beaten to death. It makes things interesting and dynamic... again. These details are what I feel engages the listener to repeated listens; always searching for something you might have missed the first or third or thirteenth time around. The Forgotten is no exception to this.

Beyond these layers that build and then turn and then come back again, the song writing is excellent and the reason why you wanna stay at the party a little longer. While The Forgotten definitely goes for the proverbial throat for the majority of the album, it's greeted throughout with sketches of cloudy melancholic melodies, shimmery clean passages and some mellow ambiance. The overall feel of The Forgotten is definitely that of black metal, but there's a few outside influences that have creeped into the fold. Throughout I hear slight traces of heavy rock riffing and even hardcore (gasp!). The intro riff for the track, 'Rite of Blood', sounds like a breakdown that 90's NYHC band, Burn, would have written had they had a more metallic touch in them. The album is not all about power-chords: Single-note hammer-ons and pull-offs are plentiful. For lack of a better description, think some finer moments of Craft.

This album is solid and worth the $10 that Flesner is selling it for. I can only hope that future Palace of Worm material is as good or better than The Forgotten and I'll have my eye on Flesner too. If this is a taste of what's to come to this burgeoning label, then we're in for something good.

[-c]
Palace of Worms
The Forgotten
2010
Flesner Recordings
PoW Myspace
type: reviews    keywords: black metal, riffs motherfucker, lhp035,   

Comments (1)

  • 7 comments
    YAFO
    8:47 AM on Feb 16, 2010 // reply »
    Upon the 9th listen you'll fall under the spell of this underrated gem,layered to the 9th degree is an understatement.The dudes from Krallice should give a listen - maybe they could steal more ideas!
 

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