13 Winters
Where Souls Wander ()
Wydane przez Dark Valley RecordsRok wydania Kraj USANapisał Wouter7
13 Winters is a New England based female fronted dark metal act - mixing death -, black - and doom metal with symphonic elements such as keyboards and violins - that split up in 2006, but is now reformed and working on a new album "Dark Palace Of Waterfalls". "Where Souls Wander" is an admirable exercise that only partially succeeds in blending these multiple genres with a multitude of vocal styles, going from grunts, rasps, shrieks to whispers and narrated passages. The majority of the album is midpaced with regular faster sections, in that sense reminding of "As the Flower Withers" era My Dying Bride. The guitar work is functional if not a bit mundane and on the safe side. Dark metal is the ideal vessel for guitar gymnastics as the genre takes influence from death - and black metal. The drumming, while not spectacular, is one of the more impressive facets of this album. The vocal work by Diana Addams is proficient, if not entirely convincing. On the harder spectrum of the vocals she's impressive but the more emotive, whispered and clean vocals fail to convince as she isn't able to infuse those with the same brand of convinction. The production of "Where Souls Wander" is fairly good considering the budgetary constraints. The drum sound is warm sounding, especially the snare and bass drums. Keyboards sound distant and detached, adding to their intended effect. The guitar tone holds enough clarity while not sacrificing any muddy roughness. Artwork, design and lay-out aren't especially eye-catching or visually stimulating and doesn not stand out in any considerable way. Artwork by Kristian Wahlin, Neil Blevins, Carlos del Olmo Holmberg or Uwe Jarling would have fitted better here. Overall, "Where Souls Wander" is a respectable dark metal album that sounds promising enough, despite the expected faults that plague most bands in their demo-stage.
www.dark-valley-records.com
