ARCTOS - CANADA

ARCTOS - A PATH APART - NORTHERN SILENCE  
Well, it looks like this reviewer is going deaf. What a joy it's been listening to metal for decades and being the recipient of waves of the highest art form ever conceived. Yet, it is sadly time to hang it up now. What else could one do after all? There is a silver lining though. Arctos has a piano player and, thanks to my new disability, I cannot hear the instrument. There is at least that! Being a fan of metal - and therefore keyboard/piano/synthesiser/xylophone-averse - it is comforting to have an ear that filters out the clanger - even if the metal itself would be heavily missed.
But from what I did hear, the mix on A Path Apart is imperfect, but amidst the chaos and larm that these types of speeds generate, all is forgiven. The album kicks off with a long intro of sweeping waves, which leads into Altar Of Storms and its nice warm booming drum sound. The guitar distortion overwhelms, but that could be construed as a good thing. It is pretty nefarious and deceivingly serene - slow and pounding - before picking up massively and moving off from Mgła to Dissection and Dawn. I like how this is both atmospheric and raw, well-produced, but cacophonic and has some melodic if basic lead work under it all. The vocals are sinister and growled, but surprisingly comprehensible many a time. Cold Stone And Broken Earth - static-y to start - is more chaos. The drummer is pounding the crap out of his kit. Not that there aren't brakes - there are - but this thing is harsh and unforgiving. Chords act as eruptions delivering on the promises of extreme metal. The synthesiser unfortunately does make an appearance, but is thankfully assigned a background role and will not be overly annoying for what it is. The band's sudden break is untight yet likely not corrected to maintain the band's savagery. A barrage of guitars evokes the sound of war and savagery. Greybound is a mid-paced and more melodic track, but nothing here is mainstream or commercial. Well, an annoying Viking-like chant interrupts the proceedings, but good news: cover your ears for a few seconds and it's gone. Melodic but swift is the name of the game, but the intro was too long. Still, the song is a reminder that it is the drawn melodies that, in combination with the musical jabs, make the album. Crossing The Funeral Plain is an evocative title and an intro to the title track. A Path Apart: thick sound. Thick atmosphere. Thick with anger. The song rages, but it is really an accompanying track to the commanding vocals of Dan Wilberg. The synthesiser in the background is telling because apparently the band doesn't know how to fill its gaps and spaces with guitars or bass. Speaking of which, two and a half minutes in, a gorgeous bass sound appears and disappears. It is a brooding and contemplative start with the distorted guitars carrying the load until the vocals come in. It is slower as mentioned earlier. It is really about the atmosphere and feeling. The vocals have an effect applied to them, which gives them a hollow sound. It would be a wimpy My Dying Bride/Anathema song were it not for the extreme vocals and the distorted tremolo strings. Post-metal (bla bla) surely, but a blip in the wider scheme of this album thankfully. Then comes The Way Of The Forgotten… The Passage III. This is the album's tour-de-force with its ferocious distortion and overdrive. Try to imagine hyper speeds with a melodic and soaring backbone that marches forth at the higher Machs… the guitars actually sear as they blaze. Incredibly great music on this. The song is harsh, mystical and just pounds the listener into submission, while going through a range of emotions. Really, all of that. I keep looking at the band's line-up and wondering why I like an album that lists a piano player. Might it be because I can't hear the member? - Ali "The Metallian"