PART THE SECOND

After a lengthy hiatus, the experimental metalers maudlin of the Well are back with a fan- funded Part the Second. 83 fans donated money to the band so they could afford to record the album, and each are noted as executive producers on the website, where the album is available for free download. The 5 tracks, each of a generally longer length than the band is used to (although most tracks on Bath and Leaving your Body Map are long). The music they made and produced ditched most of the pseudo-death metal the band tinkered with on previous albums and welcomed in a more melodic sound including soaringly beautiful clean guitar tones, extravagant guitar riffs, melodic and soft vocals, and the quintessential part of the album, a guest string quartet. The songs are slow and ambient at times, quick and crunching at others, and sweeping and melodically breathtaking and emotional at times. Overall, this is one of the very best albums I've have ever heard. Over the past few weeks this album has basically been playing constantly without any variation. It stretched my perception of what music could be, what it was, and what can be done when multiple musicians join forces to create music.

An Excerpt from 6,000,000,000,000 Miles Before the First, or, the Revisitation of the Blue Ghost is, like its title, a long ambient collection of some of the most beautiful things I have heard in my entire life. The first few seconds made me tear because it was so beautiful. When the strings swooped in with the grace and alacrity of an Alaskan stream, I nearly burst into tears. "What is this?" I asked myself as the music continued. My first taste of motW occurred in that first minute, and by god it was good. The whole track is, simply, magnificent. The crescendo and guitar breakdown in the center is what tipped me over. Its simplistic beauty and grace opened the floodgates. It was the most relaxing, emotional, compassionate, and melodic thing I'd ever heard. I could rant for days about how much I love this song, but I won't because I don't want this review to be too too long. Overall, one of my top 5 songs of all time. And I've only had the album for about a month.

Another Excerpt: Keep Light Near You, Even When Dying is also extremely beautiful, with a nice ambient violin-vibraphone duo. The song is another fantastic effort, with a more consistent beat than the former and consists of more tangible music. The song has many a great solo sections and melodies. A great experimental vocal section is reminiscent of some of the band's former material. Overall, the song is shorter than its magnificent predecessor, but is still an absolutely wonderful track.

Rose Quartz Turning to Glass again tampers with mixing strings and other instruments, in this instance piano. I must say that these guys are better at writing violin melodies than Paganini or other hugely famous composers. They are so smooth and fresh and full of life and vigor. The instruments perfectly compliment every little thing that goes on throughout the music, from the beautiful piano work to the rhythmic masterpiece of drums or the melodic simplicity of ambient guitars. The song begins to taper back into a more experimental "metal" area, without really entering any metal at all but just a fantastic dissonant avant-garde region of the song, with some estranged vocal work which quickly evaporates into a simple psychedelic rock piece with some great soling and vocal work. Another short but simply genius guitar breakdown can be heard, with some absolutely beautiful riffs and Hammond work. Overall, this song is another magnificent songs, with some fantastic dynamics and feel changes.

Clover Garland Island is another more avant track. It opens with a heavy and discordant chord sequence with the most bombastic drumming heard on the entire album. The song doesn't keep up that discordant but actually enjoyable part for very long, however, and breaks into a jazzy funk piece, oddly enough, which just shows the amazing dynamic and freedom these guys feel with their music, a breathe of fresh air that is very refreshing amidst some of the stale music I've heard these days. The song is the most obvious jazz- influenced track on the album, with some great jazzy violin and guitar heard on the album. This song also features some of my favorite vocal passages, including my favorite line "I got up and walked into the equator," which can be seen at so many different angles. One of the most eclectic and "enjoyable" (because all of them are enjoyable) songs on the album.

Laboratories of the Invisible World (Rollerskating the Cosmic Palmistric Postborder) is the epic 12 minute exit of the album. The song essentially takes every aspect of the amazing album and sums it all up in one great track. The song reprises some parts of other songs, reminds us of impressive melodies on the album, and introduces new ones that will blow your mind. The track has the biggest similarity to their former work, with some quite crunching and amazing parts I did not expect to find on this album. What a treat! The song has so many different facets to it that one could spend days looking into its shiny depths. This song perfectly ends one of the most perfect albums I have heard in quite a long time.

ALBUM OVERALL: I can barely even think of what to put into this last sections except for a simple little phrase: This album is amazing. And, I don't even have to recommend buying because (hey-o) it's free! The album is the most spectacular bargain I have ever experienced! Each of the 5 songs found on this album possess such personal beauty and character that I would find it impossible to even think of rating it anything lower that a 5 star rating. This album is essentially the definition of a masterpiece. 5++ stars!!!

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