EXISTENCE

Another band I discovered on this site... "Existence" sounds like a mix of mid period Anathema ("Judgement" in particular), mellow Opeth ("Damnation"), Katatonia (for the dark atmosphere), but in a more progressive (and maybe heavier) way. It takes quite a bit of listens to discover all the subtilities on this album... especially to get used to the constant rhythm changes and dissonances that appear here and there in the middle of melodic passages. The album is written as a concept album divided in three parts (or three "allegories"). Strangely, the songs have been reorganized so that the first three parts of "allegory II" (from "Anemone" till "Gently Bleeding") have been pushed after the last two parts, but the music seems to flow better that way...

"Zero" is more an intro to the album - a short mimimalistic track with spoken lyrics. "A Slumbering Portrait" really launches the album on a heavy note - the track is really short too (only 2 minutes) with a mix of powerful vocals and whispers (which seem to replace the parts where growled vocals would have been used - a brilliant idea more dark metal bands should follow). "The Euphoric Sense" is another heavy track with a catchy riff - very reminiscent of recent Katatonia work. "Her And The Element" combines mellow acoustic passages with darker but heavier moments - very much Opeth like (on the heavy side), but without the growled vocals. "Daydream" is the most mellow track on this album - starts with piano and whispers, then acoustic guitar takes over with gentle vocals (anyone who has listened to Opeth's "Damnation" will see the visible similarities here). "Anemone" sees the return of the heavier side - here the riffs are quite aggressive. "You, A Phantom Still" is the first epic on this album - starts with dreamy keyboards, then the heavy guitars kick in... but mellow acoustic passages are still present. "Gently Bleeding" starts with a nice acoustic line, but it turns very heavy quickly (distorted guitar, double bass, harsher vocals...). "Abiding Space" is the other mellow track on this album - and the one that reminds me the most of Anathema's recent albums. "Patterns Of Oblivion" is the second epic of the album - an amazing track that starts with that slow, dark, heavy doomy riff before that beautiful acoustic part (with those piano notes in the background, and even female whispers)... the heavy side makes a strong return around the half of the song with really powerful vocals full of rage and anger (still without the need of growling...). "One Endless Childish Day" is the longest and most complex song on this album - piano/vocals for the first minute, then the main theme for another four minutes (crazy rhythm changes and dissonances in the melody here), then a mellow acoustic part (which seems to be a completely different song), and finally a heavier part that grows and grows more powerfully until that (sort of) growl around the 10 minute mark launching the crazy dissonant outro.

Rating: 96/100 (5 stars - highly recommended)