Album Review: Shokran Exodus
I stumbled across this band a few years ago when they released "Supreme Truth". Interesting enough they further released an instrumental version of this record. Melodically, I thought this record was genius and since then I still have this album as a playlist. It was just wonderfully put together and witty as fuck.
When given an opportunity to review their latest release, "Exodus" which was released September 17th I believe this record merits a proper listen and look.
They have chosen the book of Exodus from the Old Testament as the running theme for the album. I thought this was brave. In as much as the theme tells the story of a people on their journey to the promised land I think these guys are on a journey themselves. The desert of the music industry can be a tumultuous place and journeying through it is a proving ground in and of itself.
The album begins with the stunning intro "Blood", a magical and melodic interplay of guitars accented with synthesizers and drums. Exchange digresses into "Creatures from the Mud." I noticed that they dialed back the keys at about two and a half minutes into the heavy part only to return during the chorus. The fantastic melodic minor scaling followed by arpeggiated returns is true to the Shokran form.
The third track Swarm is a crusher. They totally dialed back the keys on this one and I appreciated it. Metal is no fun when the guitars are cushioned with synthesizers rather than cutting through your eardrums as they should. The fourth track "Living Arrows" is a very well written song but the post production is extremely oversaturated with the ambience of the synthesizer or keyboards. I think they tried to dial that back at some parts just to keep the song in good taste. It's hard to tell. I had to pull the mid-range up on the EQ so I could hear the guitars better.
The intensity of the songs is there. I just wish it was a bit more pronounced. Though the sound on this record is fantastic it's just too busy. I'm not sure if all of the extra stuff you can hear is really serving the songs. If you prefer the later Veil of Maya and Born of Osiris over the old school stuff I think this album is for you. I wish them the best and congratulate them on an outstanding effort.
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Tags: Shokran, Exodus
Red Baron September 27, 2016
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