This impetus and energy is carried forwards into “Black Star”, which features some great technical and melodic interplay between the guitars and bass (which, if I’m not mistaken, was also performed by Keene this time around), as well as some similarly great interplay between Keene and Sorceron, providing a dynamic mix of soaring cleans and savage snarls (respectively), while the back half of the song leans even harder on the shamelessly technical proggery which the band first showcased on 2012’s Autotheism, as well as providing Westmoreland an opportunity to really flaunt his creative chops. On the positive side of things the first half of the album, ignoring the relatively inconsequential intro track, comprises some of the band’s best work, kicking off with the extravagant metallic extremity of “Digging the Grave”, which somehow interweaves blazing Tech Death, indulgent Prog (including some unexpectedly effective flute work), pulsing industrialisms, and scathing Black Metal (aided and abetted by Sorceron’s suitably visceral vocals, as well as some very Emperor-esque synths) into one shockingly cohesive whole that largely defies classification or categorisation. That’s not to disparage the contributions of any current or ex-members by any means, but it’s important to acknowledge that Keene (joined here by vocalist Ken Sorceron, guitarist Justin McKinney, and now ex-drummer Chason Westmoreland) is very much the driving force behind the band, as well as a man with a well-documented reputation as either a ruthless perfectionist or a relentless procrastinator (depending on who you talk to), and that it’s his vision, as band leader and main songwriter, which ultimately dictates their direction… both for better, and for worse. And while this doesn’t necessarily make my opinion “better” or more authoritative than anyone else’s, it does mean that I’ve been able to take a bit more of a long-term perspective, and so you can be sure that what you’re about to read is much more than just my first, fleeting impressions of an album that comes laden with a heck of a lot of baggage and some serious expectations to live up to.įirst and foremost we need to get one thing clear – Michael Keene is The Faceless, and The Faceless is Michael Keene. Now I’ve been lucky enough to have this album in my possession for a few months, meaning that I’ve had more time than most to digest the music contained therein. Talk to any writer worth their salt and they’ll tell you that, no matter how long they’ve been writing, the temptation to be the first to review something, to get your opinions out there before anyone else, never fully goes away.īut while there are certainly times where first impressions can be useful, it’s often better to let your thoughts marinate for a little while before committing them to paper (or, at least, to digital ink). (Here’s Andy Synn’s review of the new fourth album by The Faceless, which will be released on December 1 by Sumerian Records.)
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