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The River - Drawing Down The Sun
Tracklist:
1. A Close Study
2. If Only
3. So Down
4. Amber
5. Alone With My Thoughts
6. A Relation To Absence
7. Inside The Flood Diary
8. Broken Window
Vicky- Vocals
Stephen- Bass
Christian- Guitars/Drums
The River - Drawing Down The Sun
Recenzija sa www.diabolicalconquest.com:
Absolutely outstanding album here, a jawdropping statement of intent from one of doom's bravest prospects, and a morose, staunchly British affair that, for my money, damn near outdoes The Black Is Never Far as the album of the year thus far. Forlorn, painfully honest DOOM is the order of the day here, the band synthesizing the elegant melancholy of very early The Gathering and 3rd And The Mortal with the propulsive pummel of latter-day Neurosis and the despotic, heavy-hoofed trample of Saint Vitus, marrying it all with the wall-of-distortion, somnambulistic dirge of Velvet Underground or The Jesus & Mary Chain. There is something about this record that SCREAMS with Anglo-Saxon-ness, the unflinchingly frank, gutwrenching melancholy of the album exuding the same Byronic detachment/desolation that one encounters in everything from Mourn to Primordial. What this all results in, of course, is a stunningly accomplished record that exhibits (and asserts) remarkable individuality in the face of today's lower-and-slower-than-thou doom landscape.
Much of this stems from the band's affinity for tasteful melodicism, a yen that is indulged and celebrated for the bulk of the album. Vicky's pipes are assertive yet streaked with heartrending fragility- spouting stark confessionals with a grippingly plaintive earnesty, she tempers gorgeous ululations with pronounced hues of regret, remorse and doubt, infusing each syllable with menacing conviction. Unquestionably, Vicky's vocals provide the perfect foil for the downtrodden despondency of the flow-and-ebb riffing, Christian offering swollen, decidedly minimalist sheets of pure SOUND that serve as the elemental basis upon which The River is built, the distortion vaguely obscuring an affinity for anguished melody. Adding further emphasis to the tyrannical thrust and emotional heft of the band is the outstanding rhythm section- the MONSTROUS bass sound underpins and underscores Christian's sheaths of guitar, and the drumming….dear Lucifer, one finds it hard to fathom that these drums were even mic'd during these sessions, the playing is heavy-handed/punishing in a sense that is almost High On Fire in sheer intensity.
On repeated listens, one invariably realizes that emphasis is very much placed on SONGS above musicianship, though the astute ear will no doubt identify the sheer quality of the playing on this platter- each note is impeccably placed and measured, the bass providing elegant counterpoints without ever straying from the pocket. Solos, surprisingly, are sparse and employed only to add texture, though this dynamic of the band is not noticeable unless one makes a concerted effort to identify leads on the record.
The focus on crafting a cohesive set of songs has resulted in an album of breathtaking seamlessness- there is a sense of flow and continuity here that suggests tremendous thoughtfulness and meticulousness. Indeed, one gets the sense that these songs are the product of much deliberation and refinement- it is lean, sinewy and shows nary a hint of extraneous fat from start to finish, its quality proving to be startlingly consistent from front to back. Isolating individual highlights would be unfair to an album with such balance, but I do find myself revisiting “So Down” (perhaps because it was my first taste of the LP via Myspace) and “Amber” with alarming frequency, both of which exemplify The River's effortless contrast between the cherubic and the sinister, coupling bittersweet, almost saccharine melodies with bruising, barbarous torrents of sound and stinging, tearstained lyrics that are equal parts forsakenness and venom. The gutwrenching riff that surfaces almost 5 minutes through “Amber” (culminating in a cathartic, percussion-driven freakout that threatens to swallow you whole) is particularly HEAVY.
It does help things that the production is absolutely PERFECT here- the band have clearly honed their sound and attack over the years, and I have seen nothing but improvement since my virgin experience with the band (the band's last demo Oneiric Dirges In Mono whetted my appetite for this platter and affirmed their place as Britain's finest new doom outfit, next to Warning). The guitar sound is warm and sensitive yet BLUDGEONING and expansive, drum production is rich, natural and spontaneous, providing the perfect medium for Christian's high-volume, bloody-palmed battering (listen to the throbbing THUD of that kick drum). It is indeed rare to find an album that possesses both sheer sonic DENSITY and emotive force- doom records do tend to lie on either side of the spectrum, instead of straddling the delicate line that exists between. I don't have enough words for how marvelous this one is, it has been a large part of my life since it arrived in the mail some weeks ago. There are few bands that are quite as aptly monickered as The River - the dismal (yet strangely alluring) dejectedness of the band genuinely conveying the feeling of being lost at sea. This is a sublime wash, nay, a SURGE of exquisite DOOM that will prove itself a musical boon to all dark-hearted souls. Highly recommended.
