ASTRAKHAN - A Tapestry Of Scabs And Skin
January 17, 2015, 9 years ago
(War On Music)
Not at all what that record title would suggest (I was betting on crusty sludge) and not at all what that cover art suggests (death metal), Vancouver's Astrakhan instead confound and confuse all over the place on this four-song, 24-minute... EP? Beats me, and this band's sound beats me too, and not always in a good way: while I dig the progressive doom-y tendencies, the band warping and wrapping like Mastodon lite by way of Kylesa, there's something amiss. The vocals are almost there, with many shades and sounds, but none of them really achieve maximum impact. And while I love the playing of all those behind instruments here, the songs are a bit too long and meandering to pack a full punch. Frustrating, but when the stoner/doom picks up, as in "Blinded By The Diamond Planet", it shreds, hard: that is how to riff, kids (see also "The Pillarist"). With a bit more confidence in the delivery, and some more streamlining in the songs, these guys could be nailing it next time out.
