Cormorant is a new band from California, USA. Metazoa is their debut album, released 2009. Last year they released their second album, Dwellings. Cormorant have a sound which I would describe as blackened progressive metal.
When it comes to any album of any genre, I think that a strong opener and closer are important. Scavenger's Feast opens Metazoa, with a galloping intro. The black metal vocals of frontman/bassist Arthur von Nagel are distinctive. A soft, acoustic interlude comes near the end of the song, which ends with an uplifting electric solo. Cormorant rise even higher on the second track, Uneasy Lies the Head. The muffled intro exlpodes into a gloriously evil sound, with some excellent fast shredding. The harmonised clean singing blends well with the black metal rasps.
Cormorant's music created vivid images in my mind - the acoustic and electric duet in Salt of the Earth reminds me of mist rolling across a barren seashore under grey skies, to name one example. Hole in the Sea brings to mind a clear picture of an ocean being slowly drained of life. The drained-sounding vocals, interesting light drumming and faraway, floaty guitars all contribute towards creating the image. Another area where Cormorant shines is in tempo changes - the changes of pace in the songs never descend into incoherence. Moments of brilliance tended to jump out suddenly from tracks which I thought would be average. Brilliance abounds on the track Hanging Gardens, a highlight of the album. The song has an almost jazzy intro. A slow interlude comes along later, with violins adding to a melancholic yet beautiful feeling. The guitar and vocals then blast back into a faster pace, and provide a headbanger moment. Multi layered soundscapes of aural beauty are another factor that makes Cormorant's music so interesting to listen to. I discovered new details upon listening to Metazoa a second time.
The violins and operatic singing on The Emigrant's Wake evoke a funereal atmosphere. Inhuman screams enhance the melancholia. The later half of the song contains clean singing and a clean solo weaving together to create an unexpected, yet not-out-of-place tapestry. Clean singing features prominently on Sky Burial, which continues the melancholic tone set in The Emigrant's Wake. In closing comes Voices of the Mountain, an introspective track which is mostly acoustic.The acoustic polyrhytms appropriately reminded me of wind blowing. An electric guitar comes in later, with a beautiful high-pitched and muffled effect. The end of the song lets voices of the mountain speak clearly, with sounds of flowing water gently closing an album that is a divine listening experience.
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| Album artwork by Julie Dillon |
When it comes to any album of any genre, I think that a strong opener and closer are important. Scavenger's Feast opens Metazoa, with a galloping intro. The black metal vocals of frontman/bassist Arthur von Nagel are distinctive. A soft, acoustic interlude comes near the end of the song, which ends with an uplifting electric solo. Cormorant rise even higher on the second track, Uneasy Lies the Head. The muffled intro exlpodes into a gloriously evil sound, with some excellent fast shredding. The harmonised clean singing blends well with the black metal rasps.
Cormorant's music created vivid images in my mind - the acoustic and electric duet in Salt of the Earth reminds me of mist rolling across a barren seashore under grey skies, to name one example. Hole in the Sea brings to mind a clear picture of an ocean being slowly drained of life. The drained-sounding vocals, interesting light drumming and faraway, floaty guitars all contribute towards creating the image. Another area where Cormorant shines is in tempo changes - the changes of pace in the songs never descend into incoherence. Moments of brilliance tended to jump out suddenly from tracks which I thought would be average. Brilliance abounds on the track Hanging Gardens, a highlight of the album. The song has an almost jazzy intro. A slow interlude comes along later, with violins adding to a melancholic yet beautiful feeling. The guitar and vocals then blast back into a faster pace, and provide a headbanger moment. Multi layered soundscapes of aural beauty are another factor that makes Cormorant's music so interesting to listen to. I discovered new details upon listening to Metazoa a second time.
The violins and operatic singing on The Emigrant's Wake evoke a funereal atmosphere. Inhuman screams enhance the melancholia. The later half of the song contains clean singing and a clean solo weaving together to create an unexpected, yet not-out-of-place tapestry. Clean singing features prominently on Sky Burial, which continues the melancholic tone set in The Emigrant's Wake. In closing comes Voices of the Mountain, an introspective track which is mostly acoustic.The acoustic polyrhytms appropriately reminded me of wind blowing. An electric guitar comes in later, with a beautiful high-pitched and muffled effect. The end of the song lets voices of the mountain speak clearly, with sounds of flowing water gently closing an album that is a divine listening experience.
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