A post-rock band switching to doom metal might sound a bit weird for some people. After all, doom metal incorporates a more basic riff-based sound while post-rock bands focus more on atmosphere and layers of sound. However, in some aspects, these genres don't really differ that much. They're both mainly slow and the tracks are usually long. So if a doom or post-rock band manages to keep twenty minutes long songs interesting, it's a good band that knows a little something about variation. A band that can blend these genres in a convincing way (and still makes such long songs) is a great band that makes awesome music. Clouds Taste Satanic is such a band.
I have no idea what clouds taste like, nor do I know the taste of something satanic. However, I do know what the two pieces on this album taste like. They taste like more. This band from New York once started out as a post-rock band but somewhere along the way they decided to lean more towards doom metal. This choice, or risk, has proven to be a good one. Heavy doom riffs alternate with atmospheric post-rock passages to create something that sounds both evil and soothing at the same time.
Obviously there are no traditional song structures on these epic journeys but if you imagine the atmospheric passages as verses and the heavy riffing as choruses, this album comes close to a modern day version of classic doom songs. The two monsters on To Sleep Beyond The Earth are actually divided in two parts each. Yet the similarity and the return of the earlier mentioned choruses after several minutes give the whole something epic. The music seems to change continiously, making it unable to catch Cloud Taste Satanic in a dull moment.
From the first tones, over the curiosity and towards the whole concept of To Sleep Beyond The Earth, I've definately reached fandom. Clearly these New Yorkers have chosen a path that suits them perfectly and has the power to open stages all over the world. I wouldn't be surprised if this album became a classic in the doom scene, along with 'Dopesmoker' by Sleep or 'Eternal Darkness' by Winter. It incorporates the best of both styles and convinces all the way through. So doom-fans and post-rock fans, hurry and get your hands on this jewel before it's sold out...
Serge
I have no idea what clouds taste like, nor do I know the taste of something satanic. However, I do know what the two pieces on this album taste like. They taste like more. This band from New York once started out as a post-rock band but somewhere along the way they decided to lean more towards doom metal. This choice, or risk, has proven to be a good one. Heavy doom riffs alternate with atmospheric post-rock passages to create something that sounds both evil and soothing at the same time.
Obviously there are no traditional song structures on these epic journeys but if you imagine the atmospheric passages as verses and the heavy riffing as choruses, this album comes close to a modern day version of classic doom songs. The two monsters on To Sleep Beyond The Earth are actually divided in two parts each. Yet the similarity and the return of the earlier mentioned choruses after several minutes give the whole something epic. The music seems to change continiously, making it unable to catch Cloud Taste Satanic in a dull moment.
From the first tones, over the curiosity and towards the whole concept of To Sleep Beyond The Earth, I've definately reached fandom. Clearly these New Yorkers have chosen a path that suits them perfectly and has the power to open stages all over the world. I wouldn't be surprised if this album became a classic in the doom scene, along with 'Dopesmoker' by Sleep or 'Eternal Darkness' by Winter. It incorporates the best of both styles and convinces all the way through. So doom-fans and post-rock fans, hurry and get your hands on this jewel before it's sold out...
Serge
