Metal Reviews

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It changes tempo a lot but the vast majority is just a straight 4/4. There are parts where the drumming makes it feel like it has left that, but that is a cunning aural illusion. The only bits where it actually changes the time signature (not the tempo) is when it goes in to 3/4 on about 0:42. Just being pedantic

I wouldn't give this 95. I went on about how awesome it was when I first got it ages ago (it was released much earlier here), but nowadays I think I prefer Sphinx still. Actually, that's probably because I am not so keen on this "Melechesh shuffle" that you talk about. I know exactly which drum patterns you mean, and it works at times, but at others it feels like they're holding back when they should be going into overdrive. You never had to worry about that on the previous record

Still, a really great band and an extremely worthy album. I'd give it about an 85.

Don't get me wrong, this is a fantastic album, but I really miss Proscriptor. Xul is a worthy replacement, but he's just not as good. A minor nitpick though. I'd rate it an 82, since it's basically Sphynx all over again.

I'd certainly agree about the drumming. There are bits on Sphinx where Proscriptor is totally explosive, splurging awesome blasting all over the album. That's not really the same here, despite Xul's worthiness.

This was a good album. Low-80s seems like a reasonable quote, but like already said, it was Sphinx without Proscriptor.

Ross, I feel like I'm getting a history lesson in Middle Eastern Metal each week Last week Ajdath (Arabian Metal) and now this! What's next, Iranian metal? (just kidding) Good review! I'll have to check them out!

I'd rate it around the 90's.

After Proscriptors departure I tought this would suck but


anyone know what he's up to lately?

This album is a clipping nightmare. Good music, horrible mastering. A remaster without the extremely exaggerated dynamic compression would probably be too much to ask for. Would be nice if the reviews said something about things like that. I'll just have to throw this album in the trash since it's completely unlistenable, even though the music is great.

EDIT: The fact that the sound engineering is praised in the review is completely beyond me. It's the worst I've heard in a while.

I haven't head any other Melechesh but this album is enjoyable I'd give it 75-80.

Just a quick comment on your review, Ross. I find long, track-by-tracks to be as boring as hell, especially if I haven't heard the album in question, and if I have, why would I bother? A more general description of the music with a few examples of standout moments would be much more readable.

And as someone else said, the background stuff's interesting, but there's too much of it. If there's one thing wrong with this place, it's the unnecessary length of the reviews...

yeah

there's also just a lot of random facts that are kind of interesting but when you hardly talk about the music beyond a song-by-song analysis gets kind of dull: Ashmedi writing all of the drum beats, talking about Nile, how the band aren't actually Israeli, where exactly the theme of the music comes from, and the first producer sucking or whatever...

Good album, though 95 is way too high, it's more like an 80 to me. There are some very good songs in there, but I feel the album gets a bit monotone as it progresses. Good review, even if a bit long. I disagree about Gyroscope "not making the grade" though, for me it's one of the highlights on this album.

How so? It sounds fine to me... Sounds slightly clearer than the last one.

Although this is definitely a good album, I can't help being a little disappointed. I guess topping Sphynx is a hard task but somehow this album just needs some of that powerful impact and energy, that made the former so great. Perhaps it is partly due to the production. Besides from this, I find the instrumental track pointless and a tad boring. In many respects, this is a very good album and it has a couple of stand-out tracks, but overall it is lacking some energy and variation. That being said, I still find it pretty solid and enjoyable.

75%

From his website- www.proscriptor.com



Interesting... there are full tracks available at that site, which I'm going to listen to in a bit.

Is that the ambient project he has been working on?

Hmmm, sounds like a whole bunch of bullshit. If he isn't playing drums in that album I'm not interested.

It may be that better equipment was used to record the new one, while it's also louder at the same volume, but in my opinion Sphynx has a better production as there's no clipping (digital distortion) on it (that I've noticed) and it seems to utilize the dynamic range better so that certain instruments that should stand out do so without compromising the rest of the instruments in the mix.

Unfortunately excessive dynamic compression is found on almost every new metal album released (sad), and so called remasters are usually good recordings messed up with dynamic compression to make them seem louder and "clearer". It also makes them sound better through poor speakers, but horrible through good ones.

Emissaries is probably the worst album I've heard lately in regard to digital distortion. Analog distortion = good, digital distortion = real horror show (in a bad way).

I'd recommend www.songview.org and searching for the words "loudness war" on youtube for better explanations.

Yeah I listened to one of the tracks just now, and I'm not interested. Fairly bog standard ambient music with bass wanking in the background and not a shred of percussion to be heard.



Yeah.