The Feasting

Evolving from the band Shape, a Brantford, Ontario, Canada band that formed in 1994, the astonishing metamorphosis into Sorrow Has A Perfect End has yielded a new beast and one that rivals some of the best work ever done in the electronica/ambient/alternative genre. Taking influences from a wide range of bands including Nine Inch Nails, Ministry, The Cure, Skinny Puppy, Godspeed You! Black Emperor as well as 70's bands like Pink Floyd, Tangerine Dream and Klaatu, the band's mastermind Starsky Partridge has formulated a style and sound that uses digital percussion, distorted guitar tones, swirling synthesizers and throbbing, pulsating rhythms; all mixed in a stunning 5.1 Dolby surround mix. Besides Starsky Partridge (vocals, synths, loops and drum programming) the band also consists of Donovan Owsiak (synths, backing vocals) and Adam Burton (guitar, synths and backing vocals). This is a very unique release in that it is in DVD format with all of the songs accompanied by custom animation and outdoor scenes to add a great visual sense to the listening experience. Also included are all tracks in wave file format and ready to burn to audio CD.

Ambient electronic sounds and dreamy vocal lines dominate much of this bands music with the effective use of vocal filters and loops to create different emotions within their songs. Vocal styles ranging from dreamy whispers to raging screams, helps to widen the overall dynamics of their sound. Tracks like Shadow use Robert Fripp (King Crimson) styled guitar effects and acoustic guitar dominates the track Crumble. Rise (The Feasting) contains more industrial Nine Inch Nails/Ministry like guitar tones as well as the vocal aggression of both those aforementioned bands. This Wasting features chunky and heavy guitar with the guitar being used more on this track than any other on the album. Pulsing electronic rhythms dominate the sound of Sorrow Has A Perfect End with Fight Or Flight being a great example of that. Impressively creating an almost "real" drum sound with Need, the mix of ambient sounds and chaotic synth loops with whispery and menacing vocals works very well. The dreamy Pink Floyd sounds of Vacant are also found with the track Apple with the overall electronic soundscape taking the listener back to the 70's and 80's when Tangerine Dream were pioneers of the genre.

Sorrow Has A Perfect End has created a superb modernized mix of 70's and 80's electronica, alternative rock and ambient sounds that really captures the listener and draws you into the overall experience. There is very little "structure" to most of their songs with surprising twists and turns in tempo, emotion and aggression. This is meant to be listened to and absorbed; it's not something to put on and half-hazardly listen to. Beneath the perceived anger and chaos of Sorrow Has A Perfect End's sound, lies a beauty and salvation for those patient enough to discover it. Much like trying to deal with our everyday life experiences, it's all about striving to find order and a sense of purpose amidst all the chaos.

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