The Pitch: Season of Mist's Anciients (Vancouver) deliver a stunning prog metal opus; joining elements of Mastodon, Opeth, and Between the Buried and Me.
What I Like: It was a bit of a grower, but what a grower. Everyone playing on this album does a fantastic job, from the killer drumming to the whirlwind of guitar riffs and intense bouts of death vocals. It doesn't hurt that the 3 bands I listed above are among my favorites. Also, in a word, variety: this album has that in spades.
What I Don't Like: I eventualy adjusted to the sound of the clean vocals, just as I realize I had with both Mastodon and BTBAM at first. But I still have moments on Voices of the Void where it feels a little lacking in conviction due to its droning style. "Serpents" in particular feels like a weak track to me. Room for improvement, always.
The Verdict: Hook-hungry thrill ride through exansives highs and lows in the vein of some of the best and brightest modern progressive acts out there. I'm not sure why the first single I heard didn't get me interested, but it wasn't long until this had me hooked.
Flight's Fav's: "Following The Voice," "Pentacle," "Ibex Eye"