The Pitch: Canadian avant-garde. "Show of Bedlam has no limitations when it comes to experimenting with sound and style. The lyrics are often cryptic and treat subject matter related to mental illness, hospitals, shame, alienation, and mankind’s fate." FFO: Syk, Veilburner,
What I Like: Many arguments could be made about this album, but none of them should be about whether or not Transfiguration is original. This is a wild ride that takes doom and sludge foundations and force feeds them psychodelic mushrooms. Show of Bedlam take us on the worst acid trip you've ever encountered, with vocals that rival even the most inebriated moments of Grace Slick and Janis Joplin...with a little Joan Jett attitude thrown in for good measure. The rumbling riffs seem to roll around the listening space like a massive, amorphis whale. In a word: weird.
Critiques: This may be more of a personal note. I absolutely give Show Of Bedlam credit for their...bedlam. However, I don't find myself 100% engaged. I have said time and time again that I am more impressed with an artist that can make the avant-garde palatable while maintaining the strangeness of it all. That aside, there is stuff like this that I didn't find enjoyable a few years ago that now makes perfect sense to me. Time will tell.
The Verdict: A release brimming wtih creativity and raw rebellion, but also one that isn't for your average listener. The compositions are a practice of anarchy that will translate into genius for some and leave others scratching their heads or plugging their ears. Find out where you fit in below.
Flight's Fav's: Easter Water, Hall or Mirrors