The Pitch: Experimental metal crew from Belfast, UK provides "new age catharsis" via a unique amalgamation of doom, death, post, Viking, and electronic music. Name Your Price release.
What I Like: Lots of cool experimentation with post-metal and electronics. Meanwhile, some of these guitar parts ("Corpse Dragger") along with the backing vocals remind me of Bathory circa Hammerheart or Nordland. There are definitely some interesting sound combinations on display and a wide range of vocal deliveries. The drumming is probably the instrument that impresses me the most over the course of this album. Oodles of variety in terms of pacing, patterns, and style. The faster parts can get fairly technical.
What I Don't Like: Some of the compositions feel a little flat and repetetive ("29"). I also am not a fan of the choice of guitar distortion. It feels too high in the mix and doesn't always seem to fit with the other more successful aspects of the sound. This was made particularly clear listening to one of my favorites, "Turn Against Them," which utilizes it much less.
The Verdict: Those wishing for another release that goes out of its way to stray from the path, The Sum Of Our Parts fits the bill. While there are some production and writing choices that don't always work for me, I am impressed with the overall unique sound and experimentation.
Flight's Fav's: "Corpse Dragger," "Turn Against Them," "Abuseless"