The Pitch: One man experimental post-metal with a heavy dose of ambient atmosphere from California's An Isolated Mind.
What I Like: In the "about" section, the artist reports some sort of existential crisis as a primary inspiration for An Isolated Mind. Whatever it was, it must have been rough; because the appropriately titled I'm Losing Myself is an apt reflection of spiraling melancholy, depression, and overall mental degradation. The primary mode of expression could be best described as post-metal, but also expect elements of death, doom, and ambient. These genres serve as an excellent framework for the concept, early on channeling more intense emotions of anger and sorrow via harsh guitars and howling vocals before progressing into a more muted sense of numbness with the purely ambience of "I'm Losing Myself" and "I've Lost Myself." These lengthy closing tracks have an ethereal quality that I'd associate with the denial and extreme cognitive dissonance of psychosis and/or dissociation.
Critiques: This is most likely gong to appeal more to the mood and art house music crowd than those looking for hooks and instrumentation. Just a matter of taste. More Requiem For A Dream music.
The Verdict: Arguably, I'm not the best judge of An Isolated Mind. On the one hand, the counselor and me adores the raw expression of mental unrest, but on the other I find my inner headbanger craving a little more in terms of songwriting. In the end, I have to respect I'm Losing Myself, and I hope others give its understated brilliance a chance.
Flight's Fav's: Afraid of Dissonance, Turritopsis dohrnii
- Review by FlightOfIcarus
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