The Wandering Daughter

Oct. 3, 2018

 

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The Pitch: Rio De Janeiro, Opethian progressive death metal band Piah Mater are back with a stunning new album via code666. FFO: Opeth, Ihsahn, Enslaved

What I Like: It's been exciting to see a number of underground bands who previously reached out to me in 2015 pop up in my email once more with increased label and PR support. Piah Mater is certainly one of the highlights. Their last album, Memories of Inexistence, was a serious grower; and while imperfect, it spoke volumes of their potential. This follow-up is even better. Not only is it a massive step fowards for the band; The Wandering Daughter should serve as an exciting release for the progressive death metal community in general. I know that some have strong opinions on the review style of "they sound like _____." However, I consider my job to relay the brass tacks of an album's sound in as few words possible, and often this approach is the most efficient tool to do so. With that in mind, if you are an Opeth fan, you are going to love this. From the compositional structure, to the bouncy riffs, to the mixed vocals, and all the way down to the bass tone; Piah Mater are clearly fans of the Still Life through Blackwater Park era. I'd certainly toss in some Ihsahn and later Enslaved into the mix as well, but for the most part this is the perfect album for those who yearn for Opeth to return to their death metal roots. It would be almost negligent to avoid the comparison.

Critiques: I was a little iffy with some of the clean vocals of "Solace in Oblivion," as this was also my primary concern on the previous outing. Ultimately things smooth out greatly on the subsequent tracks. Massive imporvement here.

The Verdict: My hat's off to you, Piah Mater. The Wandering Daughter is a lush and deeply engaging experience that is equally impressive from a technical standpoint. I implore the readers to share the hell out of the album, as I see no reason why they shouldn't be lauded as the next big thing.

Flight's Fav's: Sprung from Weakness, Earthbound Ruins, The Meek's Inheritance

- Review by FlightOfIcarus

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