The Pitch: Vancouver's post-metal and stoner rock band Seer continue to wander desolate desert landscapes with Vol. III & IV: Cult of the Void via Art of Propaganda. FFO Windhand, Cities of Mars, Thera Roya
What I Like: Seer continue to explore their sound, which includes a strong array of various doom and sludge flavors all along the spectrum. I feel like "Ancient Sands (Rot Preacher)" really kicks up the psychodelic, stoner rock influences with the more straight-forward riffing and focus on spacey clean singing. They have maintained an aesthetic of traversing isolated mountain ranges and vast, dusty plains. But Seer still have a darker side. "Acid Sweat" and "They Used Dark Forces" go for a more extreme doom sound with instense snarls and enourmous chord sustains to break up the stoner vibes a la Thera Roya. I appreciate an album with a variety of textures, especially when they are still tied together by some common themes.
Critiques: I know this is supposed to represent 2 distinct volumes, but it feels weird dumping all of the instrumentals into the second half. Mind you they are perfectly good instrumentals, but it seems like they could have much more effectively broken up the longer tracks through dispersal.
The Verdict: All said and done, I somewhat prefer the more focused, sludgy sound of Vol I & II, but I appreciate a band willing to explore its boundaries. Cult of the Void is a solid album of exploration worth checking out.
Flight's Fav's: Ancient Sands (Rot Preacher), Acid Sweat, Burnt Offerings