Lentic Waters - The Path

Labels: Deadwood Records/IFB Records/Maniyax Records/React With Protest/Suspended Soul Tapes And Records/Zegema Beach Records

Formats: Vinyl/Digital

Release Date: 18 Jul 2015

Tracklist:

1. Absent

2. A Temporary Quest

3. Another Sleepless Night Of Despair

4. Exile

5. Glasshouse

6. The Hour

7. Between The Spheres

8. The Grid

9. Abyss

Those early dark November nights are beginning to kick in already. I've never suffered from S.A.D (Seasonal Affective Disorder) before but at times like these, I can understand and sympathise with those who do. My escapism, if you can call it that, is the cathartic release brought on by heavy music and this evening I'm focusing on the second full-length by Lentic Waters. The Path was released in 2015 by all of the labels mentioned above.

Intense German hardcore/screamo is the exact remedy after an underwhelming day and Lentic Waters provide a cacophony of sound on album opener ‘Absent’, with it’s sludgy, dark hardcore mixing with earthy post-rock and even song black metal elements. The riffs, like with a lot of screamo-leaning bands lead the way but the whole band pulls together seamlessly to create an atmosphere and a sound that isn’t necessarily what you think of when you think of Bands from Germany. By that I mean they’re not cold or industrial (at this point I want to apologise for generalising).

They get heavier on ‘A Temporary Quest’, which plays more to their screamo influences, while also giving a nod to crust punk too. I’m sure I’ve said that about Lentic Waters before, but If I haven’t then let it stand. It’s all in the blasts I think, though it’s also so much more than that. There’s real heart here. There’s no pause for breath before ‘Another Sleepless Night Of Despair’ drags you through nearly three minutes of emotional anguish and furious instrumentation that leaves no time for peace or solace. It’s a musical tapestry woven in the best way possible.

‘Exile’ is the shortest song that Lentic Waters deliver on The Path and it’s off-kilter rhythms make this instrumental a joy to listen to. It threatens time and time again to explode into a melee of emoviolence-esque proportions, but alas it does not. What it does do, after a brief pause, is guide you on to the corresponding song ‘Glasshouse’, which takes the raw energy of Lentic Waters and stretches it out a little further. In doing so it reminds me of bands like Anopheli, Light Bearer and Alpinist. All bands that, to these ears anyway, straddle a similar path musically. 

The album becomes denser as it progresses to the second half, but before that, Lentic Waters propel themselves headfirst into the grindiest (if thats even a word) song on it in the form of ‘The Hour’. It’s tempo is the fastest you’ll hear on The Path and it introduces you to the band’s more unrelenting, unforgiving side. Brilliant from start to end. From that exhilaration you’re brought back down to earth with the more toned-down post-rock of ‘Between The Spheres’. It’s where the melodies woven by the band truly stand out and it’s the point where I forget where I am, letting the music take me, my head aggressively moving back and forth in abandon. It’s so bloody euphoric. I prefer being in my own world as opposed to the outside world at times like this!

The ringing feedback is both welcomed and revered as it bleeds into penultimate song ‘The Grid’, where the post-rock just gets better and better. The vocals are even more emotive, the riffs flit between downbeat and upbeat melodies, while the bass rumbles and the percussion brays. Yet I fear the best is still yet to come from this album. Never has there been a better closing song-title than ‘Abyss’ and, maybe unknowingly, that’s exactly where this album drags you back from (figuratively speaking). It’s near six-minute playing time wrenches whatever darkness there is left inside of you and replaces it with light. Sometime, music like this does that to you and when it catches you at the right time, it’s utterly amazing.

Saying much more now would be a waste of energy. The Path is truly special and Lentic Waters, while currently silent, are just perfect on their recordings. 

You can stream and purchase the album digitally from the band below:-

Lentic Waters - https://www.facebook.com/LenticWaters

Physical copies can be purchased from the labels below:-

Deadwood Records - https://www.deadwoodrecords.de/

React With Protest - http://www.reactwithprotest.org/

Zegema Beach Records - CAN/INTL -  http://www.zegemabeachrecords.com/zegema-beach-releases

Deadwood Records - https://www.facebook.com/deadwoodrecords

IFB Records - http://ifbrecords.blogspot.com

Maniyax Records - https://www.facebook.com/ManiyaxRecords

Suspended Soul Tapes And Records - https://www.facebook.com/SuspendedSoulTapesRecords

Zegema Beach Records -  https://www.facebook.com/zegemabeachrecords

Tentacles - Ambivalence

Labels: Deadwood Records/Dead Tank Records/IFB Records/React With Protest/Scaglie Di Rumore/Zegema Beach Records

Formats: Vinyl/Tape/Digital

Release Date: 21 May 2015

Tracklist:

1. A Warm Body

2. My Mortal Cord

3. Pillars Of Salt

4. No Commiseration

5. Enantiodromia

6. Ambivalence

7. Uproot

Apologies, I had to hit reset again over the last week. Now I'm back with another Zegema Beach Records Roster review, this time featuring the 2015 album (also their last) from Texan screamo/grindcore band Tentacles, which alongside ZBR was released on vinyl and tape by the many labels above. It was the fourth release following their formation in 2006. From what I've heard/read about Tentacles, their music was always heavy, fast and super energetic. I need all of those things right now because I'm lamenting stuff. Here's Tentacles Ambivalence.

This album is made up of seven songs, of which the first and the last bookend the rest with more grandiose noise. Album opener ‘A Warm Body’ hugs you with it’s slow sludgy/powerviolence-esque riffs, coupled with crashing cymbals and drums. The bass is subtle and melodic, while the screams that greet you ninety seconds in are anything but. All encompassing crazy noise that’s rooted in many heavy camps. Mind-blowing already!

That opener is a bit of a misnomer though as ‘My Mortal Cord’ is a raging, blackened screamo masterpiece that goes as quickly as it barged in and stole your wife! It’s very much the same story with the grinding intensity of ‘Pillars Of Salt’. Despite how fast both songs are though, there’s still a loverly element of down-tempo sludge and technicality flowing through the music performed by Tentacles.

It seems as though they use multiple vocalists on ‘No Commiseration’ (correct me if I’m wrong here). Either way, it’s a proper ripper where the band ploughs an even deeper furrow with utterly heavy riffs and atmospherics. Kinda like if Cursed/Trap Them were even darker, if that makes any sense. Metalcore/hardcore makes a play during ‘Enantiodromia’, which in an instrumental song that grows and grows as if it’s going to explode, before holding you at the point of climax and in the end teasing you with the thought.

Penultimate title track ‘Ambivalence’ is another angular, shredding song that sounds evil but isn’t. Maybe it’s just me that’s hearing the black metal influence here but whatever, Tentacles play some of the best harshest screamo of recent times. I absolutely can’t get enough of that bass tone! To end it all, there’s nothing other than an eight-plus minute slug-a-thon called ‘Uproot’ that promises to be barbaric and it’s just that! If ever there was an epitaph to end all epitaphs, this would be it. Heck, I might even request for this song to be played at my funeral! Not that I’m dumbing this release down at all.

The use of melody to counteract the dissonant driving heaviness on show here is perfect. There’s something sensitive and soothing about Ambivalence that’s really hard to describe. It’s what I needed this evening and even if Tentacles have been silent for a long while now, it doesn’t matter because they left behind music like this. Last night I was ironing to the sounds of Papa Roach, tonight I’m sitting and head-banging in awe of this. It’s funny how music grabs us!

Stream and purchase Ambivalence as a name-your-price download below:-

You can buy physical copies from the below labels:-

Deadwood Records - https://www.deadwoodrecords.de/

Dead Tank Records - https://deadtankrecords.com/

React With Protest - http://www.reactwithprotest.org/

Zegema Beach Records - CAN/INTL - http://www.zegemabeachrecords.com/ / USA - https://zbrusa.com/

Deadwood Records - https://www.facebook.com/deadwoodrecords

Dead Tank Records - https://www.facebook.com/deadtankrecords

IFB Records - http://ifbrecords.blogspot.com

React With Protest - https://www.facebook.com/reactwithprotestdiy

Scaglie Di Rumore - https://www.facebook.com/scagliedirumorepage

Zegema Beach Records - https://www.facebook.com/zegemabeachrecords

Locktender - Friedrich

Labels: I.Corrupt.Records/Middle-Man Records/Zegema Beach Records/Deadwood Records/Utarid Tapes

Formats: Vinyl/Tape/Digital

Release Date: 15 Jan 2018

Tracklist:

1. The Monk By The Sea

2. View Of A Harbour

3. Wreck In The Sea Of Ice

4. Seashore With Shipwreck By Midnight

5. The Chasseur In The Forest

6. Morning Fog In The Mountains

7. Winter Landscape

8. The Abbey In The Oakwood

Ohio's Locktender ended their four years of silence earlier this year, with the release of "Friedrich". It tells the story of a Monk who eventually killed himself through loss of faith, while drawing inspiration from the artwork of 19th-century German landscape artist Casper David Friedrich. Having been released on vinyl initially, it was released on tape in May. I've already been jamming the album prior to writing this review, which isn't something I usually do but I was sucked in.

This feels good. The escape from reality that’s provided by music is unparallelled and Locktender goes the extra mile to make their’s that bit more special. The Monk By The Sea is the melodic opener you want and while the crunching riffs/percussion/vocals remind you of the band’s hardcore leanings, there’s way more to it all. The introspective passages filled with guitar melodies and the clean singing that towers over the recording at times, are layers that just belong. View Of A Harbour is a short piece that definitely conjures up images of sitting staring out over a coastal vista, with no cluttered thoughts to worry about. It flows into Wreck In The Sea Of Ice, which is filled with palpable emotion and anger from the vocals, while once again the melodies play out over minimalist drumming, There’s still loud dissonant screamo present but it’s very cohesive as opposed to being stop/start. Locktender’s lengthy instrumental passages are a pleasure to behold, like the one that forms the first sections of Seashore With Shipwreck By Moonlight. It’s spacey, calming and reminds me a lot of the music contained on “Feathers” by Duct Hearts at one point and then early-00’s post-hardcore the next. It builds up throughout and eventually explodes into something akin to emo-violence/hardcore towards the end. it’s wonderful. 

The second half of “Friedrich” is a post-hardcore/metal feast thanks to The Chasseur In The Forest. The vocals definitely hit you from a more extreme place, while the shorter running time and layers of sound offer a lot of impact, which other albums miss within their mid-sections. They’re back to their cinematic best on Morning Fog In The Mountains, with the calm/chaotic dynamic working so well. “Friedrich” is an album best enjoyed in a full sitting and not in fits and starts. Even though the song-titles seems as though they were chosen at random, the songs themselves follow on with ease. Penultimate song Winter Landscape is the album’s longest and one of it’s most thought-provoking as well. The beautiful isolation that you feel during it’s mid-section is hard to ignore. It’s like staring up at the night sky, inspired by just how huge the universe is other than just focusing on your small part of it. It’s taking that step back that makes the difference. Following that was always gonna be difficult so Locktender goes in a completely different direction and fills The Abbey In The Oakwood with off-kilter hardcore and screamo that smashes the wonderment into smithereens and replaces it with distant anguish and subtle black metal-style morbidity. 

I’m annoyed that I didn’t give this more attention earlier on in the year. It’s utterly glorious and shows that the time Locktender spent silent hasn’t affected them musically. in fact, it’s probably allowed them to open up and explore further, which has made for an outstanding album. Nothing more need be said. 

You can stream "Friedrich" and get it as a name-your-price download below:-

Locktender - https://www.facebook.com/locktenderband/

Physical LP and tape copies can be purchased from the links below:-

I.Corrupt.Records - http://icorruptrecords.com/product/locktender-friedrich-12

Middle-Man Records - http://middlemanrecords.storenvy.com

Zegema Beach Records - http://www.zegemabeachrecords.com

Deadwood Records - https://www.deadwoodrecords.de

Utarid Tape - https://www.facebook.com/utaridtapes/

I.Corrupt.Records - https://www.facebook.com/icorruptrecs/

Middle-Man Records - https://www.facebook.com/middlemanrecords/

Zegema Beach Records - https://www.facebook.com/zegemabeachrecords/

Deadwood Records - https://www.facebook.com/deadwoodrecords/