| CD REVIEW Elliot’s Keep |
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Band : Elliott’s Keep The debut In Media Res (read review 03/12/2009) was a good piece of work, but did suffer from a thin production that robbed the guitar's strength. Sine Qua Non is easily a huge improvement over In Media Res. The Texan doom trio are not only playing snail-paced doom, but also a lot of heavy groovin‘ parts, what makes them not only interesting for fans of Candlemass, ST Vitus, Solitude Aeturnus-like doom bands, but also for the ones who like to listen to Celtic Frost, Morbid Angel (listen to “God of emptiness” and “Blessed are the sick” and you know what I mean) and/or The Lamp of Thoth. The songs themselves retain the feel of loping, trudging heavy doom with a Frost-ian feel, but they are given a deeper sense of dynamics and meatier arrangements. Ken’s raspy and clean singing seems much more confident and emotive throughout the album. The arrangements allow for the songs to breathe, rather than hit one note or settle on the same groove throughout. Elliot’s Keep’s grooves are, in fact, powerful and gripping from first song to last. Together with Brainticket label owner and Solitude Aeturnus axe man John Perez, who's playing a guitarsolo on “Shades of disgrace”, Sine Qua Non is an album, which won´t be boring for a minute. It has his majestic and melancholic moments and after the last track "Darkest corner” you wonder that the album is over. Needless to say, I'm enjoying the heck out of Sine Qua Non. The growth of the band is highly commendable and suffice to say they have a great future in front of them as one of the better heavy doom bands I've heard. 93/100 Cosmicmasseur. |