The debut full-length from Greek band Automaton is weighty, sludgy, coffin-lid-slamming Doom perfection.
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A trio from Frosinone, Godwatt formed in 2006. They play quite raucous and dark, groovily psychedelic, heavy Stoner/Doom, with all the latterday lyrics i...
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Ixion : Through the Space We Die
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| First, let me say that the professional packaging and equally professional mastering of the sound could trick you into believing this is a full length album. The fact is, though, that the band counts this as a demo. From this I have the expectation that future albums from this French two piece will keep a high standard. This high standard is also reflected in their songwriting. Their highly atmospheric doom metal draws on many strings from the well known Peaceville melodic doom/death trio, but might perhaps be even better placed alongside Shape of Despair. As additional similarities, the soft clean male vocals give the music some reminiscence of Canaan or even Pink Floyd's 'Meddle', while the occational cold whispers and dark growls bring to mind Dolorian's self titled album on one hand, and the first and second Until Death Overtakes Me symphonies on the other. But I have to mention the ultimate strength of this demo: the melodies. Apparently these two Frenchmen are highly skilled at creating beautiful melodies which are as melancholic as they are soothing. Whether they do it by guitar, piano, keyboard or violin, all the tracks keep a quality high enough to give me goosebumps every time I hear them. And even then a track manages to stand out amongst the rest. 'Closer Now' is one of my favourite tracks amongst it's kind. It has a teardripping sadness which few tracks have ever managed to stir in me. The thirty minutes playtime of this demo is enough to take my breath away for hours. A full length would have left me exhausted! Ixion is definitely one of the most pleasant surprises of 2007. They've been playing for three years before making this demo, but it's still as if they just came out of thin air. This is music for those who like the Firebox sound, but those die hard fans of the old styles of melodic doom/death (in the My Dying Bride-/Paradise Lost-/Anathema-vein) will likely find something of interest here, even though Ixion clearly is a modern band. |
| Tracklist : 1. Still Conscious 2. The Seeds of Misery 3. Cold Stars 4. Eternal Dreams 5. Closer Now 6. A Call for the End Duration : Approx. 31 minutes. Visit the Ixion bandpage. |
