Otesanek
Otesanek (MCD) 2004 The Electric Human Project
Otesanek are a new American outfit that play extremely slow doom, the style of Bunkur is the first that springs to mind. I believe the band got their name from a film by Czech director Jan Svankmajer. The name means "Little Otik" and actually is a small child-shaped piece of wood. A curious influence to say the least, but at least it's interesting. Now for the music. Like I said, the style is certainly reminiscent of bands like Bunkur, but that won't be something lovers of that style will fret over. Expect a horribly low BPM rate, with drums, bass, guitars and (screamed/growled) vocals 'beating' in unison. As can be expected, this continues on for almost 30 minutes, along the lines of riff-like sound patterns. Each note gets ample time to ring out and leave its impression on the listener. Now and then some longer parts of relative silence are included and a few samples can be heard. The production is certainly very good for a debut release in such an obscure corner of the genre, as the sound is nowhere blurry or unclear. I dare say this is one of the better releases in this particular brand of extreme doom metal and will certainly not disappoint fans of the aforementioned Bunkur. Fans of bands like Unearthly Trance should also find this appealing.	1. Oceans 2. Dead In The Park Approx. 30 minutes
Reviewed by: Oscar Strik