The Flashcards: Odradek Room - A Man of Silt (2017)

75+/100

Genre: Progressive melodic death/doom metal

Five years after Bardo. Relative Reality, Odradek Room released a new album that felt far less immersive upon first listen because it was much more dynamic. However, after devouring Opeth a while back, the atmosphere of the intro to "Arising in the Void" grew stronger, a feeling that carried over when listening to the organ in "Selfness". Then, the clean vocals from 03:28 to 04:28 on the track "Mirror Labyrinth" remind me of Tonight's Decision-era Katatonia, even if it's just trying to convey "I am Nothing". The sound of rain at the end of that song transitions into "Rain Trip," which features prominent horns, making it feel even more like classic progressive metal. This is further bolstered by the melancholy female vocals of Karina Khristova, adding an extra layer of flavor.

Unfortunately, my attention span started to scatter, feeling almost numb by the time I hit "Silt Flower" and "Divide", despite the presence of an emotional clean guitar intro, minor-key piano, and prog-death segments. So my initial thought—that the atmosphere thinned out or even vanished on these two tracks—wasn't entirely wrong. "Conditional Eternity" then closes the album perfectly with acoustic plucking and a horn section that feels distinctly classical with an Eastern vibe. It's like the end-credit sequence of a movie where I, or a character, watch a group of Eastern people walk away across a vast field. What's even more fascinating is that the chime sound in this outro loops right back into the album's intro! Insane! If I hadn't been paying close attention, I never would have known—and that's always how it goes! There's always a different feeling whenever I write these kinds of commentaries.

Okay, so even though I didn't dissect the lyrics and themes, musically, Odradek Room has crafted an intriguing concept album. If only I did this sort of thing for every album, including Opeth's Ghost Reveries, maybe there would be a lot more flavors and colors I could fully appreciate. But I'm not a patient person, I have quite a backlog piling up on my desk, and I still harbor a bit of resentment, pretentiousness, and outright hatred toward mainstream music.

Tracklist:

1. Arising in the Void

2. Selfness

3. Texture of Reality

4. Mirror Labyrinth

5. Rain Trip

6. Silt Flower

7. Divide

8. Conditional Eternity

Comments

Breakcore: Subheroine - End. (2025)

77 / 100 End. is Subheroine ’s most immersive and emotionally textured work yet ... Is being a week late enough to make a new release feel cold and stale? Maybe it’s the effect of our fast-paced modern world and the FOMO trend. Who knows. Whatever. Alright then, let’s welcome a new breakcore/drum & bass album (though it runs under 30 minutes) from Subheroine : End. ! End. by SUBHEROINE Released just on November 7 via Japan’s veteran breakcore label, Lost Frog Productions , End . delivers a noticeably more atmospheric vibe this time. So, tagging it as atmospheric drum & bass makes perfect sense, while the “depressive” tag seems to apply only to the cover art. But is that really the case? As always, there are surprises when reviewing music—those unexpected moments that make certain tracks sound more intriguing than expected. The most prominent depressive elements appear in the sampled voice of an anime girl sounding shocked or weakened in...

Electronica/IDM: 4T Thieves - Humanoid (2018)

70 / 100 Humanoid is a compact and tastefully crafted slice of IDM-leaning electronica that blends futuristic elements without overwhelming the listener. I opened my December with an electronica release by 4T Thieves , an EP titled Humanoid , which came out back in February 2018. A brief profile and the project’s track record can be found on RYM or Last.fm , and it’s clear that this act has been active since the 90s, although only arriving on Bandcamp around 2018. Humanoid by 4T Thieves As the name suggests, Humanoid presents a modern environment tinged with a futuristic sci-fi atmosphere, supported by drum work leaning toward IDM and prominent synth/bass that paints the image of a future city gate on “ Elemental .” This is followed by “ Codex ,” which is given a special dose of classic IDM-style glitch effects , and the rest continues into “ The Looking Glass ,” which gives off a nighttime-shadow feel through its slightly dark synth melodies. “Band...

Psychedelic Rock, Experimental: 32 Partials - In Degradation (Part I + II) (2017)

76 / 100 A dual-EP venture that expands 32 Partials ’ sonic universe, In Degradation showcases both their desert-tinged psych rock and a bold leap into experimental ambient/noise. The journey of 32 Partials continues with a descent into desert territory in In Degradation (Part I) , accompanied by an experimental/noise backsound presented separately in In Degradation (Part II) . Both were created during the summer and released together at the end of August 2017. Each EP contains three tracks, so I figured it would be more efficient to summarize them in one review instead of two. In Degradation (Part II) by 32 Partials What’s presented first is a Middle Eastern–styled rock performance using bouzouki and flanged guitar without distorted accompaniment, making it less clearly aligned with desert/stoner rock . The same goes for the two psychedelic rock tracks that follow—they don’t feature synths as strongly as the previous release, but overall t...

Search This Blog