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

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