The fairly loosely defined genre of “Instrumental rock/metal” tends to summon up both positive and negative connotations and overlap many other genres, and the bands that reside within it find themselves walking a very fine line: becoming so “subtle” or ”avant-garde” as to lull the listener into a tedium induced coma, or plunging into a gaping cesspit of self-indulgent, masturbatory solos. Fortunately there is a lack of these qualities on Capricorns debut album Ruder Forms Survive, an album that plants both feet firmly on the middle ground of 00's instrumental prog.
Sure enough, when “1977 Blood For Papa” begins, it’s quite obvious that we aren't in for a Yngwie Malmsteen tribute. Rather than bore the listener with indulgent guitar solos, Capricorns strike out on a more riff-oriented tangent, but keep things relatively dynamic by segmenting the riffs between both guitar players. An interesting take on the “rock gamelan” approach championed by Robert Fripp and Adrian Belew of King Crimson fame can be heard at the beginning of “1969 A Predator Among Us” , the two guitars fingerpicked notes clashing and complimenting each other with unusual harmonies, before breaking into riffs. On “1946 The Last Rennaisance Man,” both guitarists employ an epic post rock-esque sound, using an extended section of clean chords and soaring melodies to build up to well, more riffs.
If the guitars were the only potent force on the CD, this album would possibly be much poorly received. Fortunately, the drummer comes to the rescue, rivalling Brann Dailor in his ability to drive songs forward at breakneck speed, while fitting in spectacular fills in split-second pauses between beats. The bass player is somewhat missing in action, which unfortunately detracts from the album’s distinguished sound. He seems to be simply content to lurk in the shadows of his six-stringed counterparts, rather than play alongside them, and in sections where the guitars are quieter, he is somewhat like a rabbit startled in a headlight. Oxbow vocalist Eugene also makes a guest appearance on The Last Broken Promise—by far the highest point of the album—and his broken, mental-asylum-patient crooning sits extremely well with the dark, surging guitars and thunderous drums.
Despite a decent amount of instrumental technique and variation, the perks of the album stop there. While very well executed, there is simply not enough originality in Ruder Forms Survive to keep the attention of a seasoned listener sustained. As a whole, the album is quite indistinguishable from the works of Pelican, Keelhaul and Zebulon Pike, and fits altogether too snugly into this new genre for which a snappy term has yet to be coined, and so must be categorized with such vague terms as “sludge-prog” or “technical sludge”. This negativity aside, one must remember that the band is formed from members of legendary Stoner Doom groups such as Iron Monkey and Orange Goblin—essentially stemming from the needs of these members to tend to creative itches, which in their resident bands, they have been unable to scratch. Although this reach for the abstract is certainly an admirable endeavor, it has unfortunately not produced anything outstanding as of yet.
| Reviewer: Jasper Rice Added: December 17th 2006 |
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