sable
it's been a quite a long time since I got this disk, and only now I feel that I have arrived to a point when I have finally sorted out my feelings towards it. I guess initially my problem was that I have build up too many unreasonable expectations towards this release. I was too immersed in the sound of "invasion of" (my favorite band's album up to date). the latter was focused on rhythms and heaviness, and I expected a continuation of that on "sable," so for a while I was unable to objectively listen to this album and recognize all different aspects of it.
from elegant strings and subtle fading percussion of "barbarous coast" that enveloped you in gentle ambient and teased with percussion textures the album moves to more straightforward percussion textures of "foolish" nicely outlined with cold atonal lines that create an atmosphere of uneasy tension and subtle menace. corroded, saturated rhythms build up some more on following tracks and finally arrive to "shell", one of my absolute favorites for its crunching density and merciless crushing power of percussion. it seems that before that percussion served only as a part of atmosphere, backed by small noises and atmospheric elements, here it takes control and brings back memories of "invasion of". following "code" has a similar effect on me with addictive persistent rhythms and more "industrial" touch.
a welcome addition to the sound arsenal of celluloid mata are strings and atmospheric elements that overall bring a whole new dimension to the music. tracks like "zily lip-eze" or "pieta" with deep mechanized ambient overtones are a welcome addition, although at times I wish they were a part of a longer, more diverse track. I guess as long as the band manages to find its own way, not falling into the niches other bands occupy, remaining true to its own sound.
overall "sable" is a more mature release, that hopefully is a next step for the band that later will integrate all those diverse elements presented here in one seamless mix that would explode with percussion storm, mesmerize with unique ambient textures and fascinate with unusual composition.