Loch Vostock

From These Waters

Written by: MN on 11/08/2015 15:14:26

Loch Vostock are a Swedish outfit hailing from the metal-bastion city of Gothenburg where the likes of In Flames and Soilwork have emerged from. A city with such an immense roster of metal bands fuels diverging dynamics within the scene. Some choose to stray down the conventional path of the melodeath that the city is ever-so-famous for. Other bands, such as Loch Vostock, take the unbeaten path and attempt to take a progressive approach by essentially making a sub-genre blending. Whether or not this is a success is the question on their latest record production "From These Waters".

Upon first listen, an ambivalent judgement arose, yet countless listens reveals more beneath the surface of the ice, the diversity in the tracks is indicative of a band that has, through the release of five records, finally found a way to stay consistent throughout the record, but maintain that progressive edge that makes them relevant in the sea of genericity.

The album opens with the full-throttle "Like Poison To The Stars" where blastbeats catapult the album into a stream of organized cacophony. The song is essentially a blend of extreme thrash, progressive metal and at times, old-school death metal. The bellows and screams of Teddy Moller are convincing and surprisingly wide-ranging. The guitar solo performance of Niklas Kupper is a somewhat simple yet effective and economic display of musicianship. "From These Waters" is the title-track and first single that is a bit lukewarm in comparison to some of the other bashers on this album. The song is kind of predictable, albeit catchy, but then again, which singles aren't supposed to be easily digestible for the chance of radio-play?

"Fighting Fire With Blood" is an insistent basher that is anchored and carried by a thumping double pedal. As mentioned before, there is a great deal of variety that characterizes "From These Waters", of which the most ballad-like is "Lost In Transmutance" which displays some of the best vocal performances on the record. Those looking for the heaviest flavours should be listening to songs like "Dead Sea Trolls" and "Sentiment", the latter being my personal favourite track of the record.

Loch Vostock are new to me and it took me quite a while to reach a conclusive opinion, as their music is at first a bit tedious, but it eventually grows on you, like an acquired taste. Teddy Moller (the present vocalist and guitarist) is the former guitarist of the now disbanded Mayadome - a man who has a solid 20 years under his belt on the prog scene and is now somewhat of a veteran, and this album cements his position among the greats. Fans of Wuthering Heights, Symphony X and the bands listed below should find some joy in checking this out.

7

Download: Sentiment, Fighting Fire With Blood, I Implode
For The Fans Of: Cloudscape, Dream Theater, Communic
Listen: facebook.com

Release date 27.03.2015
Vicisolum Productions

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