| The
Review |
One look at the cover and you know you are in for a dark
ride with these guys. Germany's Noekk is really just 2 musicians
who decided to try something different after playing black
metal for years and venture into progressive rock. This is
their second release4 and I have heard good things about their
first album. Noekk is a mellotron-filled, dark, angular guitar
riff-filled experience. I am reminded of the Scandinavian
bands like Anglagard, Anekdoten, etc., and yet Noekk has its
own sound to be sure. For one thing, these guys are not afraid
to get heavy (though not, in my mind, venturing into prog
metal - though some may argue) For another - no flute and
more variation in keyboards.
The whole cd is only 3 very long tracks - the third being
over 20 minutes. This gives them much time to change things
up from soft to heavy - something they do frequently. The
soft parts are SOFT, and the heavy parts are HEAVY. Often,
this dichotomy is too much as it creates a disjointed feel
- and one of my main complaints with this disc is the soft
parts are way too low in the mix and near impossible to hear.
Then - you get blown away by a heavy riff when it comes back
without warning to blow your speakers. If this was fixed the
album would be much better.
Great dark melodies and much to digest here as there
is very little repetition anywhere. They are not overly complicated
like Anglagard, however - they seem to stick to simpler themes.
Mellotron is everywhere, and sounds great. The vocals are
not bad, and in english - but I keep thinking the singer sounds
like Dracula! You get used to him and the effect is kind of
eerie like the music. You will also find some good harpsichord
and some arabic themes (also dark) to add to the fun. Overall
- if these guys worked on their transitions and upped the
soft parts in the mix they could be on to something great.
Rating: 3.5 stars
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