Lilitu The Delores Lesion
The End Records 2004
By Jason Jordan
Our friends in The End Records have an interesting roster for us metallers to sift through. On the one hand, The End have a slew of endearing acts that are truly pushing the envelope such as Age of Silence, Agalloch, Arcturus, Frantic Bleep, and Virgin Black. On the other hand, however, there are those signees that are bumbling about while creating stale music in the process such as Crisis and Green Carnation. As an aside, I havent enjoyed the latter since the stellar Light of Day, Day of Darkness. Lilitu, to continue, seemingly tread the line between the spectacular and the not-so-spectacular.
The Delores Lesion clocks in at barely over thirty five minutes, which is a little short for a full-length, but perhaps thats just nit-picking. What is pleasant, though, are the sounds of Only the End of the World Again. Lilitu enjoy blending electronic elements, gruff vocals, and miscellaneous items to create a full-bodied assault. Wait, its not so much an assault as it is a presentation. Again, as mentioned earlier, this doesnt break the metal mold; it actually parallels the latter. Even the Vultures Have Moved On (A Tragic Love Story) commences with a structure based deeply on synthesizers that drop out, and then reappear when appropriate. The vocalizations can be reasonably compared to any growler out there. The clean vox, however, are a little different than average. Regardless of the differentiation aspect, the vox are well done. Noticeable influences? Dark Tranquillity come to mind at times, as does some of the less avant-garde acts on The End. The Delores Lesion starts much differently than prior compositions: soft music with spoken, female vocals. The music does ascend/descend into the heavier spectrum, which is reminiscent of the slower melodeath sound that bands are so fond of using these days. Ether continues the trend set by The Delores Lesion, but its merely a minute and a half long. Desolation Breeds has a great introduction, Dark-Haired Girl is beautifully serene, and Fragments of My Reflection is basically an amalgamation of all the styles realized on The Delores Lesion.
If youre like me, you expect nothing less than greatness from The End. Lilitu really cant be confined to that particular group; but, The Delores Lesion is good in spite of my criticisms. In short, was it worth the $2 I spent on it? Yup.
7.5/10
Official Lilitu website
Official The End Records website
The End Records 2004
By Jason Jordan
Our friends in The End Records have an interesting roster for us metallers to sift through. On the one hand, The End have a slew of endearing acts that are truly pushing the envelope such as Age of Silence, Agalloch, Arcturus, Frantic Bleep, and Virgin Black. On the other hand, however, there are those signees that are bumbling about while creating stale music in the process such as Crisis and Green Carnation. As an aside, I havent enjoyed the latter since the stellar Light of Day, Day of Darkness. Lilitu, to continue, seemingly tread the line between the spectacular and the not-so-spectacular.
The Delores Lesion clocks in at barely over thirty five minutes, which is a little short for a full-length, but perhaps thats just nit-picking. What is pleasant, though, are the sounds of Only the End of the World Again. Lilitu enjoy blending electronic elements, gruff vocals, and miscellaneous items to create a full-bodied assault. Wait, its not so much an assault as it is a presentation. Again, as mentioned earlier, this doesnt break the metal mold; it actually parallels the latter. Even the Vultures Have Moved On (A Tragic Love Story) commences with a structure based deeply on synthesizers that drop out, and then reappear when appropriate. The vocalizations can be reasonably compared to any growler out there. The clean vox, however, are a little different than average. Regardless of the differentiation aspect, the vox are well done. Noticeable influences? Dark Tranquillity come to mind at times, as does some of the less avant-garde acts on The End. The Delores Lesion starts much differently than prior compositions: soft music with spoken, female vocals. The music does ascend/descend into the heavier spectrum, which is reminiscent of the slower melodeath sound that bands are so fond of using these days. Ether continues the trend set by The Delores Lesion, but its merely a minute and a half long. Desolation Breeds has a great introduction, Dark-Haired Girl is beautifully serene, and Fragments of My Reflection is basically an amalgamation of all the styles realized on The Delores Lesion.
If youre like me, you expect nothing less than greatness from The End. Lilitu really cant be confined to that particular group; but, The Delores Lesion is good in spite of my criticisms. In short, was it worth the $2 I spent on it? Yup.
7.5/10
Official Lilitu website
Official The End Records website
...in terms of emotion, not actual sound quality, I hasten to point out!
