Maudlin of the Well are possibly the most innovative and original metal group I have ever heard. A bold statement surely, but after a little bit of thinking I can say this is most certainly true. Their music is almost indescribable, not to put down the great Opeth, but when it comes to sheer diversity and emotion, Maudlin, in my books, is the victor hands down. However Maudlin's music is not for everyone, it is simply intensely inaccesible, and as I did, upon first hearing their music you may feel slightly in over your depth. Once this phase is over its merely a matter of time before you realise how timeless this music really is. Onto my review of Bath...the first CD of Maudlin of the Well's spiritual and wonderful double disc epic...
Bath is the companion disc to another named Leaving Your Body Map, which was released seperately...but Bath and LYBM are obivously related. On the front of LYBM is the picture of a bath, on the front of Bath is the picture of a path leading off into the distance. Bath has Interludes 1 & 2, LYBM has interludes named 3 & 4...judging by that, Bath is logically the first place you should look to for this double CD mega-opera.
Bath is probably my favourite of the two, whereas LYBM is quite reserved and doomy the entire way through, although ultimately more intimate and redeeming...Bath is like a schizophrenic release of emotion, a massive range of almost every feeling experienced by humankind...the disc is a sprawling epic, jumping left and right in unimaginable ways over any style you could think of. The incredible thing is that this ever-changing musical landscape actually works.
The album opens with 'The Blue Ghost - Shedding Qliphoth'...already you can tell this music is something quite different. The entire song is really calm and soothing guitar notes...sounding warm and piercing...soon drums enter and the song remains soothing and calm, its quite beautiful. Near the end it hits a crescendo with many instruments forging along full bore, but it still sounds relatively soothing. The song then fades out and my favourite moment on the disc suddenly bursts into your speakers...
The second song, 'They Aren't All Beautiful', is like a sledgehammer to your spine...after the calm and soothing 'The Blue Ghost', 'TAAB' starts with crazed distortion and BOOM, the band hits you with everything they've got, insane distortion, madcap timechanges, extreme grunting and screaming, chaos. The song makes amazing use of calm/angry transitions, and near the end trumpets come into the mix.
After the madness of 'They Aren't All Beautiful', comes 'Heaven and Weak'...starting with what sounds like a cello and plucked violin. It slowly rises in volume, beautifully acoustic and warming. Soon Tobia's (male vocals) soft and spiritual voice comes in as the song swirls along, sounding lovely. It remains like this for some time before slowly morphing into intense and angry metal with a manic energy...
Rather than going through all of the songs in a tedious manner, other highlights include 'The Ferryman'...starting with a gothic organ swirling ominously, before changing into soothing lounge jazz, then suddenly hitting you on the head as Tobia's growls bursts into the music with more metal chaos...the organs come back into the mix, beautiful female vocals soar above it all, and an atmosphere of disjointed confusion is created...as it ends we are treated to the sounds of flowing and trickling water...(the Bath in question?).
'Girl With a Watering Can' is also worthy of a mention. It starts with a lone flute shifting up and down beautifully...before acoustic guitars replete with spacey sound effects come in...it sounds distant, warm, renewing...and then perfect and vulnerable female vocals come into it. One of Bath's most wondrous moments. Distortion comes in, the female vocals continue...and the song sounds uber-epic and replenishing, spiritual...then Tobia's chips in with clean vocals before a guitar comes in with a high pitced solo remeniscent of the work of Robert Fripp.
Really...my descriptions here can not do the music itself justice. Maudlin of the Well have created a type of music I have never before encountered...even Opeth has never touched me in the way this music has. The whole thing feels out of this world, this is music as art, Maudlin of the Well...with its diverse members who all dabble in different musical styles and intruments, have taken their collective energy and individual creativities, and pored them all into their music. The result is an alarming melding of a massive range of genres and styles which in turn creates Maudlin's own indefinable style.
Bath is a spiritual cleansing, much as it names implies...a release of anger, sadness, joy (though not much of it), pain and other emotions...the listener is given a feeling of the proverbial struggle going on here, the music feels disjointed, confused, much like the imaginary protagonist of our journey, who is releasing all of the emotions he (or she?) feels inside. After all of these emotions are let out...you must look to Leaving Your Body Map, the second disc. LYBM is different to Bath in that whereas Bath is a release of emotion, LYBM is a spiritual journey...further exploring the emotions present on Bath in a more intimate and revealing manner.
I always try to avoid ass-kissing and poetic wanking over the work of an artist in my reviews, I've seen many a review of Maudlin spoiled by too much flowery overblown language...but for once, goddamnit I jst can't help myself. These guys are real artists, Maudlin of the Well is the modern equivalent in music to Picasso, I kid you not. Sound itself is their canvas and every one of the 9 members contributes something to make Bath one of the most incredible pieces of musical art ever realized.
One thing - This music is difficult to get into...the band does the listener no favours in making this music easy to enjoy upon first inspection. The learning curve for this is high, and only when you open your mind and spirit to it will it hit you...its not for everyone. If you have an open mind and willingness to exlplore something really different, give it a shot.
A resounding 10/10!!!
ps. May review LYBM later...Bath ain't quite so poignant without its sister disc...the two albums need to be listened to together.
Bath is the companion disc to another named Leaving Your Body Map, which was released seperately...but Bath and LYBM are obivously related. On the front of LYBM is the picture of a bath, on the front of Bath is the picture of a path leading off into the distance. Bath has Interludes 1 & 2, LYBM has interludes named 3 & 4...judging by that, Bath is logically the first place you should look to for this double CD mega-opera.
Bath is probably my favourite of the two, whereas LYBM is quite reserved and doomy the entire way through, although ultimately more intimate and redeeming...Bath is like a schizophrenic release of emotion, a massive range of almost every feeling experienced by humankind...the disc is a sprawling epic, jumping left and right in unimaginable ways over any style you could think of. The incredible thing is that this ever-changing musical landscape actually works.
The album opens with 'The Blue Ghost - Shedding Qliphoth'...already you can tell this music is something quite different. The entire song is really calm and soothing guitar notes...sounding warm and piercing...soon drums enter and the song remains soothing and calm, its quite beautiful. Near the end it hits a crescendo with many instruments forging along full bore, but it still sounds relatively soothing. The song then fades out and my favourite moment on the disc suddenly bursts into your speakers...
The second song, 'They Aren't All Beautiful', is like a sledgehammer to your spine...after the calm and soothing 'The Blue Ghost', 'TAAB' starts with crazed distortion and BOOM, the band hits you with everything they've got, insane distortion, madcap timechanges, extreme grunting and screaming, chaos. The song makes amazing use of calm/angry transitions, and near the end trumpets come into the mix.
After the madness of 'They Aren't All Beautiful', comes 'Heaven and Weak'...starting with what sounds like a cello and plucked violin. It slowly rises in volume, beautifully acoustic and warming. Soon Tobia's (male vocals) soft and spiritual voice comes in as the song swirls along, sounding lovely. It remains like this for some time before slowly morphing into intense and angry metal with a manic energy...
Rather than going through all of the songs in a tedious manner, other highlights include 'The Ferryman'...starting with a gothic organ swirling ominously, before changing into soothing lounge jazz, then suddenly hitting you on the head as Tobia's growls bursts into the music with more metal chaos...the organs come back into the mix, beautiful female vocals soar above it all, and an atmosphere of disjointed confusion is created...as it ends we are treated to the sounds of flowing and trickling water...(the Bath in question?).
'Girl With a Watering Can' is also worthy of a mention. It starts with a lone flute shifting up and down beautifully...before acoustic guitars replete with spacey sound effects come in...it sounds distant, warm, renewing...and then perfect and vulnerable female vocals come into it. One of Bath's most wondrous moments. Distortion comes in, the female vocals continue...and the song sounds uber-epic and replenishing, spiritual...then Tobia's chips in with clean vocals before a guitar comes in with a high pitced solo remeniscent of the work of Robert Fripp.
Really...my descriptions here can not do the music itself justice. Maudlin of the Well have created a type of music I have never before encountered...even Opeth has never touched me in the way this music has. The whole thing feels out of this world, this is music as art, Maudlin of the Well...with its diverse members who all dabble in different musical styles and intruments, have taken their collective energy and individual creativities, and pored them all into their music. The result is an alarming melding of a massive range of genres and styles which in turn creates Maudlin's own indefinable style.
Bath is a spiritual cleansing, much as it names implies...a release of anger, sadness, joy (though not much of it), pain and other emotions...the listener is given a feeling of the proverbial struggle going on here, the music feels disjointed, confused, much like the imaginary protagonist of our journey, who is releasing all of the emotions he (or she?) feels inside. After all of these emotions are let out...you must look to Leaving Your Body Map, the second disc. LYBM is different to Bath in that whereas Bath is a release of emotion, LYBM is a spiritual journey...further exploring the emotions present on Bath in a more intimate and revealing manner.
I always try to avoid ass-kissing and poetic wanking over the work of an artist in my reviews, I've seen many a review of Maudlin spoiled by too much flowery overblown language...but for once, goddamnit I jst can't help myself. These guys are real artists, Maudlin of the Well is the modern equivalent in music to Picasso, I kid you not. Sound itself is their canvas and every one of the 9 members contributes something to make Bath one of the most incredible pieces of musical art ever realized.
One thing - This music is difficult to get into...the band does the listener no favours in making this music easy to enjoy upon first inspection. The learning curve for this is high, and only when you open your mind and spirit to it will it hit you...its not for everyone. If you have an open mind and willingness to exlplore something really different, give it a shot.
A resounding 10/10!!!
ps. May review LYBM later...Bath ain't quite so poignant without its sister disc...the two albums need to be listened to together.
