- Apr 5, 2003
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Spektr - The Near Death Experience
Candlelight Records - CDL265/1498A - June 5th, 2006
By Brandon Strader
The Near Death Experience opens with some spooky ambience amongst a fart-like sound whilst the ambiance continues to morph and build with some familiar horror sound samples being used (see if you can pick them out) until finally it begins to rumble with some static fading in... It gets a bit louder... And it tricks you into thinking the song is about to start with a reversed, very sped-up sample of music... BOOM!
The actual music bursts forth after nearly 3 minutes of ambience, and it is quite glorious, indeed. The guitar tone is fuzzy as heck, as are the grim vocals. The percussion is a bit weak with only the ride bell and snare drum audible... Toms can also be heard, and possibly some bass drums, but the sound is not very consistent. The double-bass can be heard pretty well eventually, proving that it is actually there, contrary to prior belief.
Spektr do it right where so many lo-fi black metal bands have failed in the past. Their sound is raw and true, yet coherent enough to be enjoyable... It always sucks when raw black metal sounds more like noise music than black metal. Spektr's unique use of samples and electronic effects add a whole other dynamic to the sound, making it sound a bit more modern but still with that lo-fi charm.
The Near Death Experience creates a dark atmosphere with grimness and originality being the main focus. It's probably better in small doses though, as the kvlt sound is a bit harsh to the ears. It's got the production of lo-fi black metal with the kind of mixing job you'd expect from pretty much any album nowadays, which may be a good step for lo-fi black metal. But then again, it's supposed to be lo-fi black metal after all, perhaps not.
7.5/10
UM's Review Rating Scale
Official Spektr Website
Official Candlelight Records Website
Candlelight Records - CDL265/1498A - June 5th, 2006
By Brandon Strader
The Near Death Experience opens with some spooky ambience amongst a fart-like sound whilst the ambiance continues to morph and build with some familiar horror sound samples being used (see if you can pick them out) until finally it begins to rumble with some static fading in... It gets a bit louder... And it tricks you into thinking the song is about to start with a reversed, very sped-up sample of music... BOOM!
The actual music bursts forth after nearly 3 minutes of ambience, and it is quite glorious, indeed. The guitar tone is fuzzy as heck, as are the grim vocals. The percussion is a bit weak with only the ride bell and snare drum audible... Toms can also be heard, and possibly some bass drums, but the sound is not very consistent. The double-bass can be heard pretty well eventually, proving that it is actually there, contrary to prior belief.
Spektr do it right where so many lo-fi black metal bands have failed in the past. Their sound is raw and true, yet coherent enough to be enjoyable... It always sucks when raw black metal sounds more like noise music than black metal. Spektr's unique use of samples and electronic effects add a whole other dynamic to the sound, making it sound a bit more modern but still with that lo-fi charm.
The Near Death Experience creates a dark atmosphere with grimness and originality being the main focus. It's probably better in small doses though, as the kvlt sound is a bit harsh to the ears. It's got the production of lo-fi black metal with the kind of mixing job you'd expect from pretty much any album nowadays, which may be a good step for lo-fi black metal. But then again, it's supposed to be lo-fi black metal after all, perhaps not.
7.5/10
UM's Review Rating Scale
Official Spektr Website
Official Candlelight Records Website
