THE PROPHECY - "Into the Light" - REVIEWS
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http://www.music-scan.de/Templates/reviews_team.php?id=11081
rate: 8,5/10
The Prophecy
Into The Light
Code666 - CD Erinnert sich noch jemand an die Entdeckung der musikalischen Langsamkeit, so wie sie einst von My Dying Bride zelebriert wurden? Death Metal in Zeitlupe und allein schon deswegen sehr finster und spooky. Leider aber haben sich eben jene My Dying Bride recht früh vom Death Metal verabschiedet und einen eher seichteren, ungleich melancholischeren Weg eingeschlagen. Zumindest was die Balance zwischen Finsternis, Melancholie und leichten Hoffnungsschimmern angeht, können die Britn von THE PROPHECY nicht nur locker mithalten, sondern "Into The Light" ist eigentlich besser als alles, was die sterbende Braut in den letzten Jahren gemacht hat. Böse Growls, hoffnungsvoller Klargesang, technisch ausgefeilte Riffs und viel Atmosphäre. Das ist zwar irgendwie noch im Doom-Sektor verankert, geht aber weiter als die drogengeschwängerte Musik der meisten Genrekollegen. Man könnte soweit gehen und behaupten, das ist mit Abstand die heftigste musikalische Vision, die seit langer Zeit von der Insel herüberschwappte. Zerbrechlich, zerbrechend, böse, verschüchtert. "Into The Light" ist ganz hohe Kunst und dennoch auch einfach nur emotional zu genießen. Daniel Rating:
10.02.2009
rate: 8,5/10
The Prophecy
http://www.hardsounds.it/PUBLIC/recensione.php?id=4889
Finalmente qualcosa di nuovo! Dopo 10.000 cloni dei My Dying Bride senza arte né parte buoni solo a scopiazzare un certo modo di suonare (che aveva anche rotto alquanto le palle, concedetemelo), dalla Gran Bretagna ecco un gruppo che con modestia e solerzia ha realizzato quello che per il sottoscritto è un discone.
'Into The Light' è la terza prova in studio per i The Prophecy che sebbene sconosciuti ai più sono riusciti nell'impresa di riuscire a creare un proprio sound senza incappare nell'errore di suonare una chimera(ossia sterile unione di più stili e influenze differenti).
Caratteristica principale di questo gruppo è l'utilizzo maestoso della voce del cantante Matt Lawson, ottima sia nel cantato "pulito" (che personalmente accosterei a quella di Phil Collins dell'era Genesis), sia nel più classico grunt di scuola death/doom.
Il bello sta proprio qui: pur essendo facilmente ed erroneamente inquadrabile ad un primo ascolto come il "classico" disco di death/doom melodico, dopo qualche ascolto si riesce a scoprirne la vera essenza, molto maestosa, romantica e suadente, decisamente accattivante nelle soluzioni adottate, ma senza stravolgere il canovaccio tipico di questo genere di musica.
Canzoni preferite? In primis "Delusion" (con il suo chorus veramente... figo!), "All Is Lost" aggressiva e che mi ha riportato in mente certi passaggi degli schizzatissimi The Dillinger Escape Plan e "Waters Deep", ma si tratta ovvio di gusti personali.
Decisamente un'ottima carta nel mazzo della nostra Code666.
_ PER I FANS DI My Dying Bride - Solitude Aeturnus - Morgion
Maestoso e romantico oltre che decisamente originale. Non il solito clone dei My Dying Bride ma un vero gruppo con un proprio sound!
VOTO 79 _GUIDA AL GIUDIZIO 0-29 inascoltabile
30-39 disatroso
40-49 inconsistente
50-59 non sufficiente
60-65 si può ascoltare
66-70 positivo
71-75 interessante
76-80 soldi ben spesi
81-85 grande disco
86-90 eccellente
91-95 capolavoro
96-100 storia e leggenda.
RECENSORE Gabriele "Anaconda" Frontini
RECENSITO IL 14/02/2009
Finalmente qualcosa di nuovo! Dopo 10.000 cloni dei My Dying Bride senza arte né parte buoni solo a scopiazzare un certo modo di suonare (che aveva anche rotto alquanto le palle, concedetemelo), dalla Gran Bretagna ecco un gruppo che con modestia e solerzia ha realizzato quello che per il sottoscritto è un discone.
'Into The Light' è la terza prova in studio per i The Prophecy che sebbene sconosciuti ai più sono riusciti nell'impresa di riuscire a creare un proprio sound senza incappare nell'errore di suonare una chimera(ossia sterile unione di più stili e influenze differenti).
Caratteristica principale di questo gruppo è l'utilizzo maestoso della voce del cantante Matt Lawson, ottima sia nel cantato "pulito" (che personalmente accosterei a quella di Phil Collins dell'era Genesis), sia nel più classico grunt di scuola death/doom.
Il bello sta proprio qui: pur essendo facilmente ed erroneamente inquadrabile ad un primo ascolto come il "classico" disco di death/doom melodico, dopo qualche ascolto si riesce a scoprirne la vera essenza, molto maestosa, romantica e suadente, decisamente accattivante nelle soluzioni adottate, ma senza stravolgere il canovaccio tipico di questo genere di musica.
Canzoni preferite? In primis "Delusion" (con il suo chorus veramente... figo!), "All Is Lost" aggressiva e che mi ha riportato in mente certi passaggi degli schizzatissimi The Dillinger Escape Plan e "Waters Deep", ma si tratta ovvio di gusti personali.
Decisamente un'ottima carta nel mazzo della nostra Code666.
_ PER I FANS DI My Dying Bride - Solitude Aeturnus - Morgion
Maestoso e romantico oltre che decisamente originale. Non il solito clone dei My Dying Bride ma un vero gruppo con un proprio sound!
VOTO 79 _GUIDA AL GIUDIZIO 0-29 inascoltabile
30-39 disatroso
40-49 inconsistente
50-59 non sufficiente
60-65 si può ascoltare
66-70 positivo
71-75 interessante
76-80 soldi ben spesi
81-85 grande disco
86-90 eccellente
91-95 capolavoro
96-100 storia e leggenda.
RECENSORE Gabriele "Anaconda" Frontini
RECENSITO IL 14/02/2009
www.live4metal.com
The Prophecy - Into The Light (Code666) review by Sam Thomas
Every now and then, a series of events conspire to produce a good result, even though the original events themselves were anything but good. Thus it was, one not very exciting Tuesday, that I had the opportunity to sit down and listen to Halifax doommongers The Prophecys first two albums, followed by latest release Into the Light. Id arrived at this lucky state of affairs by virtue of having taken a slice out of my finger with a chisel, and having run out of (decent) things that I could reasonably do one-handed.
Now Im not always the best at remembering a piece of music that I heard years ago, so it was interesting to see how much of Ashes I could instantly recall, and also to see how the band had developed over the years. The first thing Id say is that weve obviously got a Star Trek movie type situation here: the odd numbers are better than the even numbers Yes, Into the Light is everything Id ever hoped for from The Prophecy doom running at approximately the speed of setting treacle, heavy as lead and with the element of progressive death to just add that extra edge. Although the most obvious comparison is to My Dying Bride (obvious because of course theyve supported them on tour) I think that the attraction for me is the way that Matt Lawsons vocals have something of the Mikael Åkerfeldt about them. And yet, his clean vocals are more reminiscent perhaps of Jonas Renkse Oh well, you get the general drift. The Prophecy are extremely talented, and this album demonstrates that beyond any shadow of a doubt. The songwriting has improved as well not that there was anything wrong with it before, just that its now so much better. I think that Echoes has to be the best track on the album from that point of view the images it summons up are so incredibly powerful, and the lads know exactly when to drop the lyrics and let the music infuse your soul with creeping melancholy. This is a magical, powerful album, that twists and twines its bittersweet shoots around the listener.
Doom can be one of the most creative genres there is, and The Prophecy are certainly masters of the genre, if not (yet) of the universe.
Absolutely outstanding!
www.the-prophecy.net
The Prophecy - Into The Light (Code666) review by Sam Thomas
Every now and then, a series of events conspire to produce a good result, even though the original events themselves were anything but good. Thus it was, one not very exciting Tuesday, that I had the opportunity to sit down and listen to Halifax doommongers The Prophecys first two albums, followed by latest release Into the Light. Id arrived at this lucky state of affairs by virtue of having taken a slice out of my finger with a chisel, and having run out of (decent) things that I could reasonably do one-handed.
Now Im not always the best at remembering a piece of music that I heard years ago, so it was interesting to see how much of Ashes I could instantly recall, and also to see how the band had developed over the years. The first thing Id say is that weve obviously got a Star Trek movie type situation here: the odd numbers are better than the even numbers Yes, Into the Light is everything Id ever hoped for from The Prophecy doom running at approximately the speed of setting treacle, heavy as lead and with the element of progressive death to just add that extra edge. Although the most obvious comparison is to My Dying Bride (obvious because of course theyve supported them on tour) I think that the attraction for me is the way that Matt Lawsons vocals have something of the Mikael Åkerfeldt about them. And yet, his clean vocals are more reminiscent perhaps of Jonas Renkse Oh well, you get the general drift. The Prophecy are extremely talented, and this album demonstrates that beyond any shadow of a doubt. The songwriting has improved as well not that there was anything wrong with it before, just that its now so much better. I think that Echoes has to be the best track on the album from that point of view the images it summons up are so incredibly powerful, and the lads know exactly when to drop the lyrics and let the music infuse your soul with creeping melancholy. This is a magical, powerful album, that twists and twines its bittersweet shoots around the listener.
Doom can be one of the most creative genres there is, and The Prophecy are certainly masters of the genre, if not (yet) of the universe.
Absolutely outstanding!
www.the-prophecy.net
from: http://www.metalreview.com/4902/The-Prophecy-Into-The-Light.aspx
The Prophecy
Into The Light
2/20/2009
Code666
rate : 5/6
John Ray
Good doom-death metal is depressing. Thats the point. Life can be bleak and it often burdens us with pain so heavy it challenges our very right to exist. The best bands in the genre have a penchant for persuading listeners that the more time they spend in the mire, the better. My Dying Bride, early Anathema and Katatonia, and Swallow the Sun set the bar for gut wrenching, gloomy doom contrasted with crushing death designed to drive the listener a few steps further into despondency, as if to remind us that even our darkest days can become darker. But then there is hope -- the indomitable force within the human spirit that somehow finds the tiniest bit of light in that blackness and clings to it. This is the dynamic at work on the aptly titled Into the Light.
Whereas up to now The Prophecy have seemed content in the role of competent understudy, previous efforts being passable replications of established entries in the field, their latest work reveals a welcome maturation. The British quartets third full length record finds them paring away embellishment by dropping conventional violin accompaniment and upping the intensity by focusing on grittier, riff intensive rhythm work. That isnt to say that theyve sacrificed delicacy for brute strength but, rather, that theyve opted to allow songwriting to draw the crucial contrasts. As in the title track, oppressive funereal dirge is carefully interwoven with light acoustic passages. Driving, punctuated, progressive rhythmic runs in "All is Lost" turn to desperate, aggressive riffs layered over menacing vocals. The relatively restrained rhythms of "Waters Deep" give rise to floating, ethereal melody that inevitably succumbs to a churning, death riff vortex. As if to mirror life, moments of sober reflection are often driven to deep melancholy, but sometimes give strength to gossamer hopes.
In terms of performance, theres an uncanny synchronicity among the players on this album that synthesizes individual excellence into a monumentally cohesive whole. The solo work of Greg OShea, while technically exceptional, absolutely exudes emotion, the sort of impassioned fretwork that compels one to pause and admire (see "Echoes" for a sublimely sweet example). Matt Lawson, whose vocals on earlier albums might be justifiably criticized as derivative of the genre, has developed a unique style with which he elegantly conducts the albums eight track discourse of dark and light. Whereas his death growls are supremely coarse and at times convey a genuine malevolence, Lawsons contrasting clean vocals, honest and evocative, enwrap the listener in a somber, empathic embrace. Percussionist John Bennett handles the delicate balance of mass and ambience with expert dexterity and Gavin Parkinsons bass play provides a hardy, sonorous foundation for the albums masterfully crafted songs. The albums production is superbly executed, allowing each of the instruments to contribute to the captivating ebb and flow without sacrificing the heft and depth of the bands sound.
Into the Lights exhibition of the ever present struggle between hope and despair, so familiar to us all, is nothing short of a journey. And in the end the listener is left with "Hope," the albums outstanding final track, a piece that humbly pays homage to fellow countrymen, Warning. This excruciatingly poignant song weaves sincerely plaintive vocals into vast expanses of epic doom in reminding us that it is often lifes most tragic moments that bring us back to that for which we can be grateful, that even in loss we can find strength, and that without darkness there can be no light.
The Prophecy
Into The Light
2/20/2009
Code666
rate : 5/6
John Ray
Good doom-death metal is depressing. Thats the point. Life can be bleak and it often burdens us with pain so heavy it challenges our very right to exist. The best bands in the genre have a penchant for persuading listeners that the more time they spend in the mire, the better. My Dying Bride, early Anathema and Katatonia, and Swallow the Sun set the bar for gut wrenching, gloomy doom contrasted with crushing death designed to drive the listener a few steps further into despondency, as if to remind us that even our darkest days can become darker. But then there is hope -- the indomitable force within the human spirit that somehow finds the tiniest bit of light in that blackness and clings to it. This is the dynamic at work on the aptly titled Into the Light.
Whereas up to now The Prophecy have seemed content in the role of competent understudy, previous efforts being passable replications of established entries in the field, their latest work reveals a welcome maturation. The British quartets third full length record finds them paring away embellishment by dropping conventional violin accompaniment and upping the intensity by focusing on grittier, riff intensive rhythm work. That isnt to say that theyve sacrificed delicacy for brute strength but, rather, that theyve opted to allow songwriting to draw the crucial contrasts. As in the title track, oppressive funereal dirge is carefully interwoven with light acoustic passages. Driving, punctuated, progressive rhythmic runs in "All is Lost" turn to desperate, aggressive riffs layered over menacing vocals. The relatively restrained rhythms of "Waters Deep" give rise to floating, ethereal melody that inevitably succumbs to a churning, death riff vortex. As if to mirror life, moments of sober reflection are often driven to deep melancholy, but sometimes give strength to gossamer hopes.
In terms of performance, theres an uncanny synchronicity among the players on this album that synthesizes individual excellence into a monumentally cohesive whole. The solo work of Greg OShea, while technically exceptional, absolutely exudes emotion, the sort of impassioned fretwork that compels one to pause and admire (see "Echoes" for a sublimely sweet example). Matt Lawson, whose vocals on earlier albums might be justifiably criticized as derivative of the genre, has developed a unique style with which he elegantly conducts the albums eight track discourse of dark and light. Whereas his death growls are supremely coarse and at times convey a genuine malevolence, Lawsons contrasting clean vocals, honest and evocative, enwrap the listener in a somber, empathic embrace. Percussionist John Bennett handles the delicate balance of mass and ambience with expert dexterity and Gavin Parkinsons bass play provides a hardy, sonorous foundation for the albums masterfully crafted songs. The albums production is superbly executed, allowing each of the instruments to contribute to the captivating ebb and flow without sacrificing the heft and depth of the bands sound.
Into the Lights exhibition of the ever present struggle between hope and despair, so familiar to us all, is nothing short of a journey. And in the end the listener is left with "Hope," the albums outstanding final track, a piece that humbly pays homage to fellow countrymen, Warning. This excruciatingly poignant song weaves sincerely plaintive vocals into vast expanses of epic doom in reminding us that it is often lifes most tragic moments that bring us back to that for which we can be grateful, that even in loss we can find strength, and that without darkness there can be no light.
from : http://www.obliveon.de/index.html
THE PROPHECY
INTO THE LIGHT (57:40 min.)
CODE 666 / SPV
rate : 9/10
Nach dem eher durchwachsenen Debüt Ashes und dem formidablen Zweitling Revelations zeigen sich The Prophecy auf ihrem neuesten Streich namens Into The Light nochmals deutlich gereift. Dies impliziert nicht zwangsläufig, dass Into The Light zwingend besser ist als sein 9-Punkte-Vorgänger (das Niveau ist allerdings zweifellos ähnlich hoch), die zum Quartett geschrumpften englischen Doomer zeigen sich anno 2009 aber deutlich eigenständiger und souveräner, gerade was die Arrangements sowie die klaren Gesanglinien Matt Lawsons angeht. Die Violine ist aus dem Bandkontext verschwunden, was die deutliche My Dying Bride-Konnotation des Vorgängers deutlich abmildert. The Prophecy ist es dabei eindrucksvoll gelungen das Zusammenspiel von harten, harschen Ausbrüchen (gern äußerst heavy mit Doublebass unterlegt und im knallharten Midtempo dargeboten), melancholischen Sequenzen und traumhaften Melodien zu einem äußerst stimmigen, dezent verspielten Gesamtbild zu verweben. Wut und Trauer, grabestiefe Growls und glockenklare Harmonien, Rohheit und erhabene Melancholie, die Gegensätze in der Klangwelt The Prophecys pendeln sich in der goldenen Mitte zwischen Novembers Doom und Saturnus ein. Doom-Fans ohne Scheuklappen sollten somit sicherlich begeistert sein und Into The Light gierig in sich aufsogen. Das Jahr 2009 hat mit dem neuen My Dying Bride-Highlight, dem erneut exzellenten Isole-Output und dem vorliegenden Killer von The Prophecy jedenfalls schon den dritten Doom-Knaller in petto. Die Messlatte ist somit hoch angelegt...
http://www.the-prophecy.net
THE PROPHECY
INTO THE LIGHT (57:40 min.)
CODE 666 / SPV
rate : 9/10
Nach dem eher durchwachsenen Debüt Ashes und dem formidablen Zweitling Revelations zeigen sich The Prophecy auf ihrem neuesten Streich namens Into The Light nochmals deutlich gereift. Dies impliziert nicht zwangsläufig, dass Into The Light zwingend besser ist als sein 9-Punkte-Vorgänger (das Niveau ist allerdings zweifellos ähnlich hoch), die zum Quartett geschrumpften englischen Doomer zeigen sich anno 2009 aber deutlich eigenständiger und souveräner, gerade was die Arrangements sowie die klaren Gesanglinien Matt Lawsons angeht. Die Violine ist aus dem Bandkontext verschwunden, was die deutliche My Dying Bride-Konnotation des Vorgängers deutlich abmildert. The Prophecy ist es dabei eindrucksvoll gelungen das Zusammenspiel von harten, harschen Ausbrüchen (gern äußerst heavy mit Doublebass unterlegt und im knallharten Midtempo dargeboten), melancholischen Sequenzen und traumhaften Melodien zu einem äußerst stimmigen, dezent verspielten Gesamtbild zu verweben. Wut und Trauer, grabestiefe Growls und glockenklare Harmonien, Rohheit und erhabene Melancholie, die Gegensätze in der Klangwelt The Prophecys pendeln sich in der goldenen Mitte zwischen Novembers Doom und Saturnus ein. Doom-Fans ohne Scheuklappen sollten somit sicherlich begeistert sein und Into The Light gierig in sich aufsogen. Das Jahr 2009 hat mit dem neuen My Dying Bride-Highlight, dem erneut exzellenten Isole-Output und dem vorliegenden Killer von The Prophecy jedenfalls schon den dritten Doom-Knaller in petto. Die Messlatte ist somit hoch angelegt...
http://www.the-prophecy.net
from : http://www.metal.de/cdreviews.php4?was=review&id=12020
THE PROPHECY - Into The Light
Doom Metal
Label/Kontakt: Aural Music/Code 666
8 Songs
Webseite: www.myspace.com/theprophecyeng
MY DYING BRIDE waren es, die vor einigen Jahren neues Interesse für das Doomgenre entfachten. Der Zeitlupendeath der siechen Braut war völlig neu und transportierte Atmosphäre und Gefühl zu gleichen Teilen. Allerdings verschoben die Briten ihre Mischung aus Finsternis und Melancholie recht bald in Richtung reiner, oft aufgesetzt und kalkuliert wirkender Melancholie und büßten hiermit vermutlich nicht nur mich als Fan ein.
Mit "Into The Light" liefern ihre Landsmänner von THE PROPHECY nun endlich den Nachschub, auf den ich bei MY DYING BRIDE seit Jahren vergeblich warte. Auf ihrem dritten Album gelingt es THE PROPHECY, ihre vormals noch klar erkennbaren Wurzeln aus Death und Doom zu einer Einheit zu verbinden.
Echt fortgeschrittenes Songwriting, deutliche Steigerung bei der Gitarrenarbeit, technisch spannend und doch nie verkopft- so macht langsamer Stoff Spaß. Der Wechsel zwischen bööösem, kellertiefen Grunzen und klarem Gesang, der immer wieder leise Hoffnungsschimmer versprüht und so seine Entsprechung im Lichtstreifen auf dem Albumcover findet, trägt wunderbar zur teilweise epischen Atmosphäre des Albums bei.
Als Doompurist könnte ich hierüber zwar motzen, muss ich aber nicht. Stattdessen erfreue ich mich an diesem tollen Gesamtwerk, dass den Doommetal um eine stilistische Erweiterung bereichert bzw. einen von mir längst verdorrt geglaubtem Ast am Stammbaum des Doom neue Kraft verleiht.
Schon länger gab's für mich keine so spannende, abwechslungsreiche Platte, die bei mir ein vergleichbares Gefühlswechselbad ausgelöst hat. Impulsiv und zögerlich, verletzt und voller Zorn, zermalmend und doch sehr emotional- tolle Sache.
Für Fans von SOLITUDE AETURNUS bzw. CONCEPT OF GOD, MORGION und eventuell MOURNING BELOVETH.
Punkte: 8/10
(Christian / 20.02.2009)
THE PROPHECY - Into The Light
Doom Metal
Label/Kontakt: Aural Music/Code 666
8 Songs
Webseite: www.myspace.com/theprophecyeng
MY DYING BRIDE waren es, die vor einigen Jahren neues Interesse für das Doomgenre entfachten. Der Zeitlupendeath der siechen Braut war völlig neu und transportierte Atmosphäre und Gefühl zu gleichen Teilen. Allerdings verschoben die Briten ihre Mischung aus Finsternis und Melancholie recht bald in Richtung reiner, oft aufgesetzt und kalkuliert wirkender Melancholie und büßten hiermit vermutlich nicht nur mich als Fan ein.
Mit "Into The Light" liefern ihre Landsmänner von THE PROPHECY nun endlich den Nachschub, auf den ich bei MY DYING BRIDE seit Jahren vergeblich warte. Auf ihrem dritten Album gelingt es THE PROPHECY, ihre vormals noch klar erkennbaren Wurzeln aus Death und Doom zu einer Einheit zu verbinden.
Echt fortgeschrittenes Songwriting, deutliche Steigerung bei der Gitarrenarbeit, technisch spannend und doch nie verkopft- so macht langsamer Stoff Spaß. Der Wechsel zwischen bööösem, kellertiefen Grunzen und klarem Gesang, der immer wieder leise Hoffnungsschimmer versprüht und so seine Entsprechung im Lichtstreifen auf dem Albumcover findet, trägt wunderbar zur teilweise epischen Atmosphäre des Albums bei.
Als Doompurist könnte ich hierüber zwar motzen, muss ich aber nicht. Stattdessen erfreue ich mich an diesem tollen Gesamtwerk, dass den Doommetal um eine stilistische Erweiterung bereichert bzw. einen von mir längst verdorrt geglaubtem Ast am Stammbaum des Doom neue Kraft verleiht.
Schon länger gab's für mich keine so spannende, abwechslungsreiche Platte, die bei mir ein vergleichbares Gefühlswechselbad ausgelöst hat. Impulsiv und zögerlich, verletzt und voller Zorn, zermalmend und doch sehr emotional- tolle Sache.
Für Fans von SOLITUDE AETURNUS bzw. CONCEPT OF GOD, MORGION und eventuell MOURNING BELOVETH.
Punkte: 8/10
(Christian / 20.02.2009)
from : http://www.metalteamuk.net/cdreviews-theprophecylight.htm
Artist: The Prophecy
Title: Into The Light
Label: Code666
Type: Album
A new Prophecy album is always welcomed with open arms. Both Ashes and Revelations were in my opinion classic British doom albums and after repeated listens, Into The Light is another great opus from this miserable Yorkshire bunch. I say miserable as sitting down yesterday with this on in the background I was suddenly flung from the pages of the magazine I was reading and believe you me it takes a lot to distract me from a new issue of Face Squatting Femmes (errr I mean Terrorizer) and into the lyrical content and to be honest it would not have taken much to get me to grab the razor blades. This is some utterly bleak shit, make no mistake.
Another thing that really strikes me about this lot are their fantastic album covers, just check them out lined up on the discography of their home page. I was going to say that they are each somewhat elemental and this was obviously the water album, Revelations the air and Ashes the fire but that is probably trying to interpret too much out of them.
Anyway to the music and this hour long serenade of sorrow starts with the title track slow and gruff, threatening to consume you. The light does dawn though with acoustic guitars and the first encounter of Matt Lawsons clean vocals. The only way to describe them are heartfelt. It could be easy and slack to make comparisons to Anathema but they do share the same depth of emotion that very few can conjure up and they soar here with utter depth and yearning. The growls are also just as compelling and the flirtation between the two styles here works perfectly. A nice squeal from the guitars illustrates the harsh side of Delusion but for every moment of darkness there is a contrast of light here and the cleanly sung chorus really counters it and rises up in line with lyrics. The Let me out darker vocal roars are there, insistently showing that any hope is probably forlorn and sound like a caged lion angrily pacing back and forth.
Its kind of hard not to drift off with the music at times its like being adrift in the very sea of the cover. There are moments that will calmly lull and others that will like a storm dash you back into their harsh grip. Echoes is the albums real mellow moment not perhaps as mellow as its Floydian namesake but an emotional clean sweep of a number with lush acoustic guitar moments and dreamy float off vocals. Rage is reinforced after this calm moment with Belief Means Nothing a song whose sentiments ring very true and a title that would be very well placed on the side of one of Londons double deck buses. It is here that the lyrics really start getting to me and this certainly continues with the next downer anthem All Is Lost. But I am not going to spoil them for you here. The jagged schizoid guitar work on that particular track is something worth mentioning and it really sticks out somewhat experimentally for the band.
There is perhaps Hope at the end, certainly by song title and by then you will have been dragged through a sheer rollercoaster ride of emotions. This is a totally mature and even timeless release and in an age when the moronic masses are in the grip of throwaway consumable pop culture and reality television this makes it all the more endearing.
Artist: The Prophecy
Title: Into The Light
Label: Code666
Type: Album
A new Prophecy album is always welcomed with open arms. Both Ashes and Revelations were in my opinion classic British doom albums and after repeated listens, Into The Light is another great opus from this miserable Yorkshire bunch. I say miserable as sitting down yesterday with this on in the background I was suddenly flung from the pages of the magazine I was reading and believe you me it takes a lot to distract me from a new issue of Face Squatting Femmes (errr I mean Terrorizer) and into the lyrical content and to be honest it would not have taken much to get me to grab the razor blades. This is some utterly bleak shit, make no mistake.
Another thing that really strikes me about this lot are their fantastic album covers, just check them out lined up on the discography of their home page. I was going to say that they are each somewhat elemental and this was obviously the water album, Revelations the air and Ashes the fire but that is probably trying to interpret too much out of them.
Anyway to the music and this hour long serenade of sorrow starts with the title track slow and gruff, threatening to consume you. The light does dawn though with acoustic guitars and the first encounter of Matt Lawsons clean vocals. The only way to describe them are heartfelt. It could be easy and slack to make comparisons to Anathema but they do share the same depth of emotion that very few can conjure up and they soar here with utter depth and yearning. The growls are also just as compelling and the flirtation between the two styles here works perfectly. A nice squeal from the guitars illustrates the harsh side of Delusion but for every moment of darkness there is a contrast of light here and the cleanly sung chorus really counters it and rises up in line with lyrics. The Let me out darker vocal roars are there, insistently showing that any hope is probably forlorn and sound like a caged lion angrily pacing back and forth.
Its kind of hard not to drift off with the music at times its like being adrift in the very sea of the cover. There are moments that will calmly lull and others that will like a storm dash you back into their harsh grip. Echoes is the albums real mellow moment not perhaps as mellow as its Floydian namesake but an emotional clean sweep of a number with lush acoustic guitar moments and dreamy float off vocals. Rage is reinforced after this calm moment with Belief Means Nothing a song whose sentiments ring very true and a title that would be very well placed on the side of one of Londons double deck buses. It is here that the lyrics really start getting to me and this certainly continues with the next downer anthem All Is Lost. But I am not going to spoil them for you here. The jagged schizoid guitar work on that particular track is something worth mentioning and it really sticks out somewhat experimentally for the band.
There is perhaps Hope at the end, certainly by song title and by then you will have been dragged through a sheer rollercoaster ride of emotions. This is a totally mature and even timeless release and in an age when the moronic masses are in the grip of throwaway consumable pop culture and reality television this makes it all the more endearing.
The Prophecy - Into The Light
Rating: 60%
Label: code666
Type: CD
Genre: Doom/Death/Metal
Tracklist:
1. Waters Deep
2. Dont Forget
3. Delusion
4. Echoes
5. Into The Light
6. Belief Means Nothing
7. All Is Lost
8. Hope
Into the light..as a title it brings to mind other situations that have nothing to do with the songs of this cd. Where can you see the light really? Basic stuff: the rhythm is slow in the most part as the band plays in a doom/death style with, basically doom though, as their death direction has to do more with the vocals. A lot of melancholy and vocals that are between clean-growling, a fact that wakes you up from the darkness that this album causes both musically and lyrically speaking. While it goes on a certain way the song turns, changes, bursts. A lot af anger and endless sorrow. They reminded me a lot of My Dying Bride concerning their musical style, but to be honest they tire me. Maybe due to the compositions, maybe due to the production quality,maybe fie to the extremely gloomy mood of trhe whole thing, the result is that I wasn t impressed.
Rating: 60%
Label: code666
Type: CD
Genre: Doom/Death/Metal
Tracklist:
1. Waters Deep
2. Dont Forget
3. Delusion
4. Echoes
5. Into The Light
6. Belief Means Nothing
7. All Is Lost
8. Hope
Into the light..as a title it brings to mind other situations that have nothing to do with the songs of this cd. Where can you see the light really? Basic stuff: the rhythm is slow in the most part as the band plays in a doom/death style with, basically doom though, as their death direction has to do more with the vocals. A lot of melancholy and vocals that are between clean-growling, a fact that wakes you up from the darkness that this album causes both musically and lyrically speaking. While it goes on a certain way the song turns, changes, bursts. A lot af anger and endless sorrow. They reminded me a lot of My Dying Bride concerning their musical style, but to be honest they tire me. Maybe due to the compositions, maybe due to the production quality,maybe fie to the extremely gloomy mood of trhe whole thing, the result is that I wasn t impressed.
http://www.waytooloud.com/2009/02/25/the-prophecy-into-the-light/
Ive got some good memories going back to the underground 90s with doom/death. I also remember how most of those bands progressed beyond a slow depressive atmosphere with lots of low growling into different bands, usually lighter, replacing the growling with singing, and going to a post-doom/death alt-rock world. Were in different times now, so it seems that quite a few bands want to remember the good old days back when doom/death was still pretty heavy and included death metal, but at the same time sing. In fact, Into the Light spends more time on clean sung moments than it does on growling, but spends most of the musical time on slower oppressive passages than they do on clean outings with a hint of progressive similar to Opeth. The beginning of the album even has some speedy moments. However, due to the fact that the band pulls so much from those older doom/death days without breaking new ground, some of the depressive atmosphere is lost, especially since this specific style of doom/death meeting in the middle of being in doom/death and the in-between period when some of the earlier bands were becoming less metal has become prevalent with new doom/death bands.
Ive got some good memories going back to the underground 90s with doom/death. I also remember how most of those bands progressed beyond a slow depressive atmosphere with lots of low growling into different bands, usually lighter, replacing the growling with singing, and going to a post-doom/death alt-rock world. Were in different times now, so it seems that quite a few bands want to remember the good old days back when doom/death was still pretty heavy and included death metal, but at the same time sing. In fact, Into the Light spends more time on clean sung moments than it does on growling, but spends most of the musical time on slower oppressive passages than they do on clean outings with a hint of progressive similar to Opeth. The beginning of the album even has some speedy moments. However, due to the fact that the band pulls so much from those older doom/death days without breaking new ground, some of the depressive atmosphere is lost, especially since this specific style of doom/death meeting in the middle of being in doom/death and the in-between period when some of the earlier bands were becoming less metal has become prevalent with new doom/death bands.
http://www.lordsofmetal.nl/showreview.php?id=13412&lang=en
RATE: 95/100 !!!!
The Halifax doomsters of The Prophecy are about to release their third album and once again they surprise me! Still their intense music is interlarded with the wealthy legacy of the once innovative Holy Doom Trinity hailing from Yorkshire (My Dying Bride, Paradise Lost, Anathema), but there is more than that. The Prophecy succeeded in developing its own style out of this through the years and this offers us nearly an hour of tranquil yet genuine magnificence. I even would like to say they do not shun a kind of progressive tendencies from time to time.
Into The Light has become an album where contrasts between rigorous grunts and melancholic clean vocals turn out even better, en evidence of the ever upgrading vocal abilities of Matt Lawson. We already notice this in the seven minutes long title track that kicks off the album. The pace is rather slow, but the power of the music is nothing but overwhelming. And suddenly there is that instant switch to friendly plucking guitars and sensitive vocals. More refined and ravishing than ever. Without loosing their roots with a wild intermezzo however, thats why you instantly get focused. In Delusion, this whirling vortex even gets Novembers Doom proportions - vocalist Paul Kuhr of Novembers Doom did the artwork for Into The Light - but after this aggression the sophisticated side of The Prophecy is featured again in the fragile Echoes. This is really a stunner in which echoing guitar solos and emotive vocals send shivers down your spine. Although, in general, I have the impression that Into The Light is more riff oriented than its predecessors.
All Is Lost is the heaviest track with loads of grunts and inciting guitar skills. Into The Light offers us two lengthy, mighty doom epics towards the end. Waters Deep remains contemplative and quiescent for a pretty long time, focusing on inner intertwined grief. You fly on a cloud of dark reveries until your peaceful habitat is ripped by an outburst of pent-up rage. The latest song Hope on the other hand, is the ultimate captivating track. Mainly textured on low-tuned bass sounds and melancholic vocals, this composition settles down in your unconsciousness forever. The Prophecy surpassed themselves with this third album, which was recorded with Greg Chandler (Esoteric) in the Priory Studios and mastered by Tom Kvalsvoll, of Emperor and Dimmu Borgir fame. Thats why the global sound is upgraded to the max and the band appears to be ready to take the stages by storm. It starts in April in Moscow with the Moscow Doom Festival, but lets hope they will return in the Lowlands pretty soon as well!
Rating 95/100
RATE: 95/100 !!!!
The Halifax doomsters of The Prophecy are about to release their third album and once again they surprise me! Still their intense music is interlarded with the wealthy legacy of the once innovative Holy Doom Trinity hailing from Yorkshire (My Dying Bride, Paradise Lost, Anathema), but there is more than that. The Prophecy succeeded in developing its own style out of this through the years and this offers us nearly an hour of tranquil yet genuine magnificence. I even would like to say they do not shun a kind of progressive tendencies from time to time.
Into The Light has become an album where contrasts between rigorous grunts and melancholic clean vocals turn out even better, en evidence of the ever upgrading vocal abilities of Matt Lawson. We already notice this in the seven minutes long title track that kicks off the album. The pace is rather slow, but the power of the music is nothing but overwhelming. And suddenly there is that instant switch to friendly plucking guitars and sensitive vocals. More refined and ravishing than ever. Without loosing their roots with a wild intermezzo however, thats why you instantly get focused. In Delusion, this whirling vortex even gets Novembers Doom proportions - vocalist Paul Kuhr of Novembers Doom did the artwork for Into The Light - but after this aggression the sophisticated side of The Prophecy is featured again in the fragile Echoes. This is really a stunner in which echoing guitar solos and emotive vocals send shivers down your spine. Although, in general, I have the impression that Into The Light is more riff oriented than its predecessors.
All Is Lost is the heaviest track with loads of grunts and inciting guitar skills. Into The Light offers us two lengthy, mighty doom epics towards the end. Waters Deep remains contemplative and quiescent for a pretty long time, focusing on inner intertwined grief. You fly on a cloud of dark reveries until your peaceful habitat is ripped by an outburst of pent-up rage. The latest song Hope on the other hand, is the ultimate captivating track. Mainly textured on low-tuned bass sounds and melancholic vocals, this composition settles down in your unconsciousness forever. The Prophecy surpassed themselves with this third album, which was recorded with Greg Chandler (Esoteric) in the Priory Studios and mastered by Tom Kvalsvoll, of Emperor and Dimmu Borgir fame. Thats why the global sound is upgraded to the max and the band appears to be ready to take the stages by storm. It starts in April in Moscow with the Moscow Doom Festival, but lets hope they will return in the Lowlands pretty soon as well!
Rating 95/100
http://www.schwermetall.ch/cdkritiken/kritik2949.php
The Prophecy - Into The Light (2009)
Stil: Doom Metal
Label: Aural Music
Punkte: 10/13
Spielzeit: 57:39
"Into The Light" ist Langspieler drei aus dem Hause The Prophecy. Die britische Doom Metal Band ist nunmehr um eine Veröffentlichung reicher, aber was hat der normalsterbliche Hörer davon? Soviel sei vorab gesagt ein nettes Album ist es jedenfalls.
Ganz recht, Doom Metal. Ganze acht Stücke beschert man uns hier, allesamt in einem ähnlichen Schema. Da wäre die Stimme von Matt Lawson, der zwei Waagschalen mit seinem doppelschneidigen Gesang füllt. Ganz klar überwiegt hier der Cleargesang, der nicht nur den wichtigsten Teil des Albums ausmacht, sondern auch quantitativ klar über seinem Growlen steht. Letzteres ist auch tatsächlich nichts besonderes, die Herren scheinen das selbst bemerkt zu haben. Denn die unkehlige Normalstimme des Herren hinter dem Mikro hat einiges zu bieten, die Töne werden selbst auf langen Strecken hervorragend gehalten und überhaupt ist das Potenzial für Gänsehaut gegeben. Während sehr emotionaler Momente dürfte sich der eine oder andere Hörer desweiteren an die britischen Kollegen von Warning erinnert fühlen.
Allgemein ist die Scheibe sehr dezent und ruhig gehalten. Das gelegentliche Aufbrausen fällt dann umso mächtiger aus, trotzdem stets weit entfernt von brachialen Hasseskapaden. Dem Doom Metal typisch verliert man sich schnell in den melancholischen Tiefen der Klangwelten, das schleppende Schlagzeug mit seinen prägnanten Schlägen auf die Hats, die kalte Gitarre und der argwöhnische Bass unergründlich und von sehr bitterem Geschmack.
Sind mal härtere Passagen zugegen, ist auch das Gefühl nicht weit, frühe Aufnahmen von Opeth zu hören. Man hackt viel auf den Saiten herum und peitscht den Schlagzeuger John mitunter zur plakativen Nutzung des Doppelpedals. Aber ganz eindeutig diese härteren Auswüchse auf "Into The Light" werden nach kurzer Zeit öde, woran vor allem viel zu häufige Wiederholungen und ein Mangel an Ideen schuld sind.
Die Stärken des Albums liegen also definitiv im düsteren Kammersound der traurigen Balladenstücke, oder aber jenen Liedern, die mit diesen Zutaten gewürzt wurden. Immerhin hat man die musikalische Verfügbarkeit einzelner Elemente recht ausgewogen über die Platte verteilt, trotzdem sollten die Prioritäten beim nächsten mal etwas deutlicher gesetzt werden, um langatmige Zeitfresserei zu vermeiden. Siebenundfünfzig Minuten Spielzeit sind hier ohnehin mehr als genug.
Anspieltipps: 03. Delusion; 08. Hope
Tracklist:
01. Waters Deep
02. Don't Forget
03. Delusion
04. Echoes
05 Into The Light
06. Belief Means Nothing
07. All Is Lost
08. Hope
Bandkontakt:
http://www.myspace.com/theprophecyeng
The Prophecy - Into The Light (2009)
Label: Aural Music
Punkte: 10/13
Spielzeit: 57:39
"Into The Light" ist Langspieler drei aus dem Hause The Prophecy. Die britische Doom Metal Band ist nunmehr um eine Veröffentlichung reicher, aber was hat der normalsterbliche Hörer davon? Soviel sei vorab gesagt ein nettes Album ist es jedenfalls.
Ganz recht, Doom Metal. Ganze acht Stücke beschert man uns hier, allesamt in einem ähnlichen Schema. Da wäre die Stimme von Matt Lawson, der zwei Waagschalen mit seinem doppelschneidigen Gesang füllt. Ganz klar überwiegt hier der Cleargesang, der nicht nur den wichtigsten Teil des Albums ausmacht, sondern auch quantitativ klar über seinem Growlen steht. Letzteres ist auch tatsächlich nichts besonderes, die Herren scheinen das selbst bemerkt zu haben. Denn die unkehlige Normalstimme des Herren hinter dem Mikro hat einiges zu bieten, die Töne werden selbst auf langen Strecken hervorragend gehalten und überhaupt ist das Potenzial für Gänsehaut gegeben. Während sehr emotionaler Momente dürfte sich der eine oder andere Hörer desweiteren an die britischen Kollegen von Warning erinnert fühlen.
Allgemein ist die Scheibe sehr dezent und ruhig gehalten. Das gelegentliche Aufbrausen fällt dann umso mächtiger aus, trotzdem stets weit entfernt von brachialen Hasseskapaden. Dem Doom Metal typisch verliert man sich schnell in den melancholischen Tiefen der Klangwelten, das schleppende Schlagzeug mit seinen prägnanten Schlägen auf die Hats, die kalte Gitarre und der argwöhnische Bass unergründlich und von sehr bitterem Geschmack.
Sind mal härtere Passagen zugegen, ist auch das Gefühl nicht weit, frühe Aufnahmen von Opeth zu hören. Man hackt viel auf den Saiten herum und peitscht den Schlagzeuger John mitunter zur plakativen Nutzung des Doppelpedals. Aber ganz eindeutig diese härteren Auswüchse auf "Into The Light" werden nach kurzer Zeit öde, woran vor allem viel zu häufige Wiederholungen und ein Mangel an Ideen schuld sind.
Die Stärken des Albums liegen also definitiv im düsteren Kammersound der traurigen Balladenstücke, oder aber jenen Liedern, die mit diesen Zutaten gewürzt wurden. Immerhin hat man die musikalische Verfügbarkeit einzelner Elemente recht ausgewogen über die Platte verteilt, trotzdem sollten die Prioritäten beim nächsten mal etwas deutlicher gesetzt werden, um langatmige Zeitfresserei zu vermeiden. Siebenundfünfzig Minuten Spielzeit sind hier ohnehin mehr als genug.
Anspieltipps: 03. Delusion; 08. Hope
Tracklist:
01. Waters Deep
02. Don't Forget
03. Delusion
04. Echoes
05 Into The Light
06. Belief Means Nothing
07. All Is Lost
08. Hope
Bandkontakt:
http://www.myspace.com/theprophecyeng
http://www.metallus.it/recensione.asp?id=7725&p=0
Into The Light, terzo full-length degli inglesi The Prophecy, vede la band allontanarsi ulteriormente dalla componente death metal degli esordi a favore di un doom ricco di intarsi melodici e dal gusto progressive. Matt Lawson favorisce il cantato pulito, sempre interpretativo e capace di dare un valore aggiunto a dei brani dai ritmi diluiti che tuttavia non risparmiano fraseggi dal sapore epico né una buona dimostrazione di tecnica da parte di ogni singolo musicista. Episodi come Delusion, Echos e Hope, cullano lascoltatore con la loro placida tranquillità, con quel senso di pace interiore e malinconia che pervade tutto lascolto. A tratti, spazio ad accelerazioni di chitarra e sezione ritmica (ottimo il lavoro svolto dallaxe man Greg OShea), che tessono trame più complesse ma non indigeribili, alle quali funge da contro-altare il violoncello di Steph Boyle, strumento principe nei passaggi più lenti e plumbei.
I seguaci della musica del destino non faticheranno ad apprezzare un lavoro ben eseguito sotto ogni punto di vista, biglietto da visita per il sostrato tecnico dellensemble dello Yorkshire, che tuttavia, non rinuncia a fare presa sullemozionalità più sincera. Qualcuno storcerà il naso pensando che i My Dying Bride cerano già arrivati diverso tempo fa, ma onore al merito di aver elaborato le proprie influenze in modo distintivo.
Into The Light, terzo full-length degli inglesi The Prophecy, vede la band allontanarsi ulteriormente dalla componente death metal degli esordi a favore di un doom ricco di intarsi melodici e dal gusto progressive. Matt Lawson favorisce il cantato pulito, sempre interpretativo e capace di dare un valore aggiunto a dei brani dai ritmi diluiti che tuttavia non risparmiano fraseggi dal sapore epico né una buona dimostrazione di tecnica da parte di ogni singolo musicista. Episodi come Delusion, Echos e Hope, cullano lascoltatore con la loro placida tranquillità, con quel senso di pace interiore e malinconia che pervade tutto lascolto. A tratti, spazio ad accelerazioni di chitarra e sezione ritmica (ottimo il lavoro svolto dallaxe man Greg OShea), che tessono trame più complesse ma non indigeribili, alle quali funge da contro-altare il violoncello di Steph Boyle, strumento principe nei passaggi più lenti e plumbei.
I seguaci della musica del destino non faticheranno ad apprezzare un lavoro ben eseguito sotto ogni punto di vista, biglietto da visita per il sostrato tecnico dellensemble dello Yorkshire, che tuttavia, non rinuncia a fare presa sullemozionalità più sincera. Qualcuno storcerà il naso pensando che i My Dying Bride cerano già arrivati diverso tempo fa, ma onore al merito di aver elaborato le proprie influenze in modo distintivo.
http://www.rockline.it/modules.php?name=Reviews&rop=showcontent&id=3497
Un plumbeo mare agitato e un cielo coperto di nubi presentano il nuovo disco dei The Prophecy, intitolato però Into The Light: un contrasto certamente non solo superficiale ed estetico, in quanto viene riportato abilmente in musica nelle otto canzoni proposte dalla band, per poco meno di un'ora di musica.
Provenienti da Halifax, Yorkshire occidentale, il quartetto arriva al terzo disco pronto a compiere quel salto di qualità che non gli era riuscito di effettuare mediante i due episodi precedenti: ora, con alle spalle un'etichetta di qualità (l'italiana Code666) che promette una distribuzione adeguata e con in cabina di regia un produttore che sa il fatto suo (Greg Chandler degli attualmente insuperabili Esoteric) che permette al gruppo di esprimersi al massimo, i The Prophecy sfornano in effetti un disco di qualità.
Dediti ad un Death-Doom ispirato alla grande tradizione che l'Inghilterra ha nel genere, i the Prophecy non si fanno mancare growl poderosi, soavi background tastieristici, chitarre dal riffing robusto e ritmi cadenzati, ma sanno aggiungere e bene anche ingredienti meno scontati: in primis, una voce pulita ben diversa da quelle monocordi, tristi ed afflitte che di solito spadroneggiano nel Doom Metal; il cantante Matt Lawson ha infatti un timbro relativamente piacevole e orecchiabile, che sarebbe perfino adatto a certo (Hard)Rock alternativo, e quindi capace di donare una luminosità notevole alle (frequenti) sezioni in cui viene inserito. Certo, l'espressività non è ai massimi storici (le tonalità sono sempre quelle, così come le linee melodiche), ma per la media del Doom Metal odierno la proposta è interessante e realizzata ad un livello sicuramente apprezzabile.
Per quanto riguarda il lato strumentale, le chitarre elettriche sono discretamente dinamiche e non si fossilizzano mai troppo a lungo su un singolo riff, evolvendosi spesso e portando freschezza allo sviluppo della canzone, essendo chi le maneggia anche discretamente abile a livello tecnico. Le sei corde acustiche, invece, sono utilizzate con parsimoniosa efficacia, essendo impiegate soprattutto nei brani più lunghi, con la funzione di diversivo atto a mantenere avvincente lo svolgersi delle composizioni: ottima testimonianza di quanto appena detto viene portata sia dalla quarta Echoes, le cui sezioni acustiche si avvicinano di molto agli Antimatter, che dalla lunga All is Lost, posta in penultima posizione.
Into the Light si mantiene su ottimi livelli di solidità praticamente per tutta la propria durata, e si segnala come un disco di Doom/Death non particolarmente oscuro (grazie ai continui, personali alleggerimenti portati dalle clean vocals) ma comunque di sicuro impatto: per gli appassionati del genere, un album indubbiamente appetibile e di buonissima qualità.
Un plumbeo mare agitato e un cielo coperto di nubi presentano il nuovo disco dei The Prophecy, intitolato però Into The Light: un contrasto certamente non solo superficiale ed estetico, in quanto viene riportato abilmente in musica nelle otto canzoni proposte dalla band, per poco meno di un'ora di musica.
Provenienti da Halifax, Yorkshire occidentale, il quartetto arriva al terzo disco pronto a compiere quel salto di qualità che non gli era riuscito di effettuare mediante i due episodi precedenti: ora, con alle spalle un'etichetta di qualità (l'italiana Code666) che promette una distribuzione adeguata e con in cabina di regia un produttore che sa il fatto suo (Greg Chandler degli attualmente insuperabili Esoteric) che permette al gruppo di esprimersi al massimo, i The Prophecy sfornano in effetti un disco di qualità.
Dediti ad un Death-Doom ispirato alla grande tradizione che l'Inghilterra ha nel genere, i the Prophecy non si fanno mancare growl poderosi, soavi background tastieristici, chitarre dal riffing robusto e ritmi cadenzati, ma sanno aggiungere e bene anche ingredienti meno scontati: in primis, una voce pulita ben diversa da quelle monocordi, tristi ed afflitte che di solito spadroneggiano nel Doom Metal; il cantante Matt Lawson ha infatti un timbro relativamente piacevole e orecchiabile, che sarebbe perfino adatto a certo (Hard)Rock alternativo, e quindi capace di donare una luminosità notevole alle (frequenti) sezioni in cui viene inserito. Certo, l'espressività non è ai massimi storici (le tonalità sono sempre quelle, così come le linee melodiche), ma per la media del Doom Metal odierno la proposta è interessante e realizzata ad un livello sicuramente apprezzabile.
Per quanto riguarda il lato strumentale, le chitarre elettriche sono discretamente dinamiche e non si fossilizzano mai troppo a lungo su un singolo riff, evolvendosi spesso e portando freschezza allo sviluppo della canzone, essendo chi le maneggia anche discretamente abile a livello tecnico. Le sei corde acustiche, invece, sono utilizzate con parsimoniosa efficacia, essendo impiegate soprattutto nei brani più lunghi, con la funzione di diversivo atto a mantenere avvincente lo svolgersi delle composizioni: ottima testimonianza di quanto appena detto viene portata sia dalla quarta Echoes, le cui sezioni acustiche si avvicinano di molto agli Antimatter, che dalla lunga All is Lost, posta in penultima posizione.
Into the Light si mantiene su ottimi livelli di solidità praticamente per tutta la propria durata, e si segnala come un disco di Doom/Death non particolarmente oscuro (grazie ai continui, personali alleggerimenti portati dalle clean vocals) ma comunque di sicuro impatto: per gli appassionati del genere, un album indubbiamente appetibile e di buonissima qualità.
http://vampster.com/artikel/show/30577_THE-PROPHECY-Into-the-Light_.html
Seien wir mal vorsichtig, THE PROPHECY waren schon immer direkt beeinflusst von MY DYING BRIDE. Heißt, dass man manchmal nicht wirklich zwischen den beiden Bands unterscheiden kann, obwohl das Original der Kopie doch immer eine deutliche Nasenspitze voraus ist. Dennoch, auf ihrem dritten Album legen THE PROPHECY deutlich mehr Wert auf Epik und Theatralik, hauptsächlich wegen dem Klargesang. Ob das Frauenherzen dahin schmelzen lässt, sei in Frage gestellt, das Quartett wandelt ziemlich sicher auf einem Pfad, der so zwischen den Stühlen ist, dass sowohl Freunde von Doom-Death, als auch von Gothic Metal und klassischem Doom ihre Freude daran finden könnten, aber auch deutliche Probleme mit dem Material haben werden.
Die Mollriffs, die das gesamte Album dominieren sind jedenfalls ganz in der Tradition des englischen Dooms und können voll und ganz mit ihren Genrekollegen mithalten. Das ist schon mal die halbe Miete, dass die Songs alle außerdem recht ansprechend arrangiert sind, und die Instrumentalisten gute und sichere Arbeit abliefern ist außerdem ein gutes Zeichen. Und sogar der klare Gesang weiß zu gefallen, auch da er sich sicher mit dem bösen Knurren abwechselt. Und doch, der Funke will manchmal nicht so recht überspringen. Einerseits, wie gesagt, sehr theatralisch, da rinnt der Schmalz geradezu aus den Boxen, andererseits sind THE PROPHECY oftmals zu introvertiert. Beide Male wollen die Briten den Hörer nicht teil haben lassen, an dem Schmerz, der in ihnen vorgeht und den sie vertonen.
Gerade bei den langen und ausufernden Stücken, wie "Echoes" und "Waters Deep", bei denen auf typische Songstrukturen verzichtet wird, gelingt der Plan von THE PROPHECY allerdings. Wenn sie sich darauf verkrampfen eingängige und mitreißende Stücke zu schreiben, dann verzetteln sie sich allerdings, vor allem, wenn die Einflüsse von MY DYING BRIDE übermächtig sind, wie in "Belief Means Nothing". Erwähnenswert ist daher "Hope", das einzige Stück, bei dem es der Band gelingt sich von ihren Vorbildern abzunabeln, auch wenn es recht langatmig ist, wie ein Film, dessen Ende sich immer wieder nach hinten verschiebt, ohne dass noch viel passiert, darüber können auch die Einsätze von Streichern nicht hinweg täuschen.
"Into the Light" ist sicherlich ein anspruchsvolles, gut gemachtes Album, hat aber dennoch mit einigen Schwierigkeiten zu kämpfen und ist für Genre-Anhänger sicherlich ein schwerer, nicht immer nachvollziehbarer Brocken. Produziert von Greg Chandler klingt "Into the Light" wie eine dreckige Version von "Songs of Darkness, Words of Light", das hat durchaus kruden Charme. Dies ist sicherlich kein schlechtes Album, aber auch beileibe kein Meisterwerk. Doom-Death-Anhänger dürfen aber natürlich trotzdem vorsichtig ein Ohr riskieren.
Seien wir mal vorsichtig, THE PROPHECY waren schon immer direkt beeinflusst von MY DYING BRIDE. Heißt, dass man manchmal nicht wirklich zwischen den beiden Bands unterscheiden kann, obwohl das Original der Kopie doch immer eine deutliche Nasenspitze voraus ist. Dennoch, auf ihrem dritten Album legen THE PROPHECY deutlich mehr Wert auf Epik und Theatralik, hauptsächlich wegen dem Klargesang. Ob das Frauenherzen dahin schmelzen lässt, sei in Frage gestellt, das Quartett wandelt ziemlich sicher auf einem Pfad, der so zwischen den Stühlen ist, dass sowohl Freunde von Doom-Death, als auch von Gothic Metal und klassischem Doom ihre Freude daran finden könnten, aber auch deutliche Probleme mit dem Material haben werden.
Die Mollriffs, die das gesamte Album dominieren sind jedenfalls ganz in der Tradition des englischen Dooms und können voll und ganz mit ihren Genrekollegen mithalten. Das ist schon mal die halbe Miete, dass die Songs alle außerdem recht ansprechend arrangiert sind, und die Instrumentalisten gute und sichere Arbeit abliefern ist außerdem ein gutes Zeichen. Und sogar der klare Gesang weiß zu gefallen, auch da er sich sicher mit dem bösen Knurren abwechselt. Und doch, der Funke will manchmal nicht so recht überspringen. Einerseits, wie gesagt, sehr theatralisch, da rinnt der Schmalz geradezu aus den Boxen, andererseits sind THE PROPHECY oftmals zu introvertiert. Beide Male wollen die Briten den Hörer nicht teil haben lassen, an dem Schmerz, der in ihnen vorgeht und den sie vertonen.
Gerade bei den langen und ausufernden Stücken, wie "Echoes" und "Waters Deep", bei denen auf typische Songstrukturen verzichtet wird, gelingt der Plan von THE PROPHECY allerdings. Wenn sie sich darauf verkrampfen eingängige und mitreißende Stücke zu schreiben, dann verzetteln sie sich allerdings, vor allem, wenn die Einflüsse von MY DYING BRIDE übermächtig sind, wie in "Belief Means Nothing". Erwähnenswert ist daher "Hope", das einzige Stück, bei dem es der Band gelingt sich von ihren Vorbildern abzunabeln, auch wenn es recht langatmig ist, wie ein Film, dessen Ende sich immer wieder nach hinten verschiebt, ohne dass noch viel passiert, darüber können auch die Einsätze von Streichern nicht hinweg täuschen.
"Into the Light" ist sicherlich ein anspruchsvolles, gut gemachtes Album, hat aber dennoch mit einigen Schwierigkeiten zu kämpfen und ist für Genre-Anhänger sicherlich ein schwerer, nicht immer nachvollziehbarer Brocken. Produziert von Greg Chandler klingt "Into the Light" wie eine dreckige Version von "Songs of Darkness, Words of Light", das hat durchaus kruden Charme. Dies ist sicherlich kein schlechtes Album, aber auch beileibe kein Meisterwerk. Doom-Death-Anhänger dürfen aber natürlich trotzdem vorsichtig ein Ohr riskieren.
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