Band:
Tom Phillips - vocals, guitars, keyboards
Jim Hunter - bass
Scott Loose - guitars
Trevor Schrotz - drums
Michelle Schrotz - keyboards, vocals
Rain Irving - vocals
Jason Lingle - keyboards, vocals
Discography:
Into the Wells of Sorrow 7" (1994)
Lovesongs of the Forsaken (1994)
Lovesongs of the Forsaken EP (1995)
Sorrow of the Angels (1998)
Chapter One: 1989-1999 2x LP Retrospective (2002)
Of Empires Forlorn (2003)
Vast Oceans Lachrymose (2009)
Triumph:Tragedy:Transcendence (2010)
The Arcane Unearthed 2x LP Retrospective (2011)
Fear Of Infinity (2011)
Guests:
Info
Released 22/4-2011
Reviewed 6/4-2011
I am not saying that WHW will be successful with this album which musically is somewhere with one foot in the doom metal and the other one in progressive metal. It is mainly quite atmospheric and also generally quite slowly paced with a very clean production making them sound very modern but also quite deep and melodic. I think they have managed to create a really good sound for this album, a sound that lives up to the promise of the cover artwork which is great.
Fear of Infinity is gifted with no more than seven tracks which are not millions of years long and not forced into some progressive sound, the songs are quite normal in length around five minutes or so besides the final track which is elven minutes long. The album in stead plays on for just over 37 minutes which I think was a flash of genius, why should an album be longer than that? Now there is no time to get bored and since 37 minutes is almost no minutes it can be played several times without wasting any times, which is great. Of these tracks there are a few that stand out, track five will probably be a hit among many who find this band, it is a really good song with nice melodies and a great flow to it. The opening track is another one I recall and it is not only an effective start it is also a great song. My favourite though is the sixth of the seven tracks and it is a great track in every sense of the way.
Still, I think all seven tracks are really good, the vocal parts that sound like Jon Arch (Fates Warning) on track two are wonderful, the final eleven minute epos is great but I still think the Saturn and Sacrifice stands out a little above those two as it is just a little better at every part.
I was thinking of something to complain about with this album, there is usually something but the few parts that are not very good does still work alright so complaining about anything when it comes to this album is really nitpicking. I mean the vocal parts are great, the songs are working really well since they do not feel forced in any way like they often do with similar bands.
I think that WHW and their new album is close to the best that has been released this year, they make music of this quite difficult genre sound really good and natural. For other bands I have heard, this seems really difficult look at Tangent Plane for example just trying to make it work with complexity and everything, they create complexity because they strive to do it, WHW make complex music since that seem to be coming naturally and that is the difference, it appears like WHW is making their music from their heard and not their minds. Of course the mind should be involved, but when it becomes too involved it just does not work and with WHW the balance feel just right, the music is well made, intelligent, the album is not too long and the album cover looks really good and therefore this album get a very high rating, not one of the absolute to ratings but a high one nonetheless.
Atmospheric, powerful, deep, beautiful, intelligent and really good, that is my description of While Heaven Wept.
HHHHHHH
