| Reviews for Maudlin of the Well's Bath |
| A Saviour Incarnate - 100% |
| Written by _Ehsivar_
on July 5th, 2008
|
| With the internet nowadays, it almost seems as if even the most underground bands can't possibly be forgotten. In real life, you don't find yourself joining a cult following almost immediately with a group of random people like you would on the internet. This seems rampant, and just that following is enough to keep any subject matter- person place, thing, or idea alive. One can say that maudlin of the Well were almost forgotten. The thousand pound, seemingly invisible legacy of this band was held above nothingness by none other than their band's genius creator, Toby Driver all the while building his new band, Kayo Dot. The building of this new entity was a double-edged sword for maudlin of the Well in that it saved them from total obscurity, but in the shadow of the not-by-much-but-more-popular Kayo Dot. I was one of the few who heard of maudlin of the Well by word of mouth, and before Kayo Dot. I brushed them aside until nearly a year and a half later when I began to understand and like the mystical brand of avant-prog metal they brought to the table. I had only the first track from the album Bath, "The Blue Ghost/Shedding Qliphoth". Since this is what I knew of them, I started there. Bath is unlike any album you will ever listen to. It has the uncanny ability to get inside your head and suck you into its multiverse all at once, and the aforementioned first track sets it off perfectly. The song is instrumental, and gradually builds up with reassuring cries from the trumpet. The acoustic guitar melodies soothingly descend into the background, and are probably even more chilling at times than the slowly building climax that explodes into an orgasmic euphoria. Each track following this one is different, unexpected, and absolutely needed for this album's perfection. The lyrics are beyond surreal, Toby Driver's vocals, especially when he is cleanly singing, are haunting, innocent, and beautiful all at once. He made a good move by putting some of his harsh vocal-driven songs up front, because later you realize that after his monstrous screams, he is just as much a gentle giant. As the album progresses, it loses its physical form, and becomes almost entirely spiritual. I highly recommend listening to this album when you are sleeping. That's an entirely different experience that you must feel for yourself. Toby Driver and Greg Massi's beautiful, interlocking guitar melodies are like one hypnotic device. "Girl With A Watering Can" could be considered one of their most exemplary songs, as it combines most of the elements you'd hear throughout the album. Ironically enough (at least towards the song title), this song introduces the beautiful voice of Miss Maria-Stella Fountoulakis, who puts an entirely different, and calming mood to an increasingly intensifying song. Accompanied by the flute and clarinet work of Terran Olson recalling moments from the album's genesis, this song couldn't be any more dreamy. The one thing that you can completely expect from this album is that it will take you to uncharted territories that you won't want to come down from. This is unlike any release from any progressive metal band. If you're turned off by the pompousity by most things progressive, don't turn this album down, as it will be one of the biggest regrets you will ever have. This band exemplifies the true meaning of being a "progressive" band; that it's not all about wanky five minute solos that go nowhere, but literal progression and bringing new things to the table. Don't let this band be forgotten. If you do, you may have to leave your body map to find it again... |
| Genuine art - 100% |
| Written by Usefulidiot42
on September 15th, 2006
|
| Never has the term "masterpiece" been so applicable. Maudlin of the Well is truly one of modern music's most creative bands, albeit not in an over-the-top, extravagantly dissonant noise-rock vein, nor in an overbearingly druggy psychedelic manner. MotW are essentially a metal band, but to merely dismiss them as such is... a little bit misleading. Bath is the more melodic counterpart to its heavier "companion" album Leaving Your Body Map, and makes a point to shatter every imaginable convention in metal. This collective of musicians from Boston has taken both prog and metal into realms unseen with this album, which is why it's an essential part of any collection. Sadly, that's also why it's forever doomed to remain an obscure release by a little-known band. Trying to describe the actual music contained on Bath could easily take up the entire length of this review. The band has an uncanny ability to shift from dreamlike space-rock to crushing death metal right back to melodic acoustic muisc, sometimes all in one song. This makes Bath an unpredictable listen, as you never know what direction the music will turn to next. Alongside the more conventional prog instruments, the band also utilizes the kind of instruments you wouldn't expect from a prog-metal band. Everything from trumpet to flute can be heard in Maudlin of the Well's music, not to mention acoustic guitar and clean vocals more delicate than you'd ever expect from a metal band. If you enter this album expected any large quantity of "rocking out" (as I admittedly did, to an extent), the 8 minute opening track will, to say the very least, throw you off. Opening with a lone guitar part that sounds like the intro to Yes' "Roundabout" put into an ambient setting, this one sparse guitar is eventually joined by an acoustic guitar and a horn instrument. Eventually the track's main theme is introduced by the acoustic guitar, before it fades back into silence. The band returns a few seconds later continuing the delicate sound. Eventually the main theme is reprised, putting the listener into a hypnotized state. Yet as the track winds down, an electric guitar joins in and the song promptly fades out. There is no possible way that the band could have devised a better introduction to the album, preparing the listener for the journey ahed. "They Aren't All Beautiful" starts off as a fairly conventional metal song, death growls and all. It's not until a startling breakdown about 1:40 in that the song really gets going, as the pace is suddenly slowed down for a massive, twisted, repeated riff. The song then launches into a heavy, technical instrumental section where we see the full extent of the musical capabilities on display, after which the song appears to be over. The initial theme is then reprised briefly for a viscious ending. Every remaining song on the album leans towards one of those two styles, rarely staying entirely with one. That said, by the time the slow, dramatic third track "Heaven and Weak" kicks in, the album's cosmic mood and hypnotic feel will surely have gotten to you. Very few albums are able to induce the trace-like state that Bath will leave you in, but somehow despite the heavy guitar riffs that emerge throughout it, it's difficult not to be completely drawn into the music presented, which in my opinion is Bath's finest attribute. Both the harder rocking songs ("The Ferryman", which contains an organ of all instruments, the soaring prog-metal epic "Birth Pains of Astral Projection") and the more melodic ones (" Marid's Gift of Art", "Geography") are flawlessly executed and brilliantly composed, leaving Bath without anything even remotely resembling a weak moment. When they try to be loud and agressive, MotW do it phenomenally, when they want to be melodic and sentimental, they're liable to break your heart with their music (which I mean in the best way possible). If you're prepared to be challenged by your metal diet, yet at the same time want something completely listenable, Maudlin of the Well is for you. It's not often that I'm prepared to consider an album among my favorites of all time less than a week after first hearing it (in fact, this may very well be the soonest I've ever fallen so deeply in love with an album), but for Bath this was irreversably the case, leaving it to remain a constant part of my life ever since. Sadly, it's been discontinued, so finding a copy could prove challenging (though Dark Symphonies recent put out a limited edition reissue featuring several bonus tracks, so there may yet be hope), but if you take my advice on one thing this year, make it this album. That said, if you have no interest in the avant-garde and just want something you can headbang to, don't bother. Even when this is heavy, it's far from headbanging music, and VERY far from any other metal band. For those like myself who find themselves intrigued by new sounds, let this album enhance your existence as it has mine. Originally written for http://www.progarchives.com |
| Bath - 99% |
| Written by Jochem
on July 10th, 2006
|
| This album is the counter partner for the album “Leaving Your Body Map”, both albums by the wonderful prog-death band maudlin of the Well. It’s a hard decision whether to decide which album is the better one so I won’t make it. This one is perhaps the most accessible album of the 2 but it isn’t really saying much since it’s still pretty darn complex music full of layers and extremely well done musicianship. Maudlin of the well is an 8-piece avant-garde metal band led by multi-instrumentalist Toby Driver. Their way of making music is based on playing with each other and just let the music come out. Basically a jam, but in this band they sometimes dream the songs before making it. Being a band with so many members and instruments it’s a logical conclusion that its sound is quite unique especially since there are a lot of flutes and horns in the band. The album starts of with a post-rock kind of song. There are no lyrics here just music but it sure is a beautiful intro into the album, it was my first introduction in the band and I didn’t know what hit me when the next song started. First a riff with a menacing build up and a beautiful growl. After the instrumental first song the second song strikes you heavier than in any other context. The song gets rather complex with odd time signatures in the ends as well. The next song starts rather relax as well only to pick up after about 4 minutes into one of the best metal riffs I have ever heard. An interlude, which is a fine piece of music as well, leads us into the next song which start after a strange organ intro. That intro it about the only thing I didn’t really like about this album because the next part of the song is again absolutely incredible. The second half takes the cake though; it starts of with a very nice little mainly acoustic song, which takes the album into a rather different direction. It’s a direction which has a more fairytale mood, and perhaps a little more gothic. The song after the short one is dominated by female vocals. But they aren’t annoying as in most Gothic bands, but add a lot to the music. Up next is the grand epic centerpiece of the entire album: “Birth Pains of Astral Projection”. This song has about everything a song could wish for; it’s absolutely stunning and nothing less. After this gigantic masterpiece another interlude (which is less beautiful then the first one but rather happy and funny) makes way for another masterpiece of a song. It’s a rather short song but it’s nothing short of epic. It closes the album which is just over a hour long. This really is essential listening album for every metalhead or prog-lover. I’d say you do need a acquired taste to like the death growls so it’s not for everyone but anyone with a sense for good music surely will appreciate this work of art. Originally written for http://www.musicmademe.com |
| Maudlin of the Well - Bath - 80% |
| Written by mentalselfmutilation
on June 23rd, 2006
|
| Maudlin of the Well can be defined as an "aquired taste" playing what is commonly referred to as "Avant Gardge Progressive Jazz Metal" and many listeners in the metal community at a first look may see this band's work as very diverse and hard to digest. If you're looking for your typical slayer, iron maiden, or testament album this is the last place to look. Maudlin of the Well's sound is a very unique arrangement of melodic death metal and progressive acoustic compositions. Maudlin of the Well's sophmore disc "Bath" is an album that compliments their third and final album "Leaving Your Body Map" and of the two happens to be a much more melodic and tranquil album. Beginning with pieces like "The Blue Ghost - Shedding Qliphoth" enlightening the listener to a melodic almost jazzy piece, which builds up into a chaotic near death metal sound. This band truely goes all across the spectrum with this album, building up then dropping back into a progressive and thought provoking acoustic melodies. Though while the compositions are interesting and thought provoking, and truely some of the most innovative material to surface among the heavy metal community in many years, there are also some flaws. Some of the songs tend to become quite repetitive and redunant before they hit the usual 8 minute mark. Listening to the album can be a challenge in itself without getting bored with some of the more melodic passages which some could say almost compete with some of opeth's works when it comes to long and redundant melodic passages. Though in spite of some of the negatives with this release Maudlin of the Well's "Bath" album is truely one that I would recommend if you're interested in something new and unique, while keeping in touch with some very heavy elements. It's a very progressive album which envelopes into a very memorable sound and listening experience. Even if you dislike the band, it's still worth listening to and experiencing once. Mentalselfmutilation - 8/10 |
| I want to go Mushroom hunting and a fishing now... - 88% |
| Written by pilleffect
on February 24th, 2005
|
| Wow. What can I say about this album? It’s been one of my all time favorite albums since I discovered it around the time “Leaving Your Body Map” was released. Many of you know that “Bath” is the companion album to “Leaving Your Body Map” as the album art was reversed and they run the same length. Though these albums are similar, I believe that “Bath” is the “softer” counterpart to the “heavier” “Leaving Your Body Map.” “Bath” takes me on a journey, from soft almost symphonic tunes to brutal yet complex semi-death metal, to acoustic arrangements, to Prog/Doom metal. One thing that’s good about the heavy parts of this album is that they’re almost all extremely complex; some using odd time signatures, some with thick atmospheric synths and guitar effects, its quite hard to explain, but you’ll understand after listening to it. The “softer” songs include Heaven and Weak, Marid's Gift of Art, and Geography. Heaven and Weak starts off slow, somber, and includes a nice bass line, pianos, acoustic guitars, and very atmospheric electric guitars, but towards the end of the track it speeds up to what I think is a very groove-oriented verse, using an odd time signature. This is by far one of my favorite tracks on the album. Marid's Gift of Art, its an ok song, though I don’t think it stands out. Geography is a totally acoustic song, very angst ridden, but it’s a nice departure, and ends “Bath” well. The “heavier” songs on this album aren’t really all that heavy, but that’s a matter of opinion for everyone. These tracks are They Aren't All Beautiful, The Ferryman, Girl With a Watering Can, and Birth Pains of Astral Projection. They Aren't All Beautiful is a song that doesn’t really fit well on the album, it sounds like they where trying to venture out in to some death metal type stuff with this song, and though it doesn’t fit in very well, its still an awesome song. It’s not all that complex until the breakdown, but that doesn’t say much. The Ferryman is an average song. I think the organs at the beginning are a bit much, but I think it fits well with the rest of the song, give it a “gothic-like” feel to it, but maybe that’s just the female vocals, which are very beautiful. The Girl with a Watering Can reminds me of The Ferryman, and is an above average song, mostly for the guitar solo towards the end. Birth Pains of Astral Project is by far the BEST song on the album. This song pretty much fueled my interest for MotW/Kayo Dot. It has everything in the song like organs, doom metal passages, screams and clean singing, and exceptional guitar work. The only thing I missed was an acoustic guitar (that I noticed at least). The best thing about this song has to be the guitars. The guitars in this song are complex, but are unnoticeable until the intro-solo and the outro-solo. The only bad thing I have to say about this is the doom metal part is a little long, and starts to get boring, but that happens often when songs are 10+ minutes. Maudlin of the Well also likes to indulge in instrumental songwriting. This isn’t always a good idea, but they all add to the album. The Blue Ghost/Shedding Qliphoth starts off simple, and gets very atmospheric and dense by the end. Interlude I is one of my favorite tracks on this album as well, hard to describe, though its very melodic and the electric guitars work well with the acoustic guitars and the exotic drumming and bass. Interlude II is pretty much a bass like with sounds of water. It makes me feel like I’m fishing. Yay. The bad parts: Lyrics – They get pretty angst-ridden, at least too much for my tastes. Boring – Some of the songs get boring after listening to the album a couple of times, maybe it’s the length, but I doubt it. Length – I normally don’t find length to be such a bad thing, but I think they tacked a lot of it on just for atmosphere. Stand out Tracks: Heaven and Weak Interlude 1 Birth Pains of Astral Projection Geography |
| Interesting Concepts But Very Inconsistent. - 70% |
| Written by Chainsaw_Gutsfuck
on April 18th, 2004
|
| This was the first thing I’ve ever heard from this band and I wasn't sure what to expect. I've heard interesting things about this band such as "Jazz Progressive Avant Garde" and other completely indirect and ambiguous labels, just like the one on this site. "Astral, Avant Garde"? Doesn't exactly give a hint upon what the music sounds like, nor do the reviews of this album not only on this site but also on others. I'd say the music is very strange, a mixture of various instruments from various genres such as various horns, Trumpets, Saxophones, keyboards, as well as traditional metal instrumentation (guitar, bass, etc.), with a mellow atmosphere and strange song structures. If you feel that odd always = Good then this is totally for you. But for some one like me who feels that traditional structures and atmospheres done correctly can over power even the most avant-garde of avant-garde then perhaps this album is not for you. For most of this album there is a clean guitar rhythm creating a mellow feeling. Sometimes this leads to a heavier metal passage with almost Death Metal esque vocals that are actually very good. If this band was to create a purely metal album I think it would be quite good. But these passages and scarce and short lived which leads to another thing. Metal Blue Balls, I’ve never thought such a thing could exist but maudlin of the well have seemed to have mastered it. It is when you feel a great metal passage coming up and right as you're getting into it BAM! It turns mellow and downright fruity. This is incredibly evident on Birth Pains of Astral Projection where it goes from mellow to a doomy metal atmosphere and back then it goes to a kick ass Doom Death Atmosphere for a few seconds then BAM the total opposite incredibly mellow atmosphere with softly sung vocals with downright fruity lyrics. Thus making my balls hurt immensely. The one thing I cannot complain about at all is the guitar work; on Birth Pains of Astral Projection the guitar work is incredible towards the end of the track. This track earned most of the points I gave this album. Excellent leads with a great melody. Truly shows this bands potential and also shows that they are capable of making something truly classic and incredible if they were just to stick to one genre and master it rather than go from a smooth jazzy section to a doom death section to a soft spoken word verse to something else totally unrelated and losing any fire and potential they may have gained in the process. If they aimed to mix genres perhaps they should actually mix them rather than playing them side-by-side on the same track. Although this is not a bad album it's actually pretty interesting but it is not the masterpiece it was made out to be. I'm sorry if I’m missing something, something that makes this album incredible, something that makes the samples of someone splashing in a bathtub deep and meaningful, something that makes cheesy sung vocals (Geography) incredibly tasteful and avant-garde. All I can say is I'm Sorry. |
| Not for those of limited attention span... - 85% |
| Written by Conan_Troutman
on August 1st, 2003
|
| I was first introduced to Maudlin of the Well by way of a sampler CD packaged with "a certain high-profile Canadian metal magazine" about two years ago. The song that would catch my ear would be "They Aren't All Beautifull"(I remember thinking of it as a proggy Opeth song), off(one of) their 2001 release(s) entitled "Bath". Finally hearing the entire album this year, I can only say "why the hell didn't I pick this up earlier?!?!?", as I have truly been missing out on one of the most challenging listens I've ever come across. It's almost as if I needed to prepare for what this disc has in store; that being a complete journey through the emotional spectrum, set to some great progressive metal! Not at all what I was expecting, "Bath" has some great surprises lurking within for the newcomer, such as the aforementioned "...Beautifull", set up by the haunting seven-plus-minutes long intro. piece "The Blue Ghost/Shedding Qliphoth". Finishing up the first "act" is "Heaven and Weak", a twisting-and-turning piece that goes from a melancholy intro. to dark prog a la Tool or an evil-sounding Dream Theatre(with a faster midsection thrown in for good measure). The rest of the album seems to fall in the vein of one the previously mentioned songs; either melancholy and quiet, progressive and technical or just plain heavy(although the latter is in short supply here - sorry, death metal fans!). Which leads to my only beef with this record(and perhaps the band in general, although this has been my only exposure to Maudlin); despite the talent displayed by all members, I can't help but feel a certain lack of continuity throughout the album. Maybe I'm missing something here(I'm more a fan of traditional, thrash and death metal), but that notion always creeps up on me whenever I pop this disc in my stereo. Besides that, I can't come up with any other complaints to be aired. So for those out there looking for either a more original take on prog. metal, or just something to wrap your soon-to-be-confused noggin around, I suggest an evening with Maudlin. Those of the ADD persuasion need not apply. |
| True Progressive at it's best! - 92% |
| Written by PsyKoCracker
on January 25th, 2003
|
| Maudlin of the Well (furthermore referred to as MotW) have made their place as one of the best Progressive Metal groups out there, and this CD is a perfect showcase. First I will explain. This CD, Bath, is the first part of 2 CDs which are meant to be listened to together. The second part is "Leaving your Body Map" The odd thing is, they did not sell these as a double disc, but they were released together... MotW has stated that there is some sort of secret message in the album that is made by a certain pattern they follow in their songs. I haven't figured it out, nor know anyone who has. MotW are a band that are all over the place. You will never be able to guess what will happen in a song next... Out of nowhere in the most relaxing part of a song, they can go into a loud and doomy part, and vice versa. The album starts off with a nice relaxing intro, and goes into the first real track of the album, "They aren't all Beautiful" which is a very dark and doomy song. Next in line is "Heaven and the Weak." This song is a perfect showcase of MotW's style. It bounces back and forth from doomy, to clean, to relaxing, and back again. The rest of this album continues back and forth through the many different emotions MotW puts forth. The most notable track on the album is "Birth Pains of Astral Projection" This song is one of, if not THE best song I have ever heard... and that is up there with Dream Theater "A Change of Seasons" and Edge of Sanity's "Crimson" Birth Pains features a very relaxing intro, fading into a great doomy part, which goes into a nice clean part, and an incredible solo. this song is basically everything you'd ever want in a song in just one package! I CANT give a review without having at least a couple negative things about a CD... One thing I didn't like about this CD is that they had a LOT of time wasted by effects (such as the 2 or so minutes of water splashing at the end of "The Sign of Four" and the beginning of "The Ferryman") and the final track "Geagraphy" has a lot of silence at the end. This was intentionally done to make both "Bath" and "Leaving your Body Map" the same exact length, so I guess it's alright. Also the Vocals were only above average, everything else is about as good as it gets though. I highly suggest getting this album, especially if you are a fan of true prog. It will not disappoint. |