I

Thankfully, Encircling Sea’s full-length debut is a lot more imaginative than its title, ‘I’. For long periods, this trio of musicians from Australia seems to have conjured up the most insanely dull record in the history of music, but as the record seems to be petering out to a dismal conclusion, a crescendo builds and explodes into action as Encircling Sea swiftly move from one genre to another, expelling the belief that this is just another pointless ambient outing. I must admit, the prospect of another metal and post-rock hybrid excited me to no end. I’m a huge fan of black metal bands who incorporate post-rock themes into their music, though I understand a large section of fellow black metal fans are not so impressed. The British scene (coupled with Ireland), in particular, seems to have nailed this sub-genre of black metal and post-rock. Bands like Altar of Plagues and Fen are mesmerising their way into the hearts of a new generation of metal fans who are seemingly unaware that this sort of hybrid isn’t exactly new to the metal industry. I would say that its roots stretch back to the mid 1990’s when bands like Fleurety were forging their way through a stereotypical scene into a more experimental light. Encircling Sea, though seemingly unimpressive to begin with, explode into a fit of rage that exudes notable hybrid qualities towards the end of this debut full-length record entitled ‘I’.

There is always a danger with bands who release records that consist of one song alone. To say the one song records are a mixed bag is an understatement. The idea of a single song record isn’t new and has actually been used a lot more frequently in recent times with notable acts such as Darkestrah, Jesu and Meshuggah all opting for single song records. They seem to have a largely hit-or-miss reputation amongst fans and for good reason. When we’re dealing with an average record consisting of several songs, we can always assume there will be brilliant songs, good songs and the odd average song sprinkled here and there in between useless intermission songs that contain lifeless ambiance or general oven fodder that no one truly cares about. With single song records, we’re dealing with one song so if a band chooses to portray their music in this manner, it is of the utmost importance that they get it right and do so immediately otherwise the record can stagnant and often descends into mindless drivel with overly long passages of instrumentation where the vocals become so sparse that we might even be forgiven for forgetting they’re even there. Unfortunately for Encircling Sea, they fall into the category of bands who sound sterile right off the bat.

For the first ten minutes or so of this record there is a directionless pattern immerging before the heaviness of the guitars, slow drumming with dignified use of the cymbals comes crashing down and the harsh vocals force their way into the mix symbolising the doom metal influences this record has. The genre description, after all is said and done, seems fairly apt. All genres are represented, albeit not as well as others. From the spiralling guitar effects of the post-rock sound, to the heavier patches of repetitious distortion and instrumentation of the doom and sludge soundscapes. I was incredibly disappointed that Encircling Sea didn’t continue with the latter themes that occur on this record as the beginnings are bitterly disappointing. If you’re going to make a single song record, at least make the introduction interesting and attention grabbing. For the first minutes there is nothing to speak of instead of a barren soundscape which bores and grates on the nerves of the listener. The introduction can pretty much be skipped, as can the first half of the record, despite the fact that instrumentation and vocals do come into the fray after the ten minute mark. Encircling Sea appear to be using a Corrupted method of a long introduction, then a heavier patch of instrumentation and then a surprising aspect which catches us all off guard.

Whilst Corrupted spice up their formulaic doom metal passages with a slice of Japanese traditional music and lyrics sung in Spanish, of all languages, Encircling Sea do not manage to integrate anything of interest until the last quarter of the record and by then there is a feeling that it is a little too late. The immeasurable frustration which steadily builds throughout the course of the opening half of the record cannot be forgiven as soon as Encircling Sea try to turn on the charm with some creativity. The first half of this record, particularly the disheartening opening, is unforgivable. I would suggest skipping it entirely as it offers nothing to the unusual direction of the record, or to any context followed by the trio who have severe song writing issues. Instead of being a seductive temptress who provides me with my fill of glorious hybrid styles, Encircling Sea appear as a wretched hag whose only aim is to show me why hybrids of a post-rock nature are opposed by a number of hardcore fans.

The band have given themselves an insurmountable obstacle to tackle by winning me over, though some of the damage is put behind the band when they release the doom laden shackles and tap into a relaxing style of entrancing tribal like drum patterns, wondrous guitar effects that splice up the soundscapes and clean female vocals which sooth. If only Encircling Sea had opted to take the sound from 38 minutes onwards and pursued that crossover mesh of genres instead but, unfortunately, they haven’t. Things take a strange turn towards the end of the record with Encircling Sea seemingly trying their hand at a Wolves in the Throne Room style, but with a much lesser impression. However, the black metal styling’s that this band take on, mixed with the impressionable post-rock elements of the guitars from 40 minutes onwards offers a much more positive outcome than the initial 30 minutes which can be deemed redundant in comparison. The vocals aren’t exactly exceptional, but they’re a damn site better than what was offering to begin with - a less cultured approach in the vein of bands like Corrupted. In conclusion, ‘I’ is a record which brings trouble upon itself by attempting to befriend several genres and sub-genres within the one song. Despite being close to 50 minutes long, this self-titled song is nowhere near long enough for the band to make a lasting impression. In theory, this is excellent. In practise, this is a mess.