P aa opal Poere Pr. 33

I guess it’s kind of an obligatory statement but I’ve always thought of Velvet Cacoon to be a weird group and could never really ascertain why. Their final metal album doesn’t break the trend yet is perhaps their most experimental while still infuriatingly retaining the hallmarks of convention.

The numerous guitars, keyboards and bass are all so lacking in treble that their lurching riffs give the effect of a gradual and unwillingly congealing. Going with the nautical theme it sounds like the waves of a turgid ocean being forced excruciatingly slowly upon a hardened and frictional beach by the massive gravitational force of a full moon. As a result of this titanic pressure the tempo frequently modulates slightly along with the volume of each respective instrument in the mix causing wells of odd, barely controlled, burgeoning distortion. In this way it resembles an amalgamation of Striborg’s ghostly and Reverorum Ib Malacht’s subterranean soundscapes.

However Velvet Cacoon obviously felt that drums and vocals were required, therefore creating one of the most confusing dichotomies I’ve ever encountered this side of Nuit Noire. In their wisdom a decision was made to accompany the ridiculously heavy, bass-driven music with drums and vocals imbued with such excessive treble they may as well have been recorded by sitting behind some annoying guy on the bus playing shitty music on a cheap headset. In defence of the drums, at least they’re crafted to change tempo with the music unlike the vocals which are simply there presumably through perceived necessity, yet they still appear feeble and inappropriate.

Essentially I just wish Velvet Caccon would’ve left the drums and vocals out to make a modern-day Grymyrk; allowing the thundering bass to produce the closest thing to percussion. Honestly, without these two severely disruptive elements this album could’ve been a classic, particularly for someone who enjoys ambient music in addition to metal. Unfortunately it’s mostly infuriating, unless a future re-release offers a second remixed CD as a bonus...