Marrow of Dreams

This album was probably my most difficult listen yet.

In a previous review, I mentioned how the music in question had a lot of depth and this meant that it required a measure of focus and attention in order to appreciate. If one allowed their minds to wander, they likely missed something. Some people would argue this means the song is boring, but I would instead argue that the song simply requires appreciation.

The aforementioned statement of depth couldn't be truer with Woebegone Obscured's second album, 'Marrow of Dreams.' I was rather excited for this one. The cover is bright and appealing, in total contrast to the kind of music held within. You'd think that despite the name, this was going to be a very 'poppy' sort of album, all of the music in the major scale and really uplifting. That it might be layered, with multiple facets in a kaleidoscope of avant-garde or experimental musicianship, crafted into something unique and sublime; a true one of a kind Funeral Doom listening experiece.

Instead, we're given something that I have struggled to properly label. It's not quite funeral doom, it's not quite experimental. It's very avant-garde, which I suppose is being generous but to be honest, it's really just a confusing mishmash of different shit.

The first song can't decide on what it's trying to be, what mood it wants to convey or where it even wants to go. It doesn't look good for your album when the first song is entirely filler -- And that's exactly what 'Waters of Mount Woe' is; a confusing jumble of different ideas that don't really go together. It's almost surreal to listen to this album and know that this is the same band that released 'Deathstination,' which is arguably the superior album here. The disappointment is palpable, especially when you consider how nice the sound is. Everything is clear and rather crisp. I love the acoustic sound of the drums, it's just an authentic feel and not overly processed with studio editing.

But everything is completely wasted on the discombobulated structure of these songs. 'Waters...' confusion carries over in the second track 'Vacuum Ocean' which has no real direction at least until the acoustic interlude at the 11:35 mark which proceeds into the ending of the song. The next three minutes of the track are characterized by this grandiose, forlorn atmosphere that almost makes up for the previous 11 and a half minutes of cyclonic convolution. These three minutes carry the rest of the track on their backs before it devolves at around 14:20 and thrusts you right back into the mire of puzzle pieces that is this song and, so far, this entire album.

It doesn't change into the third song. 'Crystal Void' has a bit more structure than the previous two tracks and I appreciate the attempt to hold it together with the nice acoustics and guitar noodling throughout the songs, but dispersed in between each of these segments are continued measures of filler. And it doesn't stop for the rest for the album. I'm not sure how six years of writing since their first album culminated in this giant mess. The one track that is a consistent and well-structured song is 'In Suffering Darkness Dwell' which is what one would expect to hear on this album after listening to the previous. It's a plodding piece of Funeral Doom with some interesting elements going on, but it's pretty straightforward for what Woebegone Obscured have done in the past.

I can't accurately describe what this album is and despite the score I am giving it, I can't even begin to express my disappointment either.

5.9/10. 59/100. I really didn't want to rate it this low. One year from now, I am going to revisit this album and hopefully have a different opinion. I really want to praise Woebegone, but this album is either really bad or I am just too ignorant to appreciate what Danny Woe was trying to do here.