As some of you know, I'm a shameless "Mories" fanboy. I always end up having huge expectations for all his new releases and the latest Cloak Of Altering was not an exception. The previous album, Ancient Paths Through Timeless Voids, as well as the NONE EP were turning points for this project as it showed a different side of Mories' works in which electronic elements where heavily used. It seems like Cloak Of Altering got a solid identity and could easily be separated from the rest of his projects. So how does Plague Beasts compare? Is it better or worse? Nah, it's just a bit different.
Mories de Jong, ever the proficient craftsman, is back with his second full length of the year (first being the second Seirom album, which you need in your life): the third installation from his Cloak Of Altering project. Here you'll find the usual bag of tricks that's come to be associated with this ride in Mories' carnival: black metal interspersed with industrial and other nightmarish electronic/ambient touches, painting a picture that's both beautiful and deranged in all its repulsive splendor.
Not that I agree with the review, but I do think that Mories should stop releasing albums so often.
Hmm well Mories still manages to make albums that generally don't sound like his other ones on a consistent basis. I haven't listened to this yet though so can't comment on it, but I'm fine with his output so far. I get the impression that reviewer is generally not a fan of Mories' approach to music as it reads more of an indictment of his general output than that particular album so it's hard to give credit to him there.
Written by Auntie Sahar on 06.05.2014 at 07:07 Gotta disagree with your disagreement
Here the BM and weird elements are balanced a lot better I think, Ancient Paths and The Night Comes Illuminated With Death were great, but felt tilted more towards one than the other. This is total 50/50. I may be biased though because of the artwork, because that's easily the best for the project yet.
Just because it's balanced in terms of elements it doesn't make it better. That's where we disagree.
The artwork is just ok as well. With that I mean just the one on front. It's nicer inside and the artzine as bonus is even better.
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Written by BloodTears on 19.08.2011 at 18:29 Like you could kiss my ass
Written by Milena on 20.06.2012 at 10:49 Rod, let me love you.
Think I'm with Rod on this one; probably my least favourite CoA release, although it's still undeniably great stuff and I'm not disappointed in the slightest. I think the fact it's so "balanced" is the problem. This lacks the peculiarity of NONE, the sudden moments of unexpected euphoria of Ancient Paths... and the, at the time, hitherto unheard of uniqueness of The Night Comes...
So yeah, very good stuff indeed, but I'm very satisfied and happy, rather than in awe like I have been at many other junctures in Mories' career.
^ This comment sums up everything I wanted to say post-format. Now I just have to make it review-format. xD
I must mention the production as well. I'm not entirely sold on this one. All the others had perfect production for their respective styles but I think this one is too muddy for its own good.
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Written by BloodTears on 19.08.2011 at 18:29 Like you could kiss my ass
Written by Milena on 20.06.2012 at 10:49 Rod, let me love you.
^ This comment sums up everything I wanted to say post-format. Now I just have to make it review-format. xD
I must mention the production as well. I'm not entirely sold on this one. All the others had perfect production for their respective styles but I think this one is too muddy for its own good.
Heheh, feel free to stretch my words as far as you can take them xD
And yes, I think I agree with the production point too. I just went back to have a quick listen of the other albums, mostly for their sound, and they do seem punchier and brighter than this one.
Anyone that doesn't like his approach here should probably give Seirom a go.
I didn't even notice Seirom was Mories backwards until Daniel noted it
---- I am the Magician and the Exorcist. I am the axle of the wheel, and the cube in the circle. “Come unto me” is a foolish word: for it is I that go.
I didn't even notice Seirom was Mories backwards until Daniel noted it
I hadn't noticed that until I read your post right this second. Well well. I'm clearly not the most observant person in the world.
*Goes and reads all favourite bands backwards*
I wonder if him doing that was kinda symbolic in a way, because since it's so radically different from his other projects it's like saying "this one is an inversion of the others"
---- I am the Magician and the Exorcist. I am the axle of the wheel, and the cube in the circle. “Come unto me” is a foolish word: for it is I that go.
I wonder if him doing that was kinda symbolic in a way, because since it's so radically different from his other projects it's like saying "this one is an inversion of the others"
Sounds like a pretty reasonable hypothesis to me. Seirom definitely does stand out as the odd one of the pack.
Seirom definitely does stand out as the odd one of the pack.
I talked to him about it at Roadburn, he more or less said that the GTT and COA songwriting drains him a lot both physically and mentally, so he needed something to channel more positive emotions to. And as an artist myself, I can completely understand that frame of mind.
---- I am the Magician and the Exorcist. I am the axle of the wheel, and the cube in the circle. “Come unto me” is a foolish word: for it is I that go.
Written by Auntie Sahar on 06.05.2014 at 18:41 I wonder if him doing that was kinda symbolic in a way, because since it's so radically different from his other projects it's like saying "this one is an inversion of the others"
Written by [user id=4365] on 06.05.2014 at 18:44 Sounds like a pretty reasonable hypothesis to me. Seirom definitely does stand out as the odd one of the pack.
Let's also add the fact that when I asked him about the title of Seirom's debut (1973). He just told me: Oh, that's my birthyear!
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Written by BloodTears on 19.08.2011 at 18:29 Like you could kiss my ass
Written by Milena on 20.06.2012 at 10:49 Rod, let me love you.
I talked to him about it at Roadburn, he more or less said that the GTT and COA songwriting drains him a lot both physically and mentally, so he needed something to channel more positive emotions to. And as an artist myself, I can completely understand that frame of mind.
Well just listening to most of his stuff is quite physically demanding after a short amount of time so I imagine working with it, probably for hours on end, would definitely take its toll.