Willow Collective, The: Underground Sky Soaring Thunder

The Willow Collective is a progressive metal quartet that formed by brothers Obadiah and Jacob Brown-Beach in Seattle in 2010. Joining them are guitarist Bryce Esses and bassist Lizzy Timple. The group lists several expected artists as influences, including Opeth, Tool, Deftones, and Katatonia. On their debut LP, Underground Sky Soaring Thunder, they utilize traditional dynamics, timbres, and styles to craft music that, to be blunt, would be somewhat interesting if it wasn't wholly unoriginal.

Opening track "March of the Troll" is like a System of a Down track if fronted by a poor man's Maynard James Keenan. There's harmonious chanting in the background, which adds a bit of depth, but every melody, riff, and rhythm feels like a carbon copy of stuff that's already been done. There's also growling and heightened intensity near the end, but it certainly doesn't add anything. "Dead Seasons" fares a bit better thanks to its variation and complexity, and "Leviathan" features some interesting guitar work, but it's still quite average overall.

"That One" opens with some nice harmonic loops, which create an affective melody, but eventually it's interrupted by more bland distortion and riffs. Melodically, "Believe" is probably the strongest track in terms of accessibility, diversity, and songwriting, and album closer "A World Apart" incorporates a bit of closure as it discusses loss. Unfortunately, highlights are relative, and thus the standout moments only appeal because of how ordinary the rest of the music is.

Underground Sky Soaring Thunder is a mediocre debut, plain and simple. It brings nothing new to the genre and its emulation is painfully transparent. It's the kind of album where you can skip around within and between tracks without ever feeling a change in approach; you can cut and paste without losing cohesion. Like so many new metal acts, The Willow Collective possesses modesty and good intentions, but they simply can't bring the goods. At least, not yet.

Track Listing
1. March of the Troll 07:04
2. Dead Seasons (free) 07:09
3. Relapse 06:48
4. Hollow Bodies 05:38
5. Leviathan 06:08
6. That One (free) 06:45
7. Believe 05:07

Added: May 31st 2012
Reviewer: Jordan Blum
Score:
Related Link: Band Website
Hits: 2137
Language: english

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