Lumberjack Feedback; The: Blackened Visions

The excellently named The Lumberjack Feedback are so much more than they seem. Doom in nature but cinematic in scope, it's extremely easy to forget that their powerful, yet eerie thunder has no vocals, such are the clear and impressive focal points that appear throughout. With a twin guitar and (although three are listed in the album notes) twin drum attack, it would be easy to anticipate gargantuan slabs of fury being launched to light the night sky with acrid balls of flame. However where TLF truly standout is through the easy complexity of what they offer up, mighty riffs merely punctuating rolling, yet still heavy themes. Soundscapes are created, crushed and revisited throughout the six lengthy tracks and while there's a clear doom path being followed, the tone and lightness of touch brings facets that otherwise could have gone astray.

Likening the band's sound to any other proves pleasingly elusive. Yes there are juddering guitars that wouldn't be out of place on numerous albums in this zone, however without vocals to set the tone – whether that be uplifting, threatening, spooky or straight-ahead – the slow marches feel much less cumbersome or one dimensional than may often be the case. Busy percussion fills some of that gap, while stubbornly refusing to clutter it, while the bass work from Sebastien Tarridec is happy to cleverly meld between the percussive pulses and grating guitars.

Impressively the attention never wanders throughout, repeat visits actually releasing more layers and aspects that didn't quite reveal themselves early on, the intricacy of the arrangements key to the success this album delivers. Hats off to producer Colin Marsten of Gorguts and Krallice (and producer of Atheist, Liturgy, Nadja and many more), his lightness of touch allowing what could have been a claustrophobic, stifling affair to make its strongest impact in the most subtle of ways.

Heavy as you can hope for, yet whisked away on the breeze, the atmospheric Blackened Visions is just as uncompromising as that name suggests, while also brave enough to offer many rewarding tangential sidesteps. It takes time to grow, but the results are gargantuan.

Track Listing
1. No Cure (for the fools)
2. Blackened Visions
3. IMereMortal
4. Salvation
5. Dra Till Helvete
6. Mah Song (Horses Of God)

Added: August 7th 2016
Reviewer: Steven Reid
Score:
Related Link: The Lumberjack Feedback on Kaotoxin Records
Hits: 1331
Language: english

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