Life's Trade

Samothrace | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (October 14, 2008)
• Original Release Date: 2008
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: 20 Buck Spin
• ASIN: B001FN4EPI
• Also Available in: Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #243,509 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Samothrace plays ultra-heavy doom with harsh, alcohol-soaked vocals. A somber melodic sense also permeates the four long tracks on the record--not in the overused, weepy Euro-doom tradition, but distinctly Midwestern, soulful, and blues-inflected. The songs shimmer with desperation, hopelessness, and pain. The melodic interplay of guitarist Bryan Spinks and Renata Castagna is distinct for such a heavy doom band, and each song is meticulously crafted for maximum emotional impact.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of the best doom albums...ever., October 24, 2008

By 

J. Sober (Norman, OK) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Life's Trade (Audio CD)

This album is four tracks of some of the most beautiful doom ever recorded. Slow, sludgy, and filled with emotion, Life's Trade will keep your ears glued to your speakers for many a listen. The dual guitar work, the intricate bass lines, the powerful vocals, the gorgeous melodies, and the bizarre time signatures all make for a seriously impressive debut from this Lawrence, KS based juggernaut.

These guys are definitely going places. If you're a fan of YOB, Corrupted, Cathedral, Ocean, or Asunder, do yourself a favor and grab this album. You will not be disappointed!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Honest Heaviness From Doom Virtuosos, June 15, 2009

By 

Colton Williams "Colton Williams" (Oklahoma City, OK) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Life's Trade (Audio CD)

A trade such as life needs dedicated practitioners; organized, dutiful, and apprenticed. Dues must be paid, serially and without complaint. Those who participate develop scars, lose older notions of insulated security, and gain perspective. Honesty is not only the practice of telling the truth, but an inate method of living life, and seeing it for what it is.

Apprenticed group Samothrace shreds like canvas lightning. A well-developed sound, sourced from the deepest wretch of patient insanity. This is music, this is life, and for these folks the two obviously share a similar value. Acted out simultaniously and without the mercy of the familiar nor the pleasure of pretense.

One expects Spinks to be Spinks on record, however the depth shown here mirrors the man and makes the listener feel that something larger is going on. Like a borrowed crane in an independant zombie flick, scanning the proximate plains of the town where you grew up. The interplay between players is that of companions, and the emotions are palpable not play-acted.

The group is tight, and doesn't seem to revel in "doomy" cliches. What we have here is a practiced outfit, that feels music as sincerely as they feel the heat of a stuffy van in the summertime. The rhythm section is staffed by proficient and worthy executors; dancing basslines and clever percussion do what is expected of them. I can't hear anyone playing to the critics here. Just honest, crafted, heavy music. Think Isis.

This is the kind of band that makes people want to start bands. When I hear records like Samothace's, I remember what discovery means - I eschew my fears of rejection and of unknowns and of worldly problems, and I become walking inspiration, taking out "the past" from "existence now" and feeling powerful again. My stomach tingles, my eyes close, and I feel the strength pouring from the speakers. There may be troubles ahead, and the members of Samothrace can hear their claws tapping rhythmically in the distance. But using fear against the future is power in-hand, and belting out the passions of the present to the faithful like Samothrace do is a sure cure for wobbly knees.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Doom at its very finest!, December 5, 2008

By 

Michael R. Fine (Ogden, Utah) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Life's Trade (Audio CD)

Effective execution of Doom is no easy matter. It is something that, on the surface, seems very easy. The music is slow, heavy and dirgy. However, Doom's snail-like pace and balance of sound is actually far more challenging than most musical genres. It requires the band to work in a restrained and carefully planned fashion to bring together the ultimate in heavy. It takes real musicianship and some serious creativity.

Samothrace may not win any awards for their name but they should for their music. "Life's Trade" is probably one of the most accomplished and well executed Doom releases in years. They have an in-depth understanding of the power this music can evoke and they do it better than most.

Let's not mistake anything here, this album is heavy. I am not talking the Nu-metal heavy. I am talking bury you under 50,000 pounds of wet sand heavy. This thing is a massive beastly wall of sound that combines layer upon layer of melodies, bass, vocals and thundering unrelenting guitars. This is what Doom is all about.

Samothrace have achieved something overwhelming and beautiful in its own element and it must be heard even experienced to really grasp the audio density. Slow and polemic yet dirgey and poetic in the same instance, this is akin to being drowning in a pool of tar but in a good way.

If you claim you like Doom in any fashion, you MUST purchase this CD. This is one of the best releases in 2008 for this genre and it will certainly make many a list for one of the best Metal albums of the year. Samothrace has hit a new low and you will love every minute of it!