Customer Reviews

Songs for the Withering

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is a great album. 9 amazing tracks that flow lightly from song to song. The lyrics are beautifull and compliment the music perfectly. This music is the type you put on when its a grey rainy day and your staring out the window. It sounds selfish, and if the band reads this they probably would hate me, but I think its awesome that they arent HUGE megastars yet, absolutly no commercial influence in this music, in an era full of bands like The Darkness, Offspring and Good Charlotte, its great to see bands that sound and come straight from the heart. The first 3 tracks "Nameless", "Gallows" and "Two dead names" are something that sound so melancholic it gives you the chills. "Two dead names" sounds like somehting that could be on Opeths "Damnation" album. This band does have a big Katatonia influence, but I think they hold their own and pull of thier own particular sound, in other words, they arent a clone and deserve your hard eraned bucks!!

Take the odd, sinister riffs of KATATONIA'S Brave Murder Day and pair it with the more melodic sensibilities of their more recent output, and you have this terrific album by Finland's Rapture. Their first LP, Futile, had a very strong BMDay thing going on anyway, but this one ups the ante with great production, chugging riffs and gasp, dare-I-say, catchy choruses? (Just play Nameless once and see if you don't reach for the repeat button before track 2 even starts.) It's definitely a more accessible album than Futile, but don't worry, they haven't watered it down either. Some songs are straight-ahead Discouraged Ones/Tonight's Decision material, no death growls at all, but the others sound like they could've been growled by Mikael Akerfeldt himself. My only complaint is that I'd like to see some more complex arrangements and structures on future material (in other words, push the OPETH edge). These songs definitely have room to stretch out - but I'm not docking the album a star for this, since I enjoy it so much.

How absolutely fortuitous. I had all but thrown my hands up in frustration waiting for the next release by Finnish melancholic Death Metallers, RAPTURE. It'd been a solid two years since the band graced us with their depressive work of magnificence, Futile, and I for one was as impatient as the next fan. Since late last year I've been drumming my fingers, wondering just what to expect for the sequel. Well, time took its toll and I basically put RAPTURE in the back of my mind. Then suddenly....
I ordered this disc with no hesitation whatsoever and though I hadn't a clue what it would reveal, I held on to the very confidence the band left me with back in 2000. I got home late from work and by the time I settled in it was bedtime for bonzo so I thought to myself, 'what better way to fall asleep than to some depressive Death Metal'? Well, I hate to say it but listening to this album while I lay in the dark solitude of my bachelor pad was about as good as having pulled some curvy ho from the local bar and sown my oats. Obviously in an entirely different way. I'm implying that the experience was a sheer depressive orgasm of sorts. From the bleak opener, "Nameless" to the eerily crafted closer, "Farewell", Songs For The Withering is a journey through your darkest hours. In between, as I listened and fell deeper into the spell of the album, I could feel my lips mutter, 'Damn, this is good..." as one track after the next layered and smothered me in some of the most prolific musical melancholia ever. As many of you know the band also lend a great deal of time to their side project, SHAPE OF DESPAIR, which I consider the darkest music on earth. RAPTURE are certainly in that league but weave their miserable compositions within the confines of up-tempo beats and rocking melodies. While it seems like a contradictory formula on paper, its as eloquent as lofty 19th century poetry.

RAPTURE's evolution on Songs... features heavy usage of clean vocal choruses and two tracks that are sung entirely without the deep, growling variety, which there is plenty of on most other tracks to keep the traditionalists happy. The brilliance of the vocal interaction is just one small facet of a much larger scope - the underlying construct of each and every song. The band have literally outdone themselves. I honestly did not expect something this fine tuned and diverse. Yet, here it is in its most gloriously dreary reality. There is more of an emphasis on song differentiation on this recording as opposed to the distinctly consistent Futile. As much as I loved the debut I cannot help but love this album that much more for its bold usage of vocalization and strong riffage. None of these tracks seem to leave my memory cache after I have listened to this album and I envision catching myself humming these choruses for a long time to come.

Now, a word of caution to the close-minded who don't like to hear anything approaching progression from one album to the next. Its clear from the stylistic expansion on this album that RAPTURE may go in other directions in the future (I doubt it) and nowhere is this implied more firmly than on the track "The Vast", which while still containing the core RAPTURE sound is slightly out of character as it is the most up-beat number they've done. Sang completely without the accompanying grunts and growls, this is a track that could find itself on FM radio if it falls into the right hands (or wrong ones, depending how you view it). I myself was a bit surprised by it but confess its as catchy as many other tracks on the album. If you can't handle it, well there is plenty here to keep you wallowing just fine in your sadness. "Gallows" is a masterful piece designed to take you down and keep you there. The balladesque "Two Dead Names" is a gorgeously crafted drift of gray, sorrowed vocal crests and wailing strings. I could comment on every track but I think its more prudent to tell you that Songs For The Withering is solid from start to finish and destined for my top 10 list at the end of the year. In fact, the way things are going thus far, it might take full honors. A true classic.

I'm usually not a big fan of the death/doom sound (too many damn My Dying Bride clones!), but when I first heard Rapture, I was taken aback. The band undeniably have a direct mid-period Katatonia influence, with up-tempo drum beats and inherently emotional riffs and lyrics, but the band also have some oft-overlooked clean vocals, adding a beautiful and majestic touch to the bleak and depressing atmosphere already on this album. Musically, the band is quite above average, creating some great dual-guitar interaction and crafting some truly awesome riffs. There are also some excellent acoustic atmospheric moments with clean vocals that provide a nice break from the depressive attack of the album. Depression is the keyword here. Check it out if you're into the up-tempo, mid-period Katatonia sound, or if you're just looking for some well-crafted, emotional music.

This album is beautiful dark metal at its best. These Finnish musicians know how to make great music. The music flows perfect, the vocals are just awesome, this is a must for your musical collection.

They can actually carry a tune... I hear teh music and went wow, then I heard him growl and I almost shut it off, but then I decieded to give it a chance and he ccame in with asstounding vocals. I loved just about every song. I rated them a bit low because it is mostly growl metal, and not my usual cup of tea... (I prefer more vocals, but they still rock!)

It is really a shame that the Finnish band Rapture still isn't as popular as their contemporaries. Their music is haunting, yet melodic. It is powerful and brutal, yet touching. There is a lot of promise in their sound, as it breaks the mold of typical Scandinavian metal. I think the main reason why they aren't that popular is that the album is hard to find in stores outside of their label Spinefarm's distribution. Spinefarm has brought us famous bands such as Nightwish and Children of Bodom. For those of you who are unfamiliar with Scandinavian metal, Rapture's style (a blend of doom and death metal) is quite common. I just wish the band would get the acclaim it deserves. This is their second album, after "Futile", their release a few years back. Keep them coming, Rapture.

The songs will bring you from growl filled intesity to the most beautiful melodies. This album will apeal to those who like death/black metal, to those who might not even like metal at all, and everyone in between. Similar to katatonia,opeth,daylight dies, and others who mix the realm of metal with more classical styles. This album is a must buy.

I purchased this item from an outside company through Amazon. I was absolutely amazed at how quickly the item was shipped. It was listed as being a used item, but you could've fooled me!! It was in excellent condition, and aside from not being wrapped in the original plastic, you would never have been able to tell that it was used.

AS FOR THE CD ITSELF: I bought this CD as a gift for my brother so I do not know first hand what the quality of the music is. He is quite fond of this band and I also have purchased another disc set by the same band for him. He seems to be pleased with the music :)