Soothsayer's sophomore album, The Unbinding, marks a significant departure from their debut, Echoes of the Earth, both sonically and stylistically. While their earlier work showcased a primitive, atmospheric sludge/doom sound, The Unbinding sees the band embrace a more diverse and modern approach, blending doom metal with lightly folkened black metal. This evolution is evident in the clearer production, which enhances the impact of the slow, deliberate groundwork. However, the album's success is somewhat muddled, as the band struggles to maintain consistency and continuity throughout.
One of the most notable changes is the vocal delivery. Liam Hughes' performances are more varied than on the debut, but this ends up being a distraction as the vocals jostle between growls, snarls, and shouts. The shouts, in particular, overpower the instrumentation in tracks like 'The Vine', disrupting the overall flow. The clean vocals, while sparingly used, show promise in tracks like 'A Vague Shimmer', but they sound drab in 'Sooner Acceptance'.
The album's standout tracks are 'Endless Shesha' and 'A Vague Shimmer', which showcase the band's ability to create a mystical, atmospheric soundscape. These songs are well-suited to the band's policy of no track being under 7 minutes, but the other three tracks on the album don't hold up as well under the weight of long durations. The band's attempt to conjure an occult atmosphere is commendable, but it appears indecisive, with a lack of consistency and continuity.
In my opinion, Soothsayer has made sonic advancements, but at the expense of overall coherence. The band's stylistic diversification is intriguing, and I would be interested to hear them pivot towards funeral doom in the future. However, the black metal parts didn't appeal to me as much, and I expect that mileage could vary considerably. Overall, I recommend a complete spin of The Unbinding before making a decision.
Rating: 2.5/5.0
The album's production quality is impressive, with a clear and impactful sound. However, the band's indecisiveness about the nature of the occult atmosphere and the lack of consistency and continuity are significant drawbacks. The vocal delivery, while varied, is distracting, and the album's long track lengths don't always pay off. Despite these issues, The Unbinding is a step forward for Soothsayer, and I'm curious to see where they go next.
