Released By : Self Released
Genre : Progressive Alternative Metal, Experimental Metal
Links : http://www.estonianmetal.com/bands/unholyfables
Tracklist:
01. 46th Of January
02. Magic February
03. Clownish
04. Sad Song of April
05. It’s Raining
06. Blurred
07. Dying In The Desert
08. Ardor Of August
09. Morass
10. Fly With The Crows
11. Whispering November
12. In The Dense Winter Forest
After spending some time with this new album from Estonian metallers UNHOLY FABLES I’ve certainly had my fair share of oddness to last me for quite a while. The base of the band’s sound is something around the black metal style, but not like the evil, vile corpse-paint type black metal, more like black metal played by a circus band that has spent too much time listening to acts like PRIMUS and MR. BUNGLE. So, oddness is certainly the flavour of the day here and digesting this entire disc in one sitting is quite a daunting task.
I wouldn’t go so far as to say that this is comedic or anything, but it’s far from serious too, hence the appeal. The guitar work is pretty good throughout and I really like the effect they have used here which makes is sound almost like an old-school death metal release in places. The vocals are continuously throwing shrieks, screams and growls all the while having plenty of interesting stuff to say too. The drumming is as chaotic as you would expect and the bass work here has plenty to offer too. The random inclusions of odd sounds and what I can only describe as circus-type music keeps things fresh and really do stand out. It dos makes it hard to pick out individual songs though. However, I will say that SAD SONG OF APRIL, DYING IN HE DESERT and FLY WITH THE CROWS seem to me to be the pick of the bunch, but as with anything that is based around progressive and experimental soundscapes, STONE is definitely an album that should be listened to from start to end, even it does get a little too-much in the latter stages of the journey.
I’m all for listening to something out of the ordinary, especially as a reviewer as I hear so many bands thrse days that sound the same, but I’m not too sure exactly WHO to recommend this album to. The black metal/death metal crowd surely won’t appreciate to light & sunny approach taken with the style, and the alternative and art-rock followers may be turned off by the actual intensity this album reaches at times. I will say though, if you are an open-minded metal fan that is always looking for something fresh and different, STONE is definitely worth your time and the band should certainly be applauded for not wanting to just ride the coat-tails of other bands and actually try and do something different.
Written By ZeeZee
Rating : 7/10
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