11 Paranoias
Asterismal

That’s a few pieces paranoia I suppose, this British band thinks that it is a clever name for a band. Perhaps it is clever, and the new album has gotten a title that brings something, or nothing to mind. I don’t like the title, or the artwork that I find less than compelling. Some reviewer claimed they made it all big and there was much “mindfucking” on this album – both in terms of the artwork and the music. I am not so sure that I agree with said reviewer, mind-numbing is probably a better description.

Doom/sludge metal is how this album could be described, mostly instrumental with some choir vocals and perhaps a touch of other vocals as well. Not much variation and a fairly long album with fairly long tracks, eight of them, that is what they offer. And the sound isn’t brilliant either, kind of a dissonant racket and even sonically painful to listen to. It is an album that seems targeted at a fairly limited audience; it is not an album for the wider audiences.

It is not an impressive album the songs are slow and feels very repetitive, dull. It is like the songs melt together into a thick mass of dissonant sounds. Perhaps it will appeal to fans of the doom and sludge metal but it will not appeal to any wider audience. But at least they should have credit for doing their own thing and do music of a variety that is a bit less common, even though they may not stand out within their genre but at least it is a genre that is not as crowded as most. But even so, I don’t find this album the least bit appealing.

Perhaps it is an album to check out if you enjoy the doomy or sludgy side of metal things, otherwise I think there are many choices that are much better. The conclusion is that I have just reviewed an album that is quite far from impressive, should we say outstandingly dull?

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