Friday, August 12, 2016

Band Review: Arcade Messiah


Arcade Messiah is the work of John Bassett.

While he lists various influences like progressive metal and post metal, I was amazed that there is no mention of sludge. With heavy instrumental pieces that reference the universe and flirt with ambient, there is still a thickness to the tracks that makes me think Arcade Messiah and Torche could really enjoy each other.

"You Best Line of Defence Is Obscurity" may be the best overall example of the music, but I like the tandem of "Moon Signal" and "Red Widow" best. They are the first two tracks on 2015's II, and they work together to bring you in to the album.

Many of the songs are longer, but there are much shorter ones as well. At 1:19, with its simple ascending and descending "Via Occulta" could just be an exercise, and yet there is a mood that goes with it.

At this time the emphasis seems to be on recording rather than performing.

There is a weight to the music - both intellectual and instrumental - that will mean it's not everyone's cup of tea, but if you like your music with some density or viscosity (or maybe some sludge), you should definitely check Arcade Messiah out.






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