Half great, half boring, all hard to determine
Seer is one of those bands that for all intents and purposes combines countless stylings together to form something unique. And true to this, Volumes III and IV are works that manage to sound completely new and incredibly well-known at the same time through just eight songs.
Where some strange tracks mix stoner riffs in a sludgey setting and the airiness of post rock, others resort to throbbing mires of liquid, blackened metal. Throughout the double EP slash full length album we are treated to tastes of the familiarness of bands like Baroness and Mastodon, but just as easily could their material be the result of prolonged exposure to the rich history of traditional doom metal.
Where some strange tracks mix stoner riffs in a sludgey setting and the airiness of post rock, others resort to throbbing mires of liquid, blackened metal. Throughout the double EP slash full length album we are treated to tastes of the familiarness of bands like Baroness and Mastodon, but just as easily could their material be the result of prolonged exposure to the rich history of traditional doom metal.
"...the juxtaposition between the individual elements at times becomes almost grating."
I can't really determine if I like it or not. It is different, sure, and their alchemical combinations are seamless without losing integrity or character, but no matter how ready to boogie Seer become, the juxtaposition between the individual elements at times becomes almost grating.
Compositions like Acid Sweat and Burnt Offerings are incredibly solid through and through, while others feel like throw-away material. Seer's Vol. III & IV manages to be thrilling and engaging at times, but also jarringly pointless at other points.
It very roughly splits down the middle: For every great track, there is an equal in tediousness. This lack of concision keeps Vol. III & IV from soaring, and could just as easily have been just one EP of exceptional songwriting rather than a fifty-fifty album experience. Me, I'll stay with the distortion of Vol. III, and keep on skipping the lacklustre acoustics of Vol. IV.
Compositions like Acid Sweat and Burnt Offerings are incredibly solid through and through, while others feel like throw-away material. Seer's Vol. III & IV manages to be thrilling and engaging at times, but also jarringly pointless at other points.
It very roughly splits down the middle: For every great track, there is an equal in tediousness. This lack of concision keeps Vol. III & IV from soaring, and could just as easily have been just one EP of exceptional songwriting rather than a fifty-fifty album experience. Me, I'll stay with the distortion of Vol. III, and keep on skipping the lacklustre acoustics of Vol. IV.
6/10
Released in 2017 by Art of Propaganda (CD) & Wicked Lester Records (Tape)
Links
Seer on FACEBOOK
Seer on BANDCAMP
Art of Propaganda OFFICIAL SITE
Wicked Lester Records OFFICIAL SITE
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Seer on BANDCAMP
Art of Propaganda OFFICIAL SITE
Wicked Lester Records OFFICIAL SITE
Follow TONEwood on Facebook!
LISTEN
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