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Review Summary: Promising beginnings Hailing from New York’s metropolitan area, sextet Reeking Aura are anything but a fledgling squad as they house experienced musicians of the local underground scene, including one of death metal's most notable throats in recent years - Will Smith (ex-Artificial Brain, Afterbirth). Yet unlike Big Will’s former bandmates who orbit dissonant soundscapes, Reeking Aura take a more orthodox old-school approach, blending classic NY and Florida formulas in a mostly slow-mid tempo format. As you'd expect from a trio of axemen, the guitars take center stage, often adding leads to the interplay between power chords and tremolo picking that ramble through the simple yet effective music structure. This minimalist design, for lack of a better word, allows Reeking Aura's death metal to breathe while generating straightforward foundations suitable for more atmospheric layers, as mirrored in ‘Harvesting the Hatchet’, the album's most interesting song and a first glimpse of what I hope to be the collective's next creative step. The ambient overlay, enhanced by Colin Marston's airy production, works as an X factor, bringing value to a substantially simplified formula. The atmospheric, moody endings of 'Blood and Bonemeal', 'Harvesting the Hatchet', and 'Pyramid Shaped Plow/The Caretaker', prove the band is aware of how ambiance can operate as a distinctive enhancing element. The Sabbath-ish doom & groovy sections are also an important piece of the puzzle, giving the music an engaging vintage vibe, as is the opener's massive Bolt Thrower-esque finale that stands as one of the album's highlights. The balance between Reeking Aura's predominantly old-school style and its more colorful, three-dimensional offshoots is at the heart of their DNA and what makes Blood And Bonemeal such an interesting debut. The first page of a promising journey provided the lads take steps in the right direction, and sometimes you don't need to reinvent the wheel to make it happen.
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Album Rating: 3.7
A couple of thoughts on the album. Solid stuff, OSDM squad should take a peek.
It will be released tomorrow yet the label has already shared a full stream:
http://youtu.be/bOjg_kF8zzc
| | | Album Rating: 3.7
That’s a nice paragraph for a nice dm album
| | | Album Rating: 3.7
Cheers, Robert ;)
| | | Album Rating: 3.5
stoked for this... I've been jamming the two singles almost nonstop the last few days since I came across them.
slick review!
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will def give it a shot good review as always
| | | Album Rating: 3.7
Thanks guys.
It definitely deserves attention, I'll be looking forward to your thoughts.
| | | Album Rating: 3.0
much excite for this one. singles were rad
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Hypeee
Will on vocals is an automatic listen for me m/
| | | Album Rating: 3.7
That makes two of us. As you will see, Will's gutturals here are more 'traditional' than in AB which implies he and the band wanted their own signature.
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Have not jammed this yet but tbh it'll rip, super stoked to see you review this. This act should be earning a lot more traction than it's gotten so far imo
Also ye Will's vocals here are quite impeccable but definitely standard compared to Artficial Brain.
| | | Album Rating: 3.7
I can't help but feel like the only thing that holds this back is just how super indulged we listeners have been over the last few years. Like this is exceptional, somewhat breaking - but we've had so many other acts unleash absolute god-stoppers, over and over again.
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Fantastic, sludgy sound.
| | | Album Rating: 4.0
Singles were awesome stuff so I'm pumped to hear in full. Great review as always.
I wonder what my aura smells like
| | | Album Rating: 3.7
Well, that's the million-dollar question, isn't it? Thanks, mate.
@Robert
I'm a glass-half-full kind of guy but yeah, sometimes we tend to be too picky, it comes with the "job", I guess. The severe music addiction doesn't help either hahah
| | | Album Rating: 4.0
Been waiting for this! Did not disappoint
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preview tracks were cool, gonna check the full thing out soon.
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"Harvesting the Hatchett" kicks so much ass.
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Will check
| | | Album Rating: 3.7
" "Harvesting the Hatchett" kicks so much ass. "
Absolute banger.
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yeah i really dig this so far
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