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Released on September 15, 2014 via ConSouling Sounds
Riding high on their 2012 demo Samsara, Snailking have resurfaced after two years with what is a colossal debut record. This effort sees the band further uncover its niche. It has been a process and Storm is a revelation.
The album opens with this meditative riff that in no time grows into a plodding, slow assault of heavy, doomy goodness. The music is dense, terrifying and spectacularly emotional. ‘Premonition’ brings with itself some dread-inducing heaviness, a catchy chorus and sees Ottosson do death growls and quite fantastically at that. The under-running sense of apprehension is on a constant rise and ‘Slithering’, with its trenchant attack, serves as the perfect climax only to drop back to ‘Requiem’, the longest song on the record and perhaps my favourite. It draws out for a good 17 minutes without submitting to mindless meanderings. The song trudges from an almost-funeral doom sounding progression, ruckling with dissonance to a hard-hitting Godflesh-like segment towards the end, keeping things interesting across its length – no mean feat. The album concludes with a moving instrumental elegy that is ‘Void’.
Pontus Ottosson’s vocals were quite throaty, almost Matt Pike-like on the previous record and it was unclouded in the mix. Storm sees him do something different. His sort of restrained delivery and the general texture of his voice brings to mind Through Silver in Blood-era Scott Kelly – but hollowed out. This echoey, almost distant-sounding treatment gives the music a lot of its foreboding character. Dug deep in the mix, Ottosson’s voice is that sole lit window from the cover – the lone burning candle that fights the violent storm and fails.
The album is punctuated sufficiently with quiet moments, quiet moments that actually work and contribute towards the overall feel of the album. The Yob influence is very much present, but the band with this record brings in a lot of the early-Neurosis charm. While a lot of Yob’s music to me is contemplative and inward-looking, Snailking’s music is somehow very physical. Samsara, as great as it was, now seems far too linear as compared to the cohesiveness of this album. The band crafts some beautiful songs while giving each riff its due, its space and most of all, keeping the music itself devoid of any inane indulgence. This isn’t just beautiful song-writing, but great storytelling at work.
Heavy and thundering – two words to sum up what goes on for the 50 odd minutes that this Storm lasts. While it is a fantastic record, it will have to stand the test of time to remain relevant in the coming years. That said, this is a forward-thinking band who have delivered an important doom album that deserves every bit of your attention.
