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| Album Reviews: Sinister Clothcat ? ?When Night-Time Thoughts Persist E.P? |
Five-piece progressive-metal with more time-changes than a decade of living in a Greenwich horologist shop.
Track Listing (probably in the wrong order because stupidly I lost the case and had to search for the titles on t?internet?):
1 ? Sheepdog
2 ? Pandora?s Box
3 ? Closet Schizophrenic
4 ? Upon This Page
5 ? Missionary
The most striking thing about Sinister Clothcat is just how different they sound to everyone else. There are plenty of other bands making thrashy metal with lots of time-changes and stop/start dynamics, but none sound quite like this. The amount going on in some of these songs is incredible ? they show more ideas per song than most bands could use over an entire album. Special mention has to go to the pinpoint drums, which change time signatures on a beat yet remain tighter than any other Norwich band I can think of. The guitars are constantly engaging, winding around each other like the Amott brothers (Arch Enemy) gone prog. With two of the songs clocking in at around 9:30 you?d be forgiven for thinking they might drag - well they don?t. Trust me.
The CD sounds really good. The drums are refreshingly human ? it sounds like a real kit, with the snare and bass drum actually being played musically rather than just hit as hard as possible. The guitars both sound really good, crystal clear and surprisingly creamy for a metal band, and the pinch harmonics squeal exactly like they should. Both guitarists use Line 6 POD?s, but you?d be hard pushed to guess that from the CD. The vocals come in two flavours ? a low, barked howl, which is brilliant (if a little lacking in variety), and a low, almost spoken word chanting, which I don?t like as much, though it?s definitely effective and adds to the claustrophobic atmosphere. The lyrics are fairly oblique and abstract, which suits the music perfectly. The only let down is the virtually indistinguishable bass ? with a 6-string bass player in their ranks you?d think there be more of it in the final mix.
Track 4 (possibly called ?Upon This Page?) is my favourite song ? the stop/start section a few minutes from the end has you on the edge of your seat wondering when it?s going to get back into the song, and the bizarre jazz/funk breakdowns in the middle are a joy to behold.
Personally, I think Sinister Clothcat is one of the best bands in Norwich. Even if you don?t like the style of music they play, you can appreciate their musicianship and creativeness ? both sorely lacking in the metal scene over the last few years. They don?t rely on pure speed or anger to sound heavy ? there?s some pretty damn complex guitar harmonies going on in these songs; it?s not just thrashing for the sake of it. Instead, it?s the constant shifts in direction, the not knowing what?s coming next that makes them so unsettling and nasty. Great stuff!
Poison Pen
Submitted by Poison_Pen
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Posted on Wednesday, December 21 @ 09:00:00 CST
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Average Score: 2.75
Votes: 4
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Re: Sinister Clothcat ? ?When Night-Time Thoughts Persist E.P? (Score: 1)
by RichieHell on Friday, December 30 @ 12:35:49 CST
(User Info | Send a Message) | Great review.
This band are awesome, and definitely show up a lot of other Norwich extreme metal bands as generic crap*.
*I said a lot, not all! There are some I like... |
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Re: Sinister Clothcat ? ?When Night-Time Thoughts Persist E.P? (Score: 1)
by CrimsonGhost on Thursday, January 12 @ 00:41:44 CST
(User Info | Send a Message) | | I consistently tell people Clothcat are the best band in norwich. They nearly always upstage any bands on with them. |
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Re: Sinister Clothcat ? ?When Night-Time Thoughts Persist E.P? (Score: 1)
by kingofmetal on Thursday, February 16 @ 18:28:02 CST
(User Info | Send a Message) http://www.myspace.com/29924112 | | ....oh yeah, and as for the comments about the bass & vocals lacking a certain something.....well, funilly enough, those 2 band members have now departed & been replaced. strange 'eh?!!! |
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