Chrome Waves – A Grief Observed
3 min read
Band: Chrome Waves
Title: A Grief Observed
Label: Avantgarde Music
Release date: 5 July 2019
Country: USA
Format reviewed: High-Quality Digital Promo
There are few bands which I will always connect with solitude, eternal sorrow, tears, broken dreams and tranquil grief full of tears. With CHROME WAVES my list expanded. Probably And I’m grateful that I was able to “meet” their first full-length, listen to it much time, live through it and drown into every moment of it.
Actually the album has been released digitally and on CD already on 1st of March by Disorder Recordings, however, Avantgarde Music puts it now on vinyl. This is how this promo came to me. And took me away. Far away.
There is something fateful in CHROME WAVES’ music. Tragic, fatal. As the waves full of dreams clash in the coast of life, realizing how transient we are. It is the grief we observe, the passing of the time, the moments, where everything is already complete and at the same time, it is happening. The grief locked in the moments when you feel the existence, the being, and its end. That glorious grief, when you crave for it. When you feel lonely, left, alone, and full because you can feel those moments, reflecting on all the existence. When the eyes are full of tears, and the sweet pain is stuck in the chest. You feel the ball in your throat. Because nothing lasts forever.
“The Grief Observed” consist of six tracks which last forever though. In a heavy sombrous mood and mid-tempo. It is not a black metal record, neither it is the typical post-black, and it is not a doom or death one. It is heavy and it carries lots of emotions. As the burden of life and our endeavors to pretend to be happy why carrying our personal loneliness hidden behind the false smiley mask. And yeah, the album naturally commences with a track called “Burdened” – by the fears, by the years, and all the visions of the future. Everything which defines us – the fear of death…
I love the mix of shrieks and clean vocals in the songs. They add more eternity in the tracks, more grandiose atmosphere, more glorious grief. (Remember mid-era Katatonia or Decoryah?). And all those ambient moments with keys or cello crawling in between. “Past The Light” is just tremendous in this respect! “At the thought of losing you/At the thought of losing me”. Then comes the epic “A Grief Observed” track – lonely, painful, tearing apart. “Where will I go/When I pull this trigger?”
“Predatory Animals” is a lively track though, carrying different colors in comparison to the other songs. “Take Another Sip” emits almost in catatonic waves, hallucinating mood and distorted rhythm in repeat continuing almost throughout the first part track, and then that awesome breakdown when the cello just rips through the chest, in order to continue to the end of the track in pain. “Sitting all alone/reflection on myself”. Last track is “Open Casket”, in a slow funeral tempo with slow tremolo – a rawer, more painful track for the chaotic forgotten and left behind soul
CHROME WAVES. “A Grief Observed”. Mandatory. 8.5/10 Count Vlad
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8.5/10 To Greatness and Glory
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