Artist: Septa
Album: The Lover
Genre: Post Metal/Progressive Rock/Post Hardcore
Tracklist:
1. 12th
2. Enter The Butterflies
3. Discouraged Ones
4. Her Body Will Sings
5. Widower
6. Eulogy (Epilogue)
Preview: Teaser
Edit May 6th 2014:
Review:
Septa are from Ukraine and are recently reformed after a lengthy hiatus. Having begun in 2006, they surfaced again in 2010 with new members and a refreshed purpose. This is their first EP, having only previously released singles. There is a real depth of ambition about this record. Ostensibly an alternative rock group, Septa’s influences stretch in both directions out from that homogenised middle ground. The songs are peppered with both clean and quasi-guttural vocals; and fleshed out with instrumentation outside of the parameters of the everyday 4 piece group; such as violins and tubas. However, although admirable, this ambition does not always translate into successful song writing. Maybe the truly jazzy start of the record made me expectant of more, but The Lover contains a fairly standard set of alt-pop/rock songs. This is not to say all of the songs share the same template. The record kicks off with a couple of melodic rockers, followed by ambient prog-pop reminiscences; which sound eerily like Tripping Daisy’s more prosaic moments. But progressiveness can have its own inherent difficulties; if song lengths are extended then there must be sufficient material to genuinely fill the time devoted. Unfortunately on several occasions Septa seems to have mistaken long for progressive and allowed their regard for a certain melody to run away with itself. There are some bold experiments, particularly when it comes to vocal range and style. The combining of techniques which normally do not sit side by side on rock albums, was very intriguing. Of these the rougher, more intense vocals are the most enjoyable. They are focused and heartfelt and encompass a broad range of form, technique and timbre. Many of the choruses employed a more mainstream rock voice; which sadly, included a number of pitch and harmony issues. This significantly detracted from the attempted melodies. I do not know if this slight discordance was a deliberate artistic choice but it did not enhance my enjoyment of the music. All in all this is a decent attempt at making an album that does not seek to define itself through trends or abide by the rules of a particular scene. And I am certain that many people, on listening, will disagree with my interpretation of it. While I applaud their ambition I must highlight the lack of significant depth in the material, which was absolutely needed to fulfil their initial objectives. The chasm between Rock and Post-Hardcore is considerable, so their challenge was never going to be an easy one. But even though this EP is not an out and out victory, Septa should take heart from the moments on this record that do make the ears tingle and revel in their capability to produce the excitement that comes with successful experiment. Their next step is to compress and multiply that excitement, if they are to reach more than just a niche audience. My ears are far from closed to Septa and I will be intrigued as to what they produce next.
6/10
written by J-Dub
Edit May 6th 2014:
Review:
Septa are from Ukraine and are recently reformed after a lengthy hiatus. Having begun in 2006, they surfaced again in 2010 with new members and a refreshed purpose. This is their first EP, having only previously released singles. There is a real depth of ambition about this record. Ostensibly an alternative rock group, Septa’s influences stretch in both directions out from that homogenised middle ground. The songs are peppered with both clean and quasi-guttural vocals; and fleshed out with instrumentation outside of the parameters of the everyday 4 piece group; such as violins and tubas. However, although admirable, this ambition does not always translate into successful song writing. Maybe the truly jazzy start of the record made me expectant of more, but The Lover contains a fairly standard set of alt-pop/rock songs. This is not to say all of the songs share the same template. The record kicks off with a couple of melodic rockers, followed by ambient prog-pop reminiscences; which sound eerily like Tripping Daisy’s more prosaic moments. But progressiveness can have its own inherent difficulties; if song lengths are extended then there must be sufficient material to genuinely fill the time devoted. Unfortunately on several occasions Septa seems to have mistaken long for progressive and allowed their regard for a certain melody to run away with itself. There are some bold experiments, particularly when it comes to vocal range and style. The combining of techniques which normally do not sit side by side on rock albums, was very intriguing. Of these the rougher, more intense vocals are the most enjoyable. They are focused and heartfelt and encompass a broad range of form, technique and timbre. Many of the choruses employed a more mainstream rock voice; which sadly, included a number of pitch and harmony issues. This significantly detracted from the attempted melodies. I do not know if this slight discordance was a deliberate artistic choice but it did not enhance my enjoyment of the music. All in all this is a decent attempt at making an album that does not seek to define itself through trends or abide by the rules of a particular scene. And I am certain that many people, on listening, will disagree with my interpretation of it. While I applaud their ambition I must highlight the lack of significant depth in the material, which was absolutely needed to fulfil their initial objectives. The chasm between Rock and Post-Hardcore is considerable, so their challenge was never going to be an easy one. But even though this EP is not an out and out victory, Septa should take heart from the moments on this record that do make the ears tingle and revel in their capability to produce the excitement that comes with successful experiment. Their next step is to compress and multiply that excitement, if they are to reach more than just a niche audience. My ears are far from closed to Septa and I will be intrigued as to what they produce next.
6/10
written by J-Dub
personal opinion (interruptio)
WOW, this cames from nowhere. An awesome band, between Deftones/Dead Letter Circus/Isis/Cult Of Luna/Karnivool and many others. And the artwork is over the top!
Man this is amazing!
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