APRIL ETHEREAL
"Advent"
(Conquest Records; 2001)
Reviewed by Christopher J. Kelter
Imagine, if you will, a tandem of young Polish musicians being so impressed with Opeth's first three albums that the pair decide to create a full-fledged image of Opeth in their eyes for their own full-length album. If you can imagine such a thing then April Ethereal's "Advent" would be the final product.
If you're not familiar with Opeth it should be noted that both April Ethereal and Advent are titles of Opeth songs; hence, the immediate realization that April Ethereal are bordering on Opeth worship. The good thing is that Opeth is a good target for bands to aspire to; the bad thing is that Opeth's standing in the metal community may soon render Slayer-like status upon them. And by that I mean just in the way that bands are pretty foolish for covering Slayer songs soon enough bands will forego any attempts to sound like Opeth or even attempt to cover Opeth songs.
However, April Ethereal's "Advent" is a pretty neat stab at Opeth-styled metal. April Ethereal should appeal to black metal purists as "Advent" captures the gloomy and doomy atmospherics that the genre is so well known for. Death metal fans could look to "Advent" for its sparse but effective use of death metal riffing for the album's more intense moments. Doom metal fans will also find something to like in the depressive nature of overall impact of "Advent." Generally, Opeth fans will appreciate "Advent" because it fully captures Opeth's use of melody and acoustic guitars for a broad spectrum. Specifically, fans of Opeth's early catalogue will enjoy the more avant garde use of bass as a 'lead' instrument in propelling the songs to uncharted territory.
"Advent" is a particularly startling effort that should appeal to fans in a number of different genres who are open-minded and can accepting a little 'hero worship.'
"Advent" was produced by April Ethereal. The production is less than perfect, but lends itself to the classic muddled production of the Scandinavian/European underground metal scene and black metal in general.
April Ethereal is Jan on drums and vocals and Jerzy on guitar, bass, and keyboards.
For more information visit http://www.aprilethereal.net.
Rating Guide:
A classic. This record will kick your ass.
Killer. Not a classic but it will rock your world.
So-so. You've heard better.
Pretty bad. Might make a nice coaster.
Self explanatory. Just the sight of the cover makes you wanna hurl.
Copyright © 2003 by R.
Scott Bolton. All rights reserved.
Revised:
26 Sep 2022 13:20:30 -0400 .
