Alternative 4 - The Brink
UK's three piece Alterntive 4 lives up their name with their debut album, 'The Brink.' It combines the sound of classical Goth Metal with the heavy plodding of Doom Metal for a whole new spin on 'melancholic experiences.' Rather than follow the typical conventions of heavy Doom Metal with crushing distortion and atmosphere to rely on giving the emotional weight, the production is clean and rich so the focus is on the variety of classical instruments such as the keyboards, piano, and violins involved to soften up the heavy guitar parts. The band alternates back and forth between the soft and heavy sections, so there is no amount of montony. Only a few of the tracks are 'purely one gener,' such as the opening "The Brink" which gives the first taste of piano, some buzzing atmosphere, and haunting whispered spoken words that make it feel like some of the mid ear work of My Dying Bride. It's reprise is even longer and richer in atmosphere, involving more classical instruments and even breaks into some electronic, slightly jazzy progressive parts at the end. The band could have almost called it a new track with how different it is from the original. "Autonoma" is another good instrumental piece that involves church choirs and just a backdrop of absolute beauty that will definitely appeal to those of the more elclectic tastes in Metal.
As far as the 'Metal part' goes for this album, the music can still be taken lightly. There are no doom-death vocals as in most typical 'classically tinged Doom Metal.' The vocals sound a bit like from Katatonia; a bit shrill when on the higher notes but perfect to go with the music. On a track like "False Light" they open up with a soft, Gothic tones and then pause during the heavy, slow strumming of the guitar chords which sound much more along the lines of traditional Doom Metal, but compared to the violins, choirs, and piano bits they almost sound dull and listeners will highly anticipate when things quiet down a bit to softer individually picke strings and the drums take on a slow, thumping percussion that might be reminiscent of Deathspell Omega's 'Kenose I.' Even when the guitars are in full blown formation they still have plenty of melody to them and keep up with the depression of the music altogether. However, they definitely compete with the vocals which is why listeners will appreciate them more during the softer bits, such as on "Automata," the album ballad which even includes a guest female vocalist. Their harmonies are excellent. Overall, this album is well orchestrated, melancholic, and a fantastic example of modern Doom/ Rock with gothic overtones that few have probably experienced. It isn't super heavy as opposed to atmospheric, so some Doom purists might complain. Though, If one seeks the unique and calming without repetitive boredom, check out 'The Brink.'
As far as the 'Metal part' goes for this album, the music can still be taken lightly. There are no doom-death vocals as in most typical 'classically tinged Doom Metal.' The vocals sound a bit like from Katatonia; a bit shrill when on the higher notes but perfect to go with the music. On a track like "False Light" they open up with a soft, Gothic tones and then pause during the heavy, slow strumming of the guitar chords which sound much more along the lines of traditional Doom Metal, but compared to the violins, choirs, and piano bits they almost sound dull and listeners will highly anticipate when things quiet down a bit to softer individually picke strings and the drums take on a slow, thumping percussion that might be reminiscent of Deathspell Omega's 'Kenose I.' Even when the guitars are in full blown formation they still have plenty of melody to them and keep up with the depression of the music altogether. However, they definitely compete with the vocals which is why listeners will appreciate them more during the softer bits, such as on "Automata," the album ballad which even includes a guest female vocalist. Their harmonies are excellent. Overall, this album is well orchestrated, melancholic, and a fantastic example of modern Doom/ Rock with gothic overtones that few have probably experienced. It isn't super heavy as opposed to atmospheric, so some Doom purists might complain. Though, If one seeks the unique and calming without repetitive boredom, check out 'The Brink.'
- The Brink
- False Light
- Alternate
- Underlooked
- Still Waters
- The Dumbing Down
- Automate
- Autonoma
- The Brink (Reprise)
