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Reviews

Blossom Cult — Closure
(Bandcamp no#, 2020, CD / DL)

by Jon Davis, Published 2022-02-24

Closure Cover art

Sometimes I think the whole “harsh vocals” thing in metal is a generational thing. I know many older listeners who grew up on rock in the 70s that are immediately turned off by the slightest intrusion of Cookie Monster gruffness; I also know many younger listeners who grew up on the rock of the 90s for whom throat-rending growls are just part of the territory and not worth remarking on. There are probably listeners in both age groups who cross over to the other side, but I don’t recall meeting them. I fall into the first category — once I hear that kind of harshness my anxiety level ramps up and I find it difficult to notice anything else in the mix — but I also try very hard to be an open-minded and non-judgemental listener, so I’ll generally give something a chance to overcome that initial cringe. Blossom Cult puts me into a dilemma, as I generally like the instrumental parts a lot. It doesn’t strike me as old-school prog metal of the Dream Theater school, more modern heavy prog of the Porcupine Tree school infused with some touches of math-rock. To be honest, they have a pretty wide range in the vocal department, with some on the soft, melodic side, some on the semi-spoken punkish side, some with filters and effects added, and some veering over into the harsh realm. My first impression of Closure was set by the fact that it’s the harsh vocals that are first to appear, followed closely by some lovely backing harmonies, throwing me into a spiral of love and hate… Like I said, the backing is uniformly solid, with massive metal guitars, expansive washes of keyboards, and touches of both vintage keys (organ) and symphonic style strings. There’s a fair variety in tempos and meters, with some softer sections and some tricky rhythms. While my own views on Blossom Cult are mixed, I can recommend the band to fans of groups like The Pineapple Thief who aren’t completely turned off by the occasional growl.

Filed under: New releases, 2020 releases

Related artist(s): Blossom Cult

More info
http://blossomcult.bandcamp.com/album/closure

 

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