Mouth of the Architect - The Ties that Blind
Translation Loss Records
Post Sludge Metal
6 songs (66'08")
Release year: 2006
Mouth of the Architect, Translation Loss Records
Reviewed by Adam
Surprise of the month
One of the great aspects of the metal music scene is the wealth of talented bands that manage to escape notice until you do a bit of digging. A great many times, your effort will pay off. Recently, I stumbled across Ohio’s Mouth of the Architect. Frankly, it is hard to miss them as they are often, at least recently, mentioned in the same breath as some of my favorite artists such as Neurosis, Isis, and Mastodon. Drawing comparisons to those three is guaranteed to spark interest from me, so I picked up their newest release, The Ties that Blind. Not only would I say the previous comparisons are warranted, but Mouth of the Architect expands on these influences by adding a generous helping of post rock into the mix.

The sound on The Ties that Blind is very unique and can best be described as an equal partnership of both sludge metal and post rock genres. The band wastes little time showing off their prowess to accurately mesh these two influences. The opener, Baobab drops in with a meaty and thick doom riff assisted by the layered vocals of Gregory Lahm and Jason Watkins. Since information on this band is a bit hard to come by, I can only assume one embodies each layer. The low end is croaky growl while the higher end is a tortured scream, which takes a noticeable cue from Scott Kelly of Neurosis. The production is very crisp and lush, especially seen in the drums of Dave Mann, where the snare really pops. Back to Baobab, around the fifth minute or so, a serene portion unfolds and really shows the band’s ability to shift gears from a meaty sludge to calm post rock that wouldn’t sound out of place on a GY!BE record.

Don’t be fooled by the abbreviated track listing, as all but two of the six tracks clear the ten-minute mark. Despite this, the songs generally don’t feel overdone. Granted, there are a few moments when the length could stand to be shortened, most notably on the 15+ minute epic No One Wished to Settle Here. Even then, the multiple superb cascading guitar riffs on that song make it one of the album’s strongest efforts. Carry On follows in stunning fashion. In typical post rock format, this twelve-minute beauty spends nearly its entire first half painting a beautiful, yet brooding setting devoid of vocals. The conclusion a veritable wrecking ball of a riff accompanied by one of the finest vocal portions of the album, with the screaming and growling vocals trading off as opposed to their usual layered format. Perhaps the most beautiful portion of the album is the opening of Harboring an Apparition, where the guitars take on a chiming quality that sounds outstanding next to the thick riffing which follows. For me, it is the standout performance on this album. Arguably the most easily accessible track comes next in the form of At Arms Length. The ambient encompassing riffing takes little time to develop after a short, clean intro. This wall of sound is soon joined by guest vocals from Mastodon’s Brent Hinds. Overall, the track feels much shorter than its seven-minute runtime, undoubtedly due to the length of the rest of the songs on the album. Either way, it’s a short, concise view into the overall sound of Mouth of the Architect, which makes it the perfect sampling track for those wishing to check this band out. In contrast, the eerie ambience of the closer Wake Me When It’s Over requires a listener’s utmost patience, as the circling echoes of the beginning coupled with the strange background screams are enough to throw off the audible balance created by the preceding tracks. However, this is only temporary as the band returns to their accustomed form of complex sludge for an outstanding ending.

Mouth of the Architect are students of two genres that share many common aspects they manage to showcase while combining the two with nearly flawless technicality. The Ties that Blind is a refreshing take on a genre that, if not done right, can become stale rather quickly. However, with bands like Mouth of the Architect taking the reins and pushing the boundaries, the future looks a lot brighter.
Killing Songs :
Harboring an Apparition, No One Wished to Settle Here, At Arms Length
Adam quoted 88 / 100
Other albums by Mouth of the Architect that we have reviewed:
Mouth of the Architect - Dawning reviewed by Goat and quoted 80 / 100
Mouth of the Architect - The Violence Beneath reviewed by Goat and quoted no quote
Mouth of the Architect - Quietly reviewed by Alex and quoted 73 / 100
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There are 4 replies to this review. Last one on Thu Mar 15, 2007 4:28 pm
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