Long Distance Calling - Avoid the Light

O "Avoid the Light" foi um dos dois albuns que me foram pedidos para avaliar pelo Silent Ballet , como teste para ver se eu servia ou não para fazer parte dos escritores do site. O outro album foi o "Icarus, the sunclimber" de Manatees. Mas eu não sirvo para o site, por isso, já que não vão ser usadas para o SB, não vejo inconveniente em postar ambas aqui.

I have to say that I wasn’t surprised by “Satellite Bay”, Long Distance Calling’s debut. It is a decent album, sure, but it isn’t the masterpiece that lots of people seem to think it is. Now, with “Avoid the light”, the hype is fully justified: it has that special something that separates a good album from a great one. While not revolutionary, “Avoid the light” is, without any doubts, a great album.

The songwriting is strong and varied, managing to avoid most of the “modern post-rock traps” (like the whole tremolo picking riffs, for example). That, and the ability to write 12 minute songs that flow like 5 minute ones, makes these 55 minutes truly a joy to listen.

The production is very good, making the sound “huge” and stronger than most instrumental rock bands.

The bass-guitar plays a big role in the sound of this German quintet; it is always present, often combining with the drummer’s double-bass. Talking about that occasional double-bass, it isn’t the only metal influence present on “Avoid the Light”, with Jonas Renkse from the Swedish metal band Katatonia collaborating on “The Nearing Grave”, one of the highlights of the album. The programming/keys, while not original by any means, add an interesting industrial/spacey element, especially on the second track “Black Paper Planes”, something that they should explore more often on their next release.

The fourth track, “I know you, Stanley Milgram!” ( google it, it’s worth it… ), a 10 minute epic, marks a turning point within the album, towards a darker, more introspective sound.

As a conclusion – it is always good to be surprised, especially in a genre when surprises don’t occur often. “Avoid the Light” is probably one of the best instrumental rock albums I’ve had the pleasure to listen since last year’s “Embers” (by upcdowncleftcrightcabc+start) - and I’ve listened to quite a lot of them.

8.5/10