Septic Mind – The True Call review for Alternative Matter

http://alternativematter.net/reviews/septic-mind-the-true-call

This is the second album from Russian based Septic Mind, and from the opening swathes of isolation and despair the listener appreciates what is in store for the duration. Consisting of three long tracks “The True Call”, “Doomed to Sin” and “Planet is Sick” each, in their own way, develop throughout the duration at a dinosaur pace. “The True Call” begins in a desolate landscape, encased in fog and awaiting the arrival of the vocal. When the vocal arrives it is in the low, bleak growl that is familiar to most devotees of this style of playing. Around 10 minutes into the track the mood is lifted slightly as further instrumentation add new levels to the landscape, guitars weave in and out of the smoke and voices from above add to the tone.  Eventually the elements that have been hinted at so far coalesce and round the piece off with an unwieldy riff and an austere spirit. “Doomed to Sin” begins altogether more optimistically, but has the familiar tone lurking in the background, and gradually over the next 10 minutes decelerates into tectonic plates of sound grating against each other as guitars cry mournfully in the expanse. The shortest track “Planet is Sick” at 14 minutes is by some way the more complex of the three pieces and draws the listener in with its’ contemplative guitar motif and the sinister progression throughout. This track, more than the others, has the advantage of being the most easily accessible and has a more uplifting feel, if that word could be applied to music of this nature. By the culmination the listener has been trampled down, and is left feeling both exhilarated and overwhelmed with passion.

Overall “The True Call” leaves the willing observer feeling melancholic and hungry for more which takes skill and courage to attempt and pull off effectively. The length of the tracks that make up the album permit them time to expand organically, and there is an essence throughout that each piece is emerging as we listen. Amongst the many albums that are attempting to inspire doom and despondency, Septic Mind have managed to do so with “The True Call”, and to also  inspire the listener to take notice of what is on offer and not to dismiss as mere soundtrack.