Chilly introduction leads a listener into the past, which opens dreamy and misty into the mid-1990s, to the time when it all was so much more innocent between the relationship of doom metal and prog rock. England's Paradise Lost had turned into a more melodic and accesible, and Katatonia and Opeth were the new promising breed from Sweden. Life was good, new winds were blowing, and no sign of stagantion could be seen.

The Morningside hail from Moscow, Russia. It's all so evident, where this band ladle their influences from. Yes, you've guessed it; from the mid-1990s discography of aforementioned bands. The Morningside depend on melancholic melodies, which are painted in a fairly modest, albeit not minimalistic, way. The band fluctuate between calm and coarse delivery, with a feeling that one part is never repeated quite in the same way. 'The Shadows of the Past' take more distance to the metal music, than the first two songs proper. The music breathes. Samples of the natural forces outline the earthen atmosphere. But, the band fail to surprise one single time, and this can also be blamed on the songs that aren't very eventful. They rely too much on the existing music, especially the Opeth's masterpiece 'Morningrise' (1996). Vocals consist of rook-growling, passable clean ones and depressive spoken lines. The lyrics are mostly about sorrow and loneliness. Soundwise this is organic, allowing the fine details to be heard.

This is quite a good introduction from The Morningside, although missing the originality. I think this kind of music needs the "own touch" of its performers, and clean vocals alone do not provide it. Otherwise it is just too faceless, I'm afraid. It's hard to get upon the gray mass, and The Morningside are not strong enough to manifest their foothold. Not yet, but the future is open for them.

Rating: 5½ (out of 10) ratings explained

Reviewed by Lane
11/19/2007 12:05