Mouth of the Architect
Time & Withering
Translation Loss
Mouth of the Architect’s Time & Withering is an instrumental metal album that draws on the progressive, abrasive tendencies of Isis and old school forefathers like Metallica. But surprisingly, they capture some of the beauty and melody found in Godspeed’s and Explosions in Sky’s bodies of work. While the group’s overarching musical manifestation is a bludgeon, the quieter moments that crop up occasionally are almost contemplative amid the chaos. One of the better respites comes courtesy of the keyboard intro on the closing track, “The Worm.” It’s short-lived but pleasant enough to soften the blow when the rest of the band kicks in.
It should be obvious from the album’s title that Mouth of the Architect is knee-deep in sci-fi suffering. As such, the guttural vocals, though few and far between, are generally a distraction, an albatross around the music’s neck. With these bits of hold over death metal detritus exorcized the next time around, the band will be poised to move further in the right direction.
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