vote
7.5
- Bands:
LOCH VOSTOK - Duration: 00:48:34
- Available from: 04/19/2024
- Label:
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Vici Solum Productions
Streaming not yet available
The career of the Swedish Loch Vostok is enriched with a new piece, the ninth over the long distance, which contributes to defining the Scandinavian band as a real ‘diesel’ of the extreme progressive metal scene, of which Ours are decidedly active members even if not elite. Yet, over the course of the now twenty-four years of existence – the group was formed in Uppsala in 2000, in fact – Vostok have proven to be hard to die and to know how to progress slowly and in small steps, hence the comparison to the progression of a diesel engine.
If in the first, cumbersome episodes of their history, the Northern Europeans hesitated to fully express their music, it is also true that first they arrived rather calmly at the positive outcome of “From These Waters” (2015), then at the interesting darker experimentation – gothic metal of the following “Strife” (2017). After the pandemic, however, the real turning point in the recent past of the formation took place, namely the entry into the line-up of the professional singer Jonas Radehorn, a true vocal animal capable of ranging between timbres, tones, styles and approaches in an always natural way and very successful. Sometimes Warrel Dane, sometimes Bruce Dickinson, more often interpretative à la Matt Barlow, Radehorn transforms each Loch Vostok score into interesting material through a notable dose of innate class and refined technique.
At the same time, fortunately for them, it seems that the two remaining founding members and masterminds, namely the guitarist Niklas Kupper and the guitarist/singer Teddy Möller, have also grown, much improved in terms of maturity and richness in the songwriting and structuring of the pieces. We had heard it in the previous “Opus Ferox – The Great Escape” (2021), and also in this new “Opus Ferox II – Mark Of The Beast” we clearly feel the obvious continuation of the themes presented in the first ‘ferocious work’.
We talk about extreme progressive metal when Loch Vostok is involved but, to be precise, since Radehorn holds the microphone of the Swedes the classic metal influences are much more evident, so we can certainly associate the sound drifts with the name of the group coming from Iron Maiden, Nevermore, Iced Earth, Symphony A detail that still comes back today as in the past and which seems like an oddity in our compositions is the marked presence of keyboards in the arrangement, background or even as a supporting passage despite not having an official keyboardist in the ranks of the band. Strange, in fact, because the percentage of importance of the chrome keys and synthesizers in the style proposed by Loch Vostok is not small.
Almost perfect execution and a well-balanced production – not rude nor too aggressive, but not too glossy – complete the offer of an entity that is unlikely to be able to force its way into the hearts of new enthusiasts, but which will also easily confirm the affection of who already knows and appreciates it. In an always lively and dynamic tracklist, a handful of songs stand out among the almost fifty minutes of the album’s duration: the final “Ancient Body Switching Ritual”, probably the most varied and complex track of the lot, with modern arrangements and epic vocals; the first single released, as well as the album’s opener, the telluric “Distant Assistance”, which brings together in less than four minutes the best of Loch Vostok’s current state of form thanks to a tremendously Iced Earth refrain (and thanks to a simply ‘ brilliant’); “Senses”, a seven-minute minisuite that combines, with a late Dark Tranquility pace, a more thrash-oriented approach and very lively guitar playing, until it ends in melancholy in a repetitive and epic finale; we close the brief review with “Rebel Command”, another direct episode without too many frills, sensationally compressed between Nevermore and Into Eternity and with an excellent chorus.
In short, let’s break another blow in favor of Loch Vostok by giving them a good rating, even though we are aware that we are not dealing with a masterpiece. However, the band has finally reached a remarkable and pleasant stylistic level, which we would say should not be underestimated at all, if the names mentioned in the review sufficiently stimulate your auditory synapses. Give them a chance.
