The Great Sea takes us back to its roots.
Created by the two multi-instrumentalists JR (Long Distance Calling) and SH (Ordeal, Plight), the band calls on A. (vocals) and RHW (bass) to give life to their first album, Noble Art of Desolation, released via label AOP Records.
The album opens very slowly with The Water Remains, featuring energetic drums, but very airy riffs that eventually become saturated when the vocal parts appear, offering an apocalyptic touch. The sound gently sweeps us along in its quasi-continuous flow, interrupted only by the ominous break, but the rhythmic pattern flares up before adopting a melancholy atmosphere that leads us to Eden Unfolded, where the musicians welcome Phil Jonas (Crone, ex-Secrets of the Moon) on vocals to lead the torrent of darkness. Dissonance reigns in the hazy riffs that gradually develop into soaring, almost soothing clean melodies that eventually lead us to The Maze, where saturation makes its grand return to crush us and become very oppressive. A few slowdowns allow us to catch our breath, but the harmonics persist and become almost disturbing before giving way to No Peace Among Men, where the musicians call on Azathoth (Gràb, ex-Dark Fortress) to provide vocals and make the composition quite occult. Even the gentler passage is highly distressing thanks to the intense screams, making the majestic touch rather morose and tinting the general atmosphere found on Fading, a rather misty but relatively restful interlude. The majestic saturation returns on Upright In Nothing, turning the composition into a veritable hymn to darkness, cut in half by a more minimalist break, before the flashback that gives way to Walking At The Edge Of Death and its wall of sound, as heavy as it is aggressive, which doesn’t shy away from offering us a few more plaintive passages to flesh out its hypnotic canvas, which eventually fades out for good.
The Great Sea‘s sound is captivating, but always tinged with that dismay and darkness that seem so natural to the musicians. Noble Art of Desolation marks their first step on the scene, but also a first statement of what we hope will be a standard of quality.
90/100