Review of Confessor - Blueprint Soul EP

A new Confessor release. Those four words have sounded foreign when placed together for quite some time now. To anyone who happens to be missing background information on them, Confessor was a band hailing from North Carolina from the late 80's and early 90's playing doomy thrash with intricate rhythms. They released few things before getting picked up by Earache to release their only full length. Condemned was basically the album that I saw in the used CD store every single day and listened to it maybe once every six months to try and understand it. I knew the album cover was metal. I know the band's logo was metal. But I could never figure out why they couldn't just add more melody into their music, or tell that girl to stop shrieking. As the years passed, after a lot of persistence, I managed to get into the record. You could easily trace quite a few of metal's more differtial acts back to Confessor. Reforming in 2002, they've started recording again. Blueprint Soul is their first release in twelve years from such a memorable band with a huge cult following. So for anyone who was wondering, this is why this three-song sampler is such a big deal.

You're not going to get another Condemned - and I think everyone knew that. After any band reforms, it's never quite the same. However, what you will get is three tracks of really earnest and adept doom metal. Guitarist Ivan Colon passed away in 2001, and I'm hesitant to say that this sounds almost like a tribute to him. It's all very sorrowful and forlorn, never reaching much faster than mid-tempo. Scott Jeffreys' vocals have probably gone down an octave - maybe a huge disappointment to some, but they're much more refined and still dead-on. The guitarwork is still jagged and rife with complexity, but one of the band's most defining elements is slightly absent. Their time changes are more easily followed and less technically impressive. Although you hear hints of their past in "Hibernation" due to the guitar technicality, it's not the same. I'd say it doesn't matter though, as they still have a recognizable sound - it's just leaning towards Solitude Aeternus' style of doom. With a playing time of 17 minutes, Blueprint Soul ends with their title track which is every bit as memorable as the previous two.

Blueprint Soul is one of the more impressive reunion recordings I've heard in a while. To think that over ten years later, the members of Confessor are still entirely dedicated to such a similar style is remarkable. To anyone whose been doubting the reformation of this band or this release in general, I can honestly say to lay your fears to rest. Although I'm sure their fans have already purchased this EP, I'm hoping more people might feel inclined to give a closer look to such a monumental act. It's worth it. I'm sure their full-length will measure up to the same quality they've laid out for us here.

Release Details

Confessor

Blueprint Soul EP

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