Review of The Green Evening Requiem - Bastards Of Atlas

Released as a pay for what you want download, the full length debut from Black/Stoner/Doom act The Green Evening Requiem is notable because it features Chris Grigg (aka Xos) of black metal act Woe as well as some of his live cohorts and a member of Woods of Ypres.

The difference between Woe’s scathing black metal and The Green Evening Requiem is readily apparent from the doomy strains in the introductory “A Poison Tree” and the opening earthy throes of “Affliction,” as vocalist Shane Madden’s earthy croon and the jangly, loose playing is a direct contrast to Woe’s visceral nature. Still, the almost polar opposite sound is actually quite well done, with enough gruff moments to appeal to the doom crowd, yet plenty of hazy, Hammond drenched, drawn out moments of red eyed fugue to lure the stoner rock crowd. There’s also a very subtle undercurrent of progressive metal lurking behind the beaded curtain, as the layering, texturing and shifts (“The Human Nebula”) are far more developed than your average lethargy filled, groovy stoner rock, though there is plenty of that also. Standout third track “If Ever So” pretty much blends all of the above and even throws an ever so slightly black metal blast beat into the mix.

Though not a release I’ll typically revisit, for the style/genre, Bastards of Atlas is actually rather varied and enjoyable with the songs being long, but not overly drawn out (the epic, twelve minute “Atlantis In Winter” is the longest cut). However, as you’d expect from a self released digital effort, the production is a bit rough if fitting and a lot of times the affair comes across as a bunch of pals jamming in a loosely gathered side project with no real stylistic guidelines. The thing is, this loose gathering is pretty decent for the genre, and certainly offers up a wide range of styles in this single release to warrant your attention, especially for a pay for what you want download.

Release Details

The Green Evening Requiem

Bastards Of Atlas

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