November 6, 2008 | | 4

Samothrace, Life's Trade

Despondent and post-apocalyptic, Samothrace’s debut album, Life’s Trade delivers doom that is raw, emotional and captivating. Thick, slowly driving riffs swallow the listener whole, enveloping them in a shroud of dark, yet comforting bleakness. While vocalist Bryan Spinks screams and growls in the distance, southern tinged, Allman Brothers-like solos tear at your every heart string. Throughout this stellar album you’ll find moments of clarity, melancholy and crushing power.

There is a wide array of emotions at play on each track Samothrace deliver, backed by a solid production that provides ample room for each of the band’s entities to deliver their very best.

La Llorona
“La Llorona” starts off the album slowly with a little ambient noise for the first half minute or so as light guitar/bass notes play slowly across a desolate landscape. Already, the track has a very melancholy and introspective feel before we even get to the meat of the first massive riff. When it comes, it hits pretty hard, but fits the feel of the song well, crawling slowly from the speakers as Spinks growls and wails in the near distance. Nearing funeral doom in it’s overall pace and feel, this one is quite soulful with memorable guitars and gut wrenching vocal delivery.

Awkward Hearts
Light bass and drum work starts off this next one with a similar despondent feel, but one that’s a little lighter and airier. That feeling lasts about four minutes before soul suffocating, textured guitars come in with the screamed vocals. That first few minutes are the calm before the storm, complete with great guitar work and feeling. The bass heavy riffs that crawl across the second half of the track are raw and will leave you breathless as Samothrace lumber through their abandoned landscape. I love the guitar work around the 7:45 mark — they are catchy and soulful.

Cacophony
“Cacophony” is just that — a massive wall of doom riffs that tumble and toss you like the churning surf of some remote island. The slowly developing pace of each track adds to the crushing feel of each note as the group pummel and thunder their way through this song. Man, this is a monolithic track in terms of it’s sound. It’s just plain crushing. The 11 minute plus track ends solidly with a series of big riffs.

Cruel Awake
The final track starts off with light guitar and bass work for the first 15 or so seconds before massive guitars and heavy drums thunder with the screamed vocals. There are some nice tempo shifts during this one that move at a snails pace but create a nice dynamic sound considering the crushing riffs and slower rhythms. “Cruel Awake” is a superb piece of music and a great way to end an amazing debut.

~ ~ ~

Delivering four tracks in over 47 minutes, Life’s Trade lays a heavy shroud on any who accept the weighted burden of accepting the emotionally tinged doom into their life. This is one hell of a debut release that’s raw, soulful and, oddly enough, touching and personal on a level not usually seen or heard in the metal genre.

Favorite Tracks:
All of them

Additional Notes:
N/A