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| Samothrace 2016 |
Bio (2012)
The
band is named after a Greek island that is the home of the Sanctuary of the
Great Gods, a site of important Hellenic and pre-Hellenic religious ceremonies.
The most famous artifact from this site is a large, half-crumbled statue of
Nike, the goddess of victory in ancient Greek mythology.
Having
relocated to Washington, Samothrace originally formed out
of Kansas and
surrounding areas sometime in 2006. Due to the turmoils every band inevitably
encounters, they had a few halts such as line-up changes and the occasional
incomplete song, which we get to experience on this LP with the first track 'When We Emerged' having originally
appeared on their 2007 demo.
Samothrace's lyrical theme revolves around social unrest,
political corruption, and the resilience we carry to bounce back from otherwise
shitty conditions inherent in life.
The
band features highly talented members, past and present, involved with acts
such as Oroku,
Splatterhouse,
The
Fucktards, and Short Bus Kids. Their beginnings were as friends
within the punk/hardcore scene, which gave rise to this almighty band, Samothrace.
With
a live recording of their 2014 performance at The Roadburn
Festival issued in April of the same year and some short touring
cycles in between, Samothrace remain active as a three piece, but
with no new material for 5 years, today we are rewinding the
riffs back 5 years to the day when we first review their remarkable second
album “Reverance To Stone”.
So
if you missed this album first time around or indeed you don’t know this band
be sure to remedy your error by checking out our review in full below.
By: Teabag
Stallone
Album Type: Full Length
Date
Released:
31/07/2012
Label: 20 Buck Spin
The emotion felt on 'Reverence to
Stone' is bleak, yet uplifting, but remains harmonious as a whole. Style,
sound, originality and quality are what we can expect. They do not disappoint
and this release proves that.
“Reverence To Stone” CD//DD//LP
track listing:
1). A Horse of Our Own
2). When We Emerged
The Review:
Samothrace offer a sound with depth
and emotion unmatched by most that fall into this category of doom. I was blown
away, yet again, by their latest release 'Reverence
to Stone', being a fan of this band since their very first full-length, 'Life's Trade', which is also available
via 20 Buck Spin.
Both are highly recommended, as they don't trail far from their roots,
harboring a characteristic style fans love about this band.
This
long awaited two-track gem surpassed my expectations, both tracks are flawless
and superb in build-up, delivering everything we expect from this band. They
leave their original, yet ever-evolving sound untouched and heavy as ever.
'When We Emerged' starts off very
atmospheric with the perfect amount of melody, slowly integrating the
down-tempo goodness we all love with progressive sludge/doom. The vocals kick
in shortly thereafter, dissonant like that of which many funeral doom bands
utilize. Then, shit really starts to get heavy with Axler pummelling away to
the sound of his mates dishing out a slighly faster delivery of the same
melodies.
'A Horse of Our Own' is even more rewarding in
depth and really showcases Renate and Brian's skills on guitars, as well as
Spinks' harrowing vocals that give a sense of despair and pain. Both tracks
seem to drop off in the same atmospheric fashion they began with, but remain
intense throughout.
If
you are into deliberate build-ups that offer faster instrumental sections which
fade out eerily, then this is the album to dive into. The emotion felt on 'Reverence to Stone' is bleak, yet
uplifting, but remains harmonious as a whole. I am really looking forward to
future releases from Samothrace, as it is truly a band
which lives up to everything I've come to love about them.
