By: Eeli Helin
Album Type: Full-length
Date Released: 05/04/19
Label: Debemur Morti
Productions
"Part Island" is a
beautifully aching, emotionally overwhelming and all consuming monstrous opus
"Part Island" CD//DD//LP tracklisting:
1.
Underlie
2.
Moorland Is the Sea
3.
Dovestone
4.
Fallowness
5.
The Great Past
6.
Part Island
The Review:
"Part
Island", the fourth full-length by Latitudes and their second under
the flag of Debemur
Morti Productions. On "Part Island", the UK
based sludgy post-metal band reinvent themselves on familiar waters, leading
into a mental image of a capsized ship representing a previously unseen side of
their own sound. The maritime references are more than fitting; The artwork,
song titles, lyrics and the albums name all blend together perfectly, keeping
the listeners close and feeding them protean visions they feel are apt at any
given time.
On
their earlier albums, the band has heavily relied on strong instrumentation,
often leaving the vocals abaft. The most notable change this time is that
instead of building up from a riff or drum pattern, all the songs were embarked
with an acoustic guitar and vocal melodies, other instruments following
afterwards. Soon after the album begins, you realise that the vocals are extremely
integral this time, and it's something you didn't know you missed on the
earlier albums.
The
album starts off with "Underlie",
which acts as sort of an introduction to the album, infused with soft plucked
acoustic guitars, keys and fragile vocals. The listener is instantly carried
away from wherever they are, into the drowsy and bleak world sealed within this
album. The following tracks "Moorland
Is the Sea" and "Dovestone"
are perhaps the heaviest pieces on the album, creating contrast and boundaries
to the otherwise vague and floating settlements. Adam Symonds' vocals sway
through the air stronger than ever, constantly reminding how the vocals are
indeed where the focus is at this time around. The pair is also mirroring their
past works more than the rest of the album.
"Fallowness" starts off with synth
swoops and picks up a more prompt pace until it comes to halt, again showing
how Latitudes
thrive in creating huge contrasts within short periods of time. There’s
currently a lot of bands going for that certain kind of variability, but Latitudes
excels in it better than most. Trailed by the most sinister track on the album,
"The Great Past", you
can't help but smirk, knowing how you will enjoy this release for countless
repeats. The albums titular closer, the grand ouvre of "Part Island", will take every
single mood and emotion strewn throughout the 43 minute album and compress them
into one magnificent entity. It is now when you realize words can't do enough
justice for the album, it simply has to be heard to be understood. This album
will drain you, but it's worth it.
"Part
Island" is a beautifully aching, emotionally overwhelming and
consuming monstrous opus, which shows that this band is ascending to a whole
new class and there's absolutely no limits to their creativity and what one
might expect from them in the future.
"Part
Island" is available HERE
