Stolnecker are from New York and this is their debut album. I’d not heard of them before. Having done so I can tell you that they play a very steady brand of Progressive Metal music, not unlike Anathema or Bossk.
You can do a lot in 29 minutes. That’s how long the first track “A Song of Sorrow” lasts. The other two fill up the remaining 25 minutes. It all starts off with a combination of acoustic and Soft Metal. The singer’s sombre vocals are reminiscent of David Bowie. The appealing rhythm sweeps us along. In come harsh vocals, recalling early Katatonia. The track picks up as it heads into Post Metal. It’s very dreamy and calming but equally emotive as it picks up. The music flows like a river. Words are only when they’re needed and here the story can be told without them. The rough vocals return and the momentum picks up for a big ending. We move on to “All of My Heart” now, again a track in segments. At first it’s strongly acoustic. A moody, hooky riff enters. The deep, echoey vocals which accompany it are very similar to Tiamat. Ringing Post Metal comes in again as it did on “A Song of Sorrow” and reaches a climax. It steadies again, and the track ends as a campaigning song, again having an air of Tiamat about it. The album ends with the title track, which draws us in initially with a rounded acoustic rhythm before becoming heavier. In common with this work as a whole, there’s no rush and it’s a steady track. Classic in its style, the repetition is hypnotic and the track catches up on you thanks to its dreamy, powerful and cutting edge.
There’s nothing new about this style but it’s how Stolnecker do it that is appealing. “Seize the Day” is well-played and fluid. The band do what they want in a classic, Post-Metal style and take their time about it. The rewards are there in the listening. I very much like the way Stolnecker patiently create a mood and allow it to develop in its way. “Seize the Day” is something to listen to, take in and enjoy.
http://www.myspace.com/stolnecker
