Ah so it’s Faust Again, nope I had not exactly heard of this Polish mob the first time around either but it would appear they have a couple of albums under their belt. This is what I guess could be tagged as metalcore and as they have shared stage with the likes of Maroon, Heaven Shall Burn, Cataract and Unearth amongst others I think that’s a fair description despite progressive, classical death metal tags on the CD blurb. I normally give stuff like this a spin and last about 3-4 tracks before turning it off and considering if any other writers might prefer it to me but lo and behold this one had finished before I realised and I was setting it up for another spin.
I guess coming in at under the ¾ hour mark makes this pretty accessible and after a nice guitar based intro builds things up this really does go for the balls and gives them a knowing twist that brings tears to the eyes of the listener. Yes ‘The Ninth Gate’ broods and bristles with hostility and is a meaty feast to tuck into. It’s the twin guitar work that has my real attention though and has this standing out from all the Calibans within the scene, reminding me more of Neaera whose new album I am also waiting to drop in my lap. The melody here is rampant and does have that progressive spark about it, the signatures twist and turn neatly with a really addictive persuasiveness about them. As the next bellowing number hones in I am looking for the words “produced by Devin Townsend,” on the disc, it strikes as the sort of thing he might be into and this has the energy of SYL behind the drum stool for sure.
Although there are 8 tracks listed on the CD cover there are 13 on the disc, each main song appears to have a short bridging gap between it explaining this; although for the point of review song titles have gone a bit out the window. Apart from that, listening to this proved not to be a trial in the slightest (wonders if there is a hint of Kafka going on thematically here). Particularly notable is the concluding track, presumably ‘The End’ which sees singer Marcin howling out his discomfort with a tortured rage over a backdrop of seething guitar work.
http://www.myspace.com/faustagain
http://www.bastardizedrecordings.de
