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Akaname - Akaname Album Review

01 Nov 2011 // A review by CEOMong

I must say it's rather refreshing to hear an album like this, some real inventive action, and not a single word spoken by a vocalist. Amazing. Most times this can get old, but I get the feeling I’ll be drumming these beats out on my desk for weeks to come. The weird bits will keep me coming back, this’d be a choice album to rock out to at work.

At times bluesy, Kyuss kind of style, there’s lots of tweaky soundbytes and charged fillers give it a little something extra. I hear HLAH also at times ... something about the pace, the intros, and the almost audible soundbytes perhaps? I hear lots of other beasty influences in there, certainly nothing you could say ‘hey that’s this band’s signature’ or whatever, but certainly enough to let it appeal to a large audience of metallers and rockers out there.

I don’t know if it's me, but the way the timing seems off in places, like it's all sort of put together where the band has just been jamming is kinda wicked – then it all gets sort of ... sharpened ... and chops your skull open. Very well done.

Excellently mixed, they’ve achieved a very clean sound that allows a really nice atmos to be built up that’s not focussed on any particular section of the band.

Transmutation – atmos slowly builds up over a minute or so, chewy little samples in there to grab your attention, into electro riff. Prepping rhythm sounds, headfirst into headrocking foot tapping goodness. Almost casual somehow improve sounding riffs, so good it sounds laid back and effortless. Cool. Continues on what would be a wicked awesome soundcheck in real live land for the remainder of the 6¼ minute track. Ties those soundbytes back in nicely at the outro ...

Correspondence – out of phase hook keeps you guessing, before lurching into wicked little picking riff, coupled with a very nicely mixed rhythm section - love the audibly perfect top hats. Fantastic attention to some very delicate gax action – and there’s those soundbytes again. Nice. Hard to get a feel for what’s coming, and that makes me want to listen more ... I can’t help but feel I’ve been here before but I can’t quite figure it out, like some intense dream. Mellow 30 sec outro ...

Vibration – intro segues nicely into martial drumming pace, power chords ... continues the pace for 90 secs or more, gets progressively stauncher ... nice tweaky atmos. Steps up a gear 150 secs out with some wandering gax. Builds nicely into a peak around a minute out before rolling on out.

Polarity – change of pace, back to chewy riffs and a bit more play. Nice heavy growlie parts – not easy to do without a vocalist. Nice tweaky gax play, some real nice thrash moments in there too.

Rhythm – quick picking, drumming out of phase, very cool intro. Heavy bassline, tweaky gax riff to round it off. Beasty chorus. I like it.

Gender – delicate picking intro heavy bass rhythm ... kick drum ... eerie. Desk drumming and boot stomping material here. Slow, ponderous pace, like some heavy metal elephant. Nice crescendo moment a little over halfway through ... whitespace 90 secs out leaves me tapping the keyboard ... oooooh what’s that? It’s pretty eerie, whatever it is ...

Causality – a 44 minute track!? Picks up the outro seamlessly, straight into hard rocking in your face thrash. Nice range of what the band have got diced and stir fried ... a track this long would be spoiled by lyrics, I’m glad there’s none! Drop into ... silence a little after 6 minutes ... odd little whispers make me stop typing long enough to listen ... this is freakin weird ... maybe it's all in my head? Wind in the trees at 30 minutes, surely everyone can hear that? Gaaaaah!  

This is the end of an era,
CEOMong

 

About Akaname

The name Akaname (pron: Ah-kah-nah-meh) is taken from a Yokai demon that appeared in Japanese artist Gazu Hyakki Yak--'s The Illustrated Night Parade of A Hundred Demons. The word translates literally into English as "Filth-licker" and the loose mythology portrays an Akaname as an ambiguous creature, neither good nor evil, that hides in ones bathroom, nourishing itself on human filth.

Akaname is an instrumental post-metal quartet currently based in Melbourne, Australia. Their sound is heavy, angular and atmospheric, drawing parallels from polarized influences including Fredrik Thordendal's Special Defects, Crowpath, King Crimson, Tool, Knut, Sigur Ros, Blotted Science, Cephalic Carnage, Isis, Magma, Cult of Luna, Kobong, Zatokrev and more.

Originally conceived in Wellington in 2005, Akaname released their debut EP Filthlicker on US based Debello Recordings in Dec 2007, a 5 track excursion in experimental grindcore that showcased the bands early love of heavy progressive music.

Visit the muzic.net.nz Profile for Akaname

Releases

Akaname
Year: 2011
Type: Album
As Above So Below
Year: 2009
Type: EP
Filthlicker
Year: 2008
Type: Album

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