Listen to the Negative Voice "Cold Redrafted' premiere on No Clean Singing here.About two weeks ago, in one of our Shades of Black posts, I wrote about two songs (“Limitation” and “Karmic Pattern” by Moscow’s Negative Voice that made an immediate and strong impression when I heard them. Those two tracks appear on the band’s second album, Cold Redrafted. I’ve now heard the rest of the songs, and you can, too — because we’re premiering a full stream just a couple of days in advance of its release.
Negative Voice deftly blend progressive-minded instrumental inventiveness, entrancing melodic hooks, and earth-shaking heaviness, while wrapping the music here and there in a wreath of charred black thorns.
The skill with which the band dynamically integrate the stylistic elements of doom, progressive metal, post-metal, death metal, and black metal is impressive. They spin out spellbinding melodies with the same sure hand that they use to unleash barbaric fusillades of raking tremolo riffs or rain down boulders of pavement-cracking doom. The end result is music that’s mentally engrossing and memorable, yet completely galvanizing and pulverizing in its heaviness. And all the songs are winners — there are no weak links in this mighty chain.
The vocals display a similar variety, moving from very good clean, clear vocals to bestial growls and sulphuric blackened shrieks. The instrumental performers are all obviously quite talented and creative, and the music is beautifully produced in a way that provides both clarity and immense physical impact.
The band gave us this statement about the album, and it rings true:
“This one is different. It’s not about a band trying to stay in some previously defined key. We’ve never thought about that bullshit as it limits the possibility of creating music. It’s all about the four guys creating music, not thinking of it but transmitting through their perception. We liked it as we did it, and we did our best.”
And their best is very, very good indeed. Cold, Redrafted has quickly become one of my favorite albums of the year so far, and I urge you to give it your full attention. It’s a constantly changing, immersive experience that’s well worth the time.
