Island – Orakel
Vendlus Records – VEND026 – 29 February 2008
By Jason Jordan
Now here’s something you don’t hear every day. Enjoy confident, progressive death metal intertwined with soft, instrumental portions? Germany’s
Island is your man, er, band. Specifically,
Orakel is a re-release of 2004 EP
Orakel and 2005 EP
Island, and thus we get a 10-track record that makes for a solid, unpredictable 52 minutes.
While
Island may be difficult to liken to any one band in particular—the raspy growls remind me of
Seventh Angel’s, if anyone remembers those dudes—
Orakel is quite the gratifying listen. Spearheading the assault is the chugging, mid-paced
‘Journey Through the Jewel,’ though others such as the trudging, war-like
‘Grund,’ Enslaved-y
‘Ueber Dem Thal,’ and
DsO (circa
Kenose and
Fas) rival
‘Serenity’ are equally crushing. Nevertheless, it’s crucial to point out that rarely, if ever, do any of these songs end in the way they begin. Instead, the listener must endure a variety of alteration regarding tempo, riffs, vocals, and, well, just about everything else. The remainder of
Orakel is the
Island EP, consisting of
‘The White Ghoul,’ ‘Veritas,’ and the title track. It’s unfortunate that the tail isn’t nearly as blistering as the head. Here,
Island sound a tad lethargic, if not also similar to a less gripping
Enslaved, except during the last track, which parallels mid-era
Katatonia.
But, considering the impressive
Orakel EP, this collection easily lives up to its price tag.
Official Island Website
Official Island Myspace
Official Vendlus Records Website