SENSUAL NOISE — Chasing Swans (review)

SENSUAL NOISE — Chasing Swans album cover Album · 2010 · Atmospheric Sludge Metal Buy this album from MMA partners
4/5 ·
UMUR
Chasing Swans is the debut full-length studio album by Belgian post metal act Sensual Noise. The album was released in 2010. There are 5 tracks on the 30:28 minute long album, so this is not the longest album release you´ll ever find, but personally I don´t mind. I prefer quality over quantity any day.

The music on the album is post metal with what I would call atmospheric post rock parts. Isis could be a valid reference and I hear a bit of early Mogwai in the more mellow parts of the album too. The music is mostly instrumental but there are vocal parts too. The vocals are for the most part really aggressive but there are cleaner sung vocal parts too. What characterizes the music on the album is that there´s a deliberate and refreshing disregard of conventional structure. As such nothing new when we´re talking post metal but this is something that really speaks to me. The songs develop nicely and there´s a good dynamic in the songs between the loud and heavy aggressive parts and the more subtle and mellow parts.

The sound is raw yet very enjoyable. I like the fact that this sounds a bit like it´s recorded live in the studio ( banging the drumsticks together counting into the song Red Pelican Black Cat further enhances this image in my mind). These are real live musicians playing and fortunately it´s audible. There are no triggered drums here or unneccessary polish. Just five guys playing atmospheric post metal with an authentic raw sound. That´s not to say this is a lo-fi production, because that´s certainly not the case.

Chasing Swans is an album full of innovative and creative ideas and while that doesn´t always equal being original, it´s still something that get most acts far. Fans of atmospheric post metal should love this one. A 3.5 - 4 star rating is deserved.
Share this review

Review Comments

Post a public comment below | Send private message to the reviewer
Please login to post a shout
SensualNoise wrote:
more than 2 years ago
Great to hear that! Our songs need a lot of time and thinking before they're finished. We spent 4 days of recording (quite fast!) and 2-3 months for mixing and mastering. Thanks again!
UMUR wrote:
more than 2 years ago
I really enjoyed the album. It took a couple of spins to really sink in, but then I began to notice the many details and the great energy that you, as a band, possess. And that production! What a great sound.
SensualNoise wrote:
more than 2 years ago
Thanks for the review and the kind words UMUR!
Stay in touch!

Cheers,
Jarne (Sensual Noise)

MMA TOP 5 Metal ALBUMS

Rating by members, ranked by custom algorithm
Albums with 30 ratings and more
Master of Puppets Thrash Metal
METALLICA
Buy this album from our partners
Paranoid Heavy Metal
BLACK SABBATH
Buy this album from our partners
Moving Pictures Hard Rock
RUSH
Buy this album from our partners
Powerslave NWoBHM
IRON MAIDEN
Buy this album from our partners
Rising Heavy Metal
RAINBOW
Buy this album from our partners

New Metal Artists

New Metal Releases

The Goblin Sessions Heavy Metal
THEM
Buy this album from MMA partners
Tormenta De Arena Metalcore
VORAGO
Buy this album from MMA partners
Infinite Metalcore
FUTURE GHOST
Buy this album from MMA partners
Heretic Melodic Death Metal
SUNCINDER
Buy this album from MMA partners
More new releases

New Metal Online Videos

Harrowed TwentyTenVideo
HARROWED
Bosh66· 2 days ago
More videos

New MMA Metal Forum Topics

More in the forums

New Site interactions

More...

Latest Metal News

members-submitted

More in the forums

Social Media

Follow us