LONGHOUSE — II: Vanishing (review)

Album · 2017 · Sludge Metal

4/5 · 2020-12-12
voila_la_scorie

It's not always easy to write a review for an album that I enjoy listening to. If I'm hog wild for it, no problem. If I am really disappointed, no problem. But when I just enjoy track after track without totally getting knocked over the head, putting adequate words together can be a struggle.

"II: Vanishing" is the second album and most recent album to date by Ottawa doom / sludge trio, Longhouse. The album was nominated for best hard rock/heavy metal album of the year in the 2017 Juno Awards.

The style of this album is rooted in doom metal but often with a less oppressive atmosphere and in sludge metal but with less granite-shattering riff impact than their fellow Ontarians, Biipiigwan. There's also a bit of post metal blended in, and vocalist Joshua Cayer's harsh vocal style is closer to black metal while his clean vocal style is more typical of traditional doom metal. The album is comprised of five tracks taking up just over 38 minutes.

The opening track, "Hunter's Moon", takes a slow and steady route, building the atmosphere and weight of the music with heavy riffs that aren't exaggerated in depressive moods while eerie guitar wails waft like mists. The image I had in my mind was like surveying a wasted and desolation landscape after some catastrophe. The vocals finally come in after almost six and a half minutes.

"Vanishing" and "Blood and Stone" are the shortest tracks on the album and feature more traditional doom metal riffs contrasted by Cayer's black metal vocal style. "No Name, No Marker" was the album's single and begins with a guitar riff that sounds like something from Nine Inch Nails' "The Downward Spiral" album, though another reviewer said it had a grunge feel to it. The lead guitar work is very apt for the music - not flamboyant and not shredding and atonal. Another review I read likened the leads to Death's "The Sound of Perseverance".

"The Vigil" is the album's longest track at just over 10 minutes. It features Cayer's clean vocals as well as his harsh vocals, and I think the extra dimension the clean vocals add make this track a memorable track as an album closer. Other reviewers have cited the band's adherence to a basic formula both a merit and a point of slight disappointment. It seems that band is capable of adding more interest to their compositions but for the most part keep to the doom / sludge style. Another modest gripe of other reviewers is that song tracks go on a bit too long. I agree with one reviewer who wrote that the album is easy to enjoy as something to listen to but when one tries to enclose himself in the music for the purpose of writing a review, some tracks seem a minute or two longer than needed. I myself find all the tracks satisfying; however, I also admit that it is difficult to listen very analytically for the purpose of writing a decent review.

Which brings me back to where I started. So it's a good place to wrap up here. In conclusion, "II: Vanishing" is a very good album that does what it does very well. Personally, I find the teases of extra goodies such as the clean vocals or the grunge-type guitar bit might be nice to hear with a little more frequency. But I have no real gripes. Longhouse deserve their Juno nomination.