odradekroom-amanofsilt-reviews

Review from Powermetal.de

Sat, 17 Mar 2018 16:38:16 +0100

From: Powermetal.de

Published: March 12, 2018

Man hat schon fantastische Symbiosen aus Melancholie, vertracktem Prog Metal und sphärischen Post-Rock-Sounds gehört. Nicht zuletzt Bands wie PAIN OF SALVATION und OPETH haben einer jüngeren Musikergeneration in den vergangenen Jahren Tür und Tor geöffnet und sich an die Spitze einer Bewegung gesetzt, dessen unmittelbarer Einfluss so viel neue Kreativität geweckt hat, dass man schon kaum mehr die Übersicht über all die vielversprechendes Acts haben kann, die in letzter Zeit mit überwältigenden Releases für Furore gesorgt haben. Eine Gruppe, die man in dieser Aufzählung künftig auch nicht mehr vergessen darf, sind die Ukrainer von ODRADEK ROOM, die mit ihrem aktuellen Silberling fast schon das Höchstmaß an kompositorischer Genialität erreichen. "A Man Of Silt" ist verträumter Post Metal mit vielen progressiven Twists, einer Reihe stilfremder Elemente und trippigen, maanchmal beinahe schon psychedelischen Momenten, die bis zu den experimentellsten Gedanken eines Steven Wilson reichen, dessen musikalisches Ausnahmetalent auch an diesen Osteuropäern nicht spurlos vorübergegangen ist.

Dabei ist ODRADEK ROOM zunächst mal eine dieser typischen Prophecy-Bands und könnten eigentlich blind dem hiesigen Label für bewegende Düstersounds zugeschrieben werden. Doch die Ukrainer agieren noch im tiefsten Underground, müssen sich erst noch etablieren, sind mit den acht neuen Stücken aber auf bestem Wege, die Szene in einem Gewaltaktzu überrollen, und sei es nur mit den vielfältigen Emotionen, die sich in den aktuellen Kompositionen verbergen. Vieles wirkt dabei frei improvisiert, vor allem die ausdauernden Instrumentalpassagen, in die das Album eingebettet wurde. Und dennoch verfolgt die Band einen klar ausbalancierten Masterplan, der sich an einem wiederkehrenden Kontrastprogramm aus experimentellen und eindringlich-melodischen Augenblicken entlanghangelt, dabei auf vertrackte, nicht sofort durchschaubare Arrangements baut, zuletzt aber doch die größte Kraft aus diesen bewegenden, OPETH-affinen Melancho-Momenten zieht, die "A Man Of Silt" weitestgehend beherrschen.

Dieses Album ist ein weitreichendes, meist düsteres Abenteuer, das mit jedem weiteren Durchgang noch mehr von seiner schwer zu greifenden Schönheit offenbart. Und ODRADEK ROOM ist letztlich nur ein weiteres Beispiel dafür, dass die Szene in der Ukraine explosionsartig an Bedeutung gewonnen und im europäischen Osten langsam aber sicher die Vormachtstellung erkämpft hat. Ein fantastisches Album wie dieses hat hieran maßgeblichen Anteil!

Rating: 9.5/10

Review from Dutch Metal Maniac

Wed, 17 Jan 2018 20:00:03 +0100

From: Dutch Metal Maniac

Published: January 17, 2018

Original Link

Since 2010, guitarist Ilya Zernitsky, bassist/keyboardist Sergey Kuznetsov, drummer Roman Borovikov and Artyom Krikhtenko, who takes care of vocals, guitars, keyboards and samples, make music together under the moniker of Odradek Room. Odradek Room's musical style is kind of progressive death/doom metal, but they regularly cross those boundaries. In 2013 they released their promising debut album, called Bardo. Relative Reality. Since October 12th it got a successor. It is named A Man Of Silt and is released as a co-release between Hypnotic Dirge Records and BadMoonMan Music.

So, close your eyes and let the relaxing, dreamy intro Arising In The Void lead you to the world of Odradek Room. A Man Of Silt truly is a great journey through a dreamy, atmospheric world. The basis of A Man Of Silt are atmospheric, often even epic soundscapes. Of course the drums, bass and guitars are regularly present, with Roman Borovikov's drumming skills standing out the most. Sometimes Artyom Krikhtenko's vocals are added, which are phenomenal no matter what style. Whether he grunts, screams or sings with clean vocals, in for example the beautiful Texture Of Reality, Artyom Krikhtenko can do everything with his voice!

While Odradek Room's music is dreamy, it for sure isn't boring. Variation is very important on A Man Of Silt, with the tempo- and rhythm-changes being present. A perfect example of this, is the earlier mentioned Texture Of Reality. It has a slow, acoustic start followed by a hellish scream and a very nice guitarsolo before going back to rest again. For Odradek Room, crossing boundaries isn't a problem. They let us hear influences from for example, prog-, doom- and post-metal, but the start of Mirror Labyrinth sounds even a bit atmospheric black metal-like. Another track which is really standing out on A Man Of Silt is the beautiful Rain Trip. Beautiful female vocals can be heard and the addition of a sax, a unique and unusual instrument in metal, is a real plus. After Divide, which is the heaviest and longest track on A Man of Silt, it is time for the relaxing, hypnotic outro Conditional Eternity. When this outro has ended you are finally aware about how fast the past 50 minutes flew by and you probably want to enter Odradek Room's world again immediately. What an album!

A Man Of Silt is not only a great album, but it is a whole experience on itself. Odradek Room delivers a phenomenal album, very recommended for sure.

Reviewed by: Tim van Velthuysen

Review from Dead Rheteric

Fri, 29 Dec 2017 20:11:09 +0100

From: Dead Rheteric

Published: December 28, 2017

Original Link

When it comes to doom metal that’s sitting along the Hypnotic Dirge lines, it’s usually safe to assume that it’s not going to walk down the beaten path. Odradek Room settles in nicely with this idea, usually doom metal as simply a propellant to veer into more progressive, atmospheric, and haunting waters. Clearly, there’s much to take in with A Man of Silt, and the absorption process may require a few listens.

While doom and gloom abound for A Man of Silt, Odradek Room still play their cards into some different emotions as well. Sometimes they can bring the heaviness up a few notches, such as “Mirror Labyrinth,” and usher in some aggression, while at other moments a more lush and atmospheric tone is achieved (“Divide”). They also bring in additional instruments, such as the saxophone on the gorgeous “Rain Trip” or horns on “Selfness,” without becoming self-indulgent or just for the sake of having them there. The addition of synths, clean and harsh vocals, and dreary movie-esque atmosphere gives them an even broader field to play in. However, all of the various motions that each lengthy track goes through aren’t all equally compelling. Some of the songs tend to drag on for a bit longer than one might like them to, which causes some otherwise striking material to lose its edge (see “Texture of Reality”). At times, it almost feels like there’s too much in the mix, and a condensed version might lead things back towards something more graceful (“Rain Trip” being the pinnacle in this regard).

Odradek Room do manage to impress with A Man of Silt, but they overextend themselves on a few occasions. The potential for something ground-breaking does lie within their grasp (and you can see the glimmer of it on several tracks), and a more concise approach might be just the ticket.

Rating: 7/10

Reviewed by: Kyle McGinn

Review from Metal Temple

Wed, 13 Dec 2017 13:49:00 +0100

From: Metal Temple

Published: December 11, 2017

Original Link

Progressive Melodic Death/Doom quartet ODRADEK ROOM formed in the Ukraine in 2010, from the ashes of the band SHARDES OF SILENCE. The band takes their moniker from a short story by author Franz Kafka. They released their debut full-length in 2013, titled “Bardo. Relative Reality,” and return now in 2017 with eight new tracks under the album title “A Man of Silt.”

“Arising in the Void” is a short instrumental opener. I hear bells of sorts and a reed instrument that might be an oboe. “Selfness” opens with some trumpet notes and other brass instruments, seemingly announcing something. From there, the song really takes you on a journey. Never settling into one main riff, it gently sways back and forth, inviting you to break the veil and walk on the other side. There are moments where it lashes out…angry Death vocals and dark passages that are threatening and tense. The overall shape of the track is quite amorphous. “Texture of Reality” is an almost nine-minute track. It opens auspiciously, but with a melancholy note. If you are having an out of body experience, it could be the hypnotic drug that awoke from the subliminal part of your mind that you thought was hidden away. A rush of endorphins will lift you up while the weight of the sadness crushes your soul.

“Mirror Labyrinth” has a mournful and sorrow laden opening, painting the bright colors of the sky a dull grey. Everywhere you turn, the landscape is the same, and you are doomed to wander the barren earth for eternity. The rain at the end of the track segues into “Rain Trip.” The solitary trumpet notes sound like what you might hear at a funeral, in the cold of late fall, as a steady rain washes you away. Dejected saxophone notes and the delicate voice of a female singer underscore this depression. Key changes pull you in even further. “Silt Flower” has some legitimate hopeful qualities, even among the gloominess. The Death vocals go deep, while the instrumentation varies from poignant moments of anger to breathable passages of ambiance. “Divide” is a nine-minute opus; mostly instrumental. Shrouded in mystery and suspense, it hides cautiously in the shadows, with the sense that it could explode out at you, but remains tempered instead. The hypnotic dirge is actually quite striking.

“Conditional Eternity” closes the album, in a short four minutes. Harkening back to that opening sound, the piano keys ring out like bells while the reed instrument laments. Beauty is found in the void when there is nothing left but oblivion. This is surely one of the more unique albums I have heard this year. Throw everything that you think you know about music and the eclectic nature of Progressive music especially and let this soak in. This is an album that gets deeper with each listen, as waves of texture crash over you, each one different than the previous. It is also a very personal listening experience, crafting songs that rouse your intellect as much as they do your emotions.

Rating: 9/10

Reviewed by: Dave Campbell

Review from Infernal Masquerade Webzine

Thu, 09 Nov 2017 02:52:04 +0100

From: Infernal Masquerade Webzine

Published: November 8, 2017

Original Link

With a keen eye for unique and boundary pushing release, today we have the latest Hypnotic Dirge Records release with Odradek Room’s sophomore album “A Man of Silt”. Unleashing over 50 minutes of superbly crafted Progressive Death/Doom Metal, this band merges influences from bands like Anathema and Opeth with lush instrumentations and a very somber mood. If you like complex music with high replay value, this is certainly one of the best releases in 2017 for that.

The intro “Arising in the Void” provides a very dark and somber opening into the band’s unique musical voyage adorned with an Armenian duduk. The release continues to blossom with the transition into heavy guitars and growls in “Selfness”, a 7-minute piece that sets the experimental proggy tone for this album. Hailing from Ukraine, the band crafts very unique songs filled with highly atmospheric passages that are quite intricate and yet lush and filled with emotion, as delivered in “Texture of Reality”.

Odradek Room’s strength lies in crafting complex songs that switch from atmospheric interludes into intricate guitar lines and crafty percussions as heard in the catchy “Mirror Labyrinth”. This track at the same times features some killer groovy riffs and crafty tempo changes paired with memorable clean vocals. Our absolute favorite track in this release is the jazzy “Rain Trip”, which features a sexy Sax and angelic female vocals surrounded by a vibrant bass guitar line and weeping guitar leads.

Reminding us of bands like As Divine Grace and even The 3rd and the Mortal at times, songs like “Silt Flower” and “Divide” greatly contribute to the unique flow of this very diverse release. As the outro “Conditional Eternity” closes down the album, we are eagerly waiting to play this over and over again. The band does a stellar job in crafting very unique and interesting tracks that have a bit for everybody, and yet feel very foreign and appealing. If you like truly emotional and highly varied music, “A Man of Silt” is a release that should be in your collection.

Rating: 93/100

Reviewed by: Dark Emperor

Review from The Metal Observer

Thu, 19 Oct 2017 02:19:47 +0100

From: The Metal Observer

Published: October 18, 2017

Original Link

Ukraine’s Odradek Room formed in 2008 as Shards Of Silence, changing their name in 2010. Their mysteriously-named debut album, Bardo. Relative Reality, was released in 2013 to some critical acclaim and four years later they follow it with the limited edition A Man Of Silt.

The band are apparently named after Franz Kafka’s short story The Cares of a Family Man about a creature called Odradek, the meaning of which seems to have been debated at length by far greater minds than mine. Kafka describes the creature thus:

“At first glance it looks like a flat star-shaped spool for thread, and indeed it does seem to have thread wound upon it; to be sure, they are only old, broken-off bits of thread, knotted and tangled together, of the most varied sorts and colors. But it is not only a spool, for a small wooden crossbar sticks out of the middle of the star, and another small rod is joined to that at a right angle. By means of this latter rod on one side and one of the points of the star on the other, the whole thing can stand upright as if on two legs.

One is tempted to believe that the creature once had some sort of intelligible shape and is now only a broken-down remnant. Yet this does not seem to be the case; at least there is no sign of it; nowhere is there an unfinished or unbroken surface to suggest anything of the kind; the whole thing looks senseless enough, but in its own way perfectly finished. In any case, closer scrutiny is impossible, since Odradek is extraordinarily nimble and can never be laid hold of.”

Intriguing, but utterly confusing. Perhaps that was Kafka’s intention and presumably the band have their own theory on it, although it isn’t mentioned in the promotional material accompanying A Man Of Silt. Like the character the band is named after, the album is complex and unsettling. It’s not a happy listen, nor is it a straightforward one. There’s so much going on here – gentle acoustic into crushing guitars and an uplifting horn section (“Selfness”) grand, mournful lead guitars reminiscent of Paradise Lost (“Mirror Labyrinth”) sorrowful clean singing leading into malevolent roars (“Silt Flower”) and that only scratches the surface. Add in a range of vocal styles and the odd appearance of mandolin and music box effects and you start to get to understand the creativity this band is capable of.

To give an example of how Odradek Room go about their business “Divide”, is a 9-minute epic with melody and aggression taking turns like a wrestling tag team. Slow building acoustic guitars with gentle accompanying leads flowing into lively, screeching guitars then growled vocals, further light and heavy sections then plaintive clean vocals, with huge, powerful keys adding an extra layer. Some of the individual elements are entertaining enough, including some excellent guitars, but the whole just isn’t quite captivating enough.

And that’s the biggest problem with A Man Of Silt – there are plenty of ideas scattered throughout along with some great musicianship , but it doesn’t always come together into a satisfying whole. However, when Odradek Room pull it off, they really pull it off. Enter “Rain Trip”. It starts like the soundtrack to a sad film, with stunningly beautiful keys and horns joined by gentle drums and increasingly lively saxophone, then a melancholic female vocal and gorgeous lead guitar… and this time it comes together seamlessly. Five minutes of sheer bliss and one of the finest pieces of music in 2017.

“Selfness” is another highlight, with more magnificent horns, which reach a crescendo like the climax of an epic film and of course plenty of light and shade, melody and heaviness. It doesn’t get close to the genius of “Rain Trip”, but very little does.

Much of A Man Of Silt fails to live up to the promise of its parts, but it scores relatively highly thanks to the level of innovation and creativity on display and because “Rain Trip” is one of the greatest songs in recent memory.

Rating: 7.5/10

Reviewed by: James Bushnell

Review from The Burning Beard

Tue, 17 Oct 2017 00:59:32 +0100

From: The Burning Beard

Published: October 15, 2017

Original Link

Coming to us from Ukraine, the group of Odradek Room have readied their sophomore album, and A Man of Silt shows the band delving into a compelling mixture of prog, doom, post-rock, and sludge, with a variety of ways to blend those styles flowing out of every track. Flexing their musical muscles in a range covering slow and melodic introspection up through snarling, dissonant rage, OR continually shift from one blend to the next without making the changes feel anything but natural. The number of instruments they put to use is just as impressive, and like the styles, they're brought together in such an organic way that their diversity can fly right past the ears. The vocals aren't quite as fluid with their changes, both both clean and dirty singing is put to solid effect, with enough time spent in instrumental passages to help smooth their presence.

It's an impressive and ambitious album, and as a sophomore release, all the more staggering for the range OR are able to pull off with few hitches, with a level of depth that issues a siren's call for listeners to return to it again and again. Give it a go if you've been in want of expansive, experimental, and extremely good metal.

Reviewed by: Gabriel

Review from Doom-Metal.com

Tue, 17 Oct 2017 00:57:42 +0100

From: Doom-Metal.com

Published: October 12, 2017

Original Link

This sophomore from Odradek Room has been a long time coming, given that the debut was actually first self-released in 2012. Hearing it for the first time, I'm not altogether surprised. It's a complicated beast - as expected, if you're familiar with 'Bardo. Relative Reality'. Once again informed by the Buddhist and literary concepts that inspire band founder Artyom Krikhtenko, 'A Man Of Silt' focuses on the cycle of human life, and the way each individual travels from nothing to nothing in the same, yet different, way. That's explained in more detail in the CD booklet, alongside all the lyrics and necessary details, in a joint-release jewelcase package from Hypnotic Dirge/BadMoodMan.

There's a clue that things aren't going to be so simple in the above, however. 'Bardo', broadly, was a Death-Doom/Post-Rock synthesis with enough off-piste moments to throw 'avantgarde' into the mix. 'A Man Of Silt' toys with a much wider sonic and compositional palette: clearly, one that Solitude Productions consider appropriate for their sublabel rather than the Doom-focused parent. In that, I agree entirely. Whilst it contains recognisable elements from both Doom and Post- space - a riff, a guitar texture, a tribal-style drumbeat, some growled or snarled vocals, all of which cover familiar ground - it seldom combines them into a specific whole.

Now, I'd be the last person to consider non-genre-adherence a valid musical criticism, but this is a Doom site, and from that perspective, it's certainly appropriate to observe that 'A Man Of Silt' hovers in dark Progressive Metal, rather than Doom, hinterlands. And, sometimes, not even that dark. There's a strong cinematic feel to the tracks, as they paint their intriguingly abstract pictures of life, and the soaring guest sax and female vocals on 'Rain Trip', or the squalling urgent guitars in 'Divide', for example, conjure more optimistic, even uplifting images. Elsewhere, the similar opening and closing instrumentals are peacefully tranquil themes heavily featuring woodwind melodies, while at any moment within the rest of the album you can expect digressions and interludes between aggressively hard-edged Metal and spacier, more atmospheric-acoustic sections. Frequent guitar leads bolstered by sometimes-leading keyboards carry the melodies along, sometimes converging, sometimes separately, with the backing of some high-quality and creative percussion.

It's very well done, have no doubt of that. As someone with strong ties to original '70s Prog, I love the way this brings a more contemporary approach, rooted in more modern musical styles, to that kind of framework. The well-developed, intelligent ideas within it are brought to life by compelling and dynamic songwriting and arrangement. And with the core band members having been together for some years now, it's delivered with completely convincing execution - adopting equal measures of passion and technicality, and pulling both of them off with practised ease. If I had to reach for a comparison, it would be to endorse the PR statement's own reference to Opeth - and possibly mention Green Carnation in passing - rather than anything in the extreme Doom canon. At a pinch, perhaps, you could say that when it's at it's doomiest, it's in a The Fall Of Every Season way.

So - the bottom line. And, you know what, this is one of those occasions where I feel any sort of mark would be both irrelevant and misleading. From my purely personal viewpoint, it's an album of unrequited brilliance - but, nonetheless, one which is also essentially a moody, reflective Prog release, tangentially related to Doom. In reality, that means 'A Man Of Silt' is most likely to be something you'll either love or hate, largely determined by your musical taste outside of the Doom sphere - and trying to fudge that into a meaningful number on our comparative scoring system is an exercise in futility. Fortunately, it's only a click away to check it out and make up your mind, with the whole album streaming on Solitude's YouTube channel. And that is something I'd thoroughly recommend doing.

Reviewed by: Mike Liassides

Review from Mosh Pit Nation

Fri, 13 Oct 2017 00:06:08 +0100

From: Mosh Pit Nation

Published: October 12, 2017

Original Link

So to begin with, what precisely is an Odradek, and why should it require its own room. The answer is as complicated as this album. Apparently it can be lots of things, first appearing in a short story entitled “The Cares of A Family Man” by author Franz Kafka somewhere between 1914 to 1917. Many different meanings can be can be taken from the word.

The tale itself is creepy enough. To surmise, an object that has will, but has become somewhat less of itself. A harmless enough critter, but one that refuses to be examined at close range, so you can’t quite get a grasp of what it actually is. It will move, which considering it is supposed to be almost like a star shaped spool that once may have held some thread, seems almost impossible, implausible even.

And yet it does. Sometimes appearing in the strangest of places, sometimes being quite the conversationalist if you so choose to speak to it, other times not so. It seems to not care. It is the thing inside your head. Although apparently harmless, does it exist? We will leave that to the minds of others, because it is almost nonsensical, is it not?

This album is as baffling as its description. That is the only way I can describe it. An object that has will, more timid than outright fierce. More shapeless than a form, but it is something to behold. When you get a glimpse of its form, it will amaze you. If you are not paying attention it will remind you that it exists, and rightly so. After all it’s harmless right?

‘A Man of Silt’ is exceptional. The strangest thing you will hear for a long time. If you are prepared to admit it exists, the next question is what form does it present itself to you as.

I found that it did indeed speak to me at times and is as heavy as the idea that something is haunting you one moment, as benign as when you realise that you can co-exist.

I do not classify this as Death or Doom or anything else. This IS the Odradek. Who really knows what it is….

Rating: 4/5

Review from Rtmb Music

Fri, 13 Oct 2017 00:05:12 +0100

From: Rtmb Music

Published: October 9, 2017

Original Link

A Man Of Silt resulta un trabajo complicado dado los ingredientes inmersos en él, dicho coloquialmente, trae de todo y explota muy bien esos elementos, con canciones que se sienten estructuradas y pensadas para explotar los sentimientos. En este tipo de géneros resulta difícil analizar dado el cúmulo de facetas que poseen trabajos como este, escucharlo se vuelve un compromiso, requiere de disposición y paciencia dado que uno se puede perder entre canciones por sus letárgicos pasajes, la atención se requiere en un nivel de comunión, personas de piedra que no se conmueven con ciertos pasajes a lo largo del álbum no son las indicadas para este tipo de experiencias, aquellos que buscan algo en concreto y tienen bien definido lo que quieren de la música no son indicadas para esto.

Es disfrutable moverse entre intrincados caminos, nostálgicos y agresivos. Desconociendo el verdadero humor del álbum, impredecible y placentero son los adjetivos correctos para definir a este trabajo. Basado en pensamientos complejos del libro tibetano de los muertos, el álbum con el tiempo se puede volver objeto de estudio entre los entusiastas del género, que no verán perdida en escuchar este sube y baja de sensaciones, el álbum gusta en mejorar conforme avanzan las canciones, presentando un orden de secuencias a la experiencia, cuando lleguen a la canción "Divide" entenderán mis palabras.

Rating: 4/5