Season Of Mist
2012
1. Let Them Fall
2. The Bleeding Ground
3. Vertigo (instrumental)
4. Blessed Night
5. The Waste Of Time
6. Dependence
7. Withdrawl (Instrumental)
It's been a long time since anyone had new Saint Vitus to look forward to. Saint Vitus is simply a classic name in the subgenre of doom metal and probably rivaled only by Pentagram in terms of the biggest and most influential band in American doom metal. All in all, I'm not a huge doom metal guy and this subgenre makes up a fairly minor slice of my total collection, but I do enjoy it when done right. This band has pretty much always done it right in my opinion and they are among the top tier of their chosen style. If you even slightly like doom I think a new Saint Vitus album has to get your attention.
Well, now that I've sung their praises I think an immediate nitpick/disclaimer is in order and that is regarding album length. Around 34 minutes is pretty meager in this day and age. Especially when you consider that we have two instrumental numbers here which feel a bit like padding on a very bare bones release and an excessively long outro on the song Dependence. It's true that they've released albums of just about this length in the past, but this is even a hair shorter than anything they've done previously and I've come to expect a little more bang for my buck. When other bands are just offering More good material on an album it has to be a consideration in the rating. If I'm not rating an album based on the amount of good material than what am I really rating?
Now, with that filed in the complaint department... lets get to the material shall we? Well, it's hard to fault the album too incredibly much when the songs are this damn good. It seems like in all this down time Saint Vitus has neither changed nor missed a step. This is just such a strong collection of groove and atmosphere that you've gotta love it. Absolutely classic Saint Vitus from start to finish. The vocals give everything an epic dirge feeling while the music plods along in a great mix of downbeat heaviness and groove. There is also just the right amount of upbeat moments to keep this from getting too stagnant with pickups like the end of The Bleeding Ground and the more energetic groove of Blessed Night. Basically, Lillie: F-65 is exactly what I would expect and want out of Saint Vitus in terms of sound and quality of songwriting. This is the sort of doom metal that reminds me of how good the genre can be and is in the best tradition of early Sabbath. Lillie: F-65 is one monstrously heavy album in a slow, dark, and very methodical fashion.
In the end there is a lot to be happy about here. This album is in the finest tradition of Saint Vitus and sure to please fans. I do think the length of this album will hold the album back a bit in terms of my end of the year rankings, but it's impossible for me to fault the album too heavily. I debated back and forth if this album should be marked down a notch to a 3.5 sheerly based on length, but in the end I've gotta go with quality over quantity and give it a 4.0. However, if they had delivered more of this quality, Lillie: F-65 might have been rated even higher. I find it's best to think of this one as a really high quality EP. Maybe something a little more Children Of Doom or Die Healing length would be good next time guys, but none the less... Welcome back and thanks for this classic slice of doom.
Highlights: Let Them Fall, The Bleeding Ground, Blessed Night
Rating - 4.0/5
2. The Bleeding Ground
3. Vertigo (instrumental)
4. Blessed Night
5. The Waste Of Time
6. Dependence
7. Withdrawl (Instrumental)
It's been a long time since anyone had new Saint Vitus to look forward to. Saint Vitus is simply a classic name in the subgenre of doom metal and probably rivaled only by Pentagram in terms of the biggest and most influential band in American doom metal. All in all, I'm not a huge doom metal guy and this subgenre makes up a fairly minor slice of my total collection, but I do enjoy it when done right. This band has pretty much always done it right in my opinion and they are among the top tier of their chosen style. If you even slightly like doom I think a new Saint Vitus album has to get your attention.
Well, now that I've sung their praises I think an immediate nitpick/disclaimer is in order and that is regarding album length. Around 34 minutes is pretty meager in this day and age. Especially when you consider that we have two instrumental numbers here which feel a bit like padding on a very bare bones release and an excessively long outro on the song Dependence. It's true that they've released albums of just about this length in the past, but this is even a hair shorter than anything they've done previously and I've come to expect a little more bang for my buck. When other bands are just offering More good material on an album it has to be a consideration in the rating. If I'm not rating an album based on the amount of good material than what am I really rating?
Now, with that filed in the complaint department... lets get to the material shall we? Well, it's hard to fault the album too incredibly much when the songs are this damn good. It seems like in all this down time Saint Vitus has neither changed nor missed a step. This is just such a strong collection of groove and atmosphere that you've gotta love it. Absolutely classic Saint Vitus from start to finish. The vocals give everything an epic dirge feeling while the music plods along in a great mix of downbeat heaviness and groove. There is also just the right amount of upbeat moments to keep this from getting too stagnant with pickups like the end of The Bleeding Ground and the more energetic groove of Blessed Night. Basically, Lillie: F-65 is exactly what I would expect and want out of Saint Vitus in terms of sound and quality of songwriting. This is the sort of doom metal that reminds me of how good the genre can be and is in the best tradition of early Sabbath. Lillie: F-65 is one monstrously heavy album in a slow, dark, and very methodical fashion.
In the end there is a lot to be happy about here. This album is in the finest tradition of Saint Vitus and sure to please fans. I do think the length of this album will hold the album back a bit in terms of my end of the year rankings, but it's impossible for me to fault the album too heavily. I debated back and forth if this album should be marked down a notch to a 3.5 sheerly based on length, but in the end I've gotta go with quality over quantity and give it a 4.0. However, if they had delivered more of this quality, Lillie: F-65 might have been rated even higher. I find it's best to think of this one as a really high quality EP. Maybe something a little more Children Of Doom or Die Healing length would be good next time guys, but none the less... Welcome back and thanks for this classic slice of doom.
Highlights: Let Them Fall, The Bleeding Ground, Blessed Night
Rating - 4.0/5
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