- Review by HALF GIFTS
Written by Jude Noel
When a band labels themselves as “Post-Black Metal Progressive New-Wave”, you’ve gotta at least give ‘em a shot. I wasn’t sure what to expect on my first listen. The opening track was a proggy, gentle cut reminiscent of early Genesis, with slightly sinister undertones. The black metal vibes really started to kick on track two as the guitars attained a steely bite, the drums consistently rattled off pinpoint fills. Yet, the sky-high synths and filtered vocals gave it just enough dreaminess to evoke The Cure’s Disintegration. Song number 11 is the one to focus on here,guest vocalist Gloria from DSTVV adding much-needed tranquility to a ravaging album. Even if you’re not that into metal, (like me) I still think you’ll really dig the genre-hopping sound of Metropolitan Intent.
- Review by ABSOLUTE HELL
Written by - Zac C. Dendinger
Floridian duo METROPOLITAN INTENT have been around for a few years, and their first album, 1985-1988: The Ancient Scriptures was released in April of this year. I have to admit, I wasn’t a massive fan at first, but the more I listened, the more this grew on me. The Ancient Scriptures is very diverse and very weird, to say the least, and I will say right now that you need to give this a listen.
From strange, ethereal shoegaze-esque tracks like “Ancient Scripture #2”, to electronica-infused, militaristic anthems like “Ancient Scripture #5”, The Ancient Scriptures is profoundly dynamic and undeniably weird. And at a monumental fifty-four minutes, it’s a hell of a psychedelic ride. At times (actually, more often than not the further the album goes on), we delve into post-rock territory, like in “Scripture #11”-“Scripture #13”, where obvious comparisons can be drawn between MI and EXPLOSIONS IN THE SKY or IF THESE TREES COULD TALK. There are also hints of SQUAREPUSHER’s Ultravisitor (“#10”), ORANSSI PAZUZU (“#4”) and absolutely bizarre, uncategorizeable tracks like “Scripture #8” that delve into some truly surreal territory.
Guitars are definitely the highlight of Ancient Scriptures. Some truly fantastic melodies are being created here, especially in the last half of the album. My one big complaint, though, is the drum machine. It’s just not full at all – it feels weak, clicky, and often times it can be slightly annoying. The clean vocals, every so often, are a bit too strange and goofy for my taste, and I find myself wishing they had kept them out altogether. If these guys could find themselves a real drummer, or spend more time on the programmed drums, they could really be on to something. However, considering how young this band is, I can hardly fault them for not being ‘there’ yet. Given some time, and maybe another release (or two), these guys could really be something special.
Though at times it can feel a bit unfocused, 1985-1988: The Ancient Scriptures is a must-hear album, if only because of how compellingly bizarre it is. They call this stuff “dream metal”, and I can understand why. Chock full of both intensity and beauty, Scriptures is definitely one of the better experimental albums I’ve heard so far this year. I recommend this to everyone, regardless of what you’re a fan of, because it needs to be experienced.
- Review by A Musica Continua A Mesma
No início tínhamos uma divisão bem simples de estilos dentro do Metal. Black, Death, Thrash, Melódico, Tradicional e por ai seguia. Então um belo dia surgiram subestilos dentro desses estilos. Death Melódico, Black Sinfônico, Groove Metal entre outros. Bem, agora o Metal se encontra em uma fase ainda mais avançada, pois temos subestilos dentro dos subestilos. Complexo não é? É meio a essa festa de estilos e subestilos que se encaixa o duo americano Metropolitan Intent. Qual rótulo devemos aplicar a banda? Bem, ainda estou tentando identificar.
Formado por Winterfront (guitarras, vocais, sintetizadores e flauta doce) e Caco (baixo, vocais, bateria programada e percussão), eles se intitulam como uma banda de Dream Metal (mais um subestilo?), mas a verdade é que a gama de estilos e influências aqui é enorme. Você irá encontrar, em boa parte do tempo, uma base calcada naquilo que alguns hoje chamam de Progressive Black Metal, mas ao mesmo tempo é possível identificar diversas outras influências dentro de sua música como Shoegaze, Industrial, elementos eletrônicos, psicodelia, música étnica e Post Rock. Em alguns momentos, durante a audição desse trabalho, você vai se sentir meio a uma obra de arte surrealista e isso não é exagero da minha parte.
O trabalho foi todo gravado na residência de Winterfront, produzido e mixado pela banda e a parte gráfica, belíssima por sinal, foi toda feita também por Winterfront. Para não dizer que fizeram tudo sozinhos, também temos participações de Glória nos vocais de #11 e #14 e Crux Da Vixi em #3 e #10. Aliás, como podem observar, os caras são experimentais até na hora de nomearem suas músicas. Todas possuem o mesmo nome, diferenciando-se apenas pelo numero. Destaques aqui vão para #1, uma bela abertura percussiva, #2, com uma pegada mais Shoegaze, #5, com elementos eletrônico-industriais bem legais e blast beats, e #11, um Post Rock muito gostoso de ouvir. As guitarras se destacam por ótimas melodias, os vocais diversificados dão ótima variedade às músicas e a variação de estilos dá muito dinamismo ao álbum. A única resalva que irei fazer aqui é com relação à bateria programada. Não que ela seja ruim, mas em alguns momentos ela acaba soando um pouco enjoativa e repetitiva, mas nada que tire o brilho desse trabalho.
Apesar de estar apenas em seu primeiro trabalho, o Metropolitan Intent conseguiu alcançar algo que muitas bandas com anos e anos de estrada tentam, mas não consegue. Soam altamente originais e irrotuláveis, fazendo da audição de 1985 – 1988: Ancient Scriptures algo altamente prazeroso. Com um trabalho bem experimental, mas belo e muito intenso, mostram possuir um potencial muito grande e capacidade de alcançar um patamar alto dentro do Metal. Está ai uma banda que todo mundo deveria conhecer.
- Review by Trample The Week
You’re either going to adore me or despise me for bringing this to your attention. Metropolitan Intent is the kind of lunacy we used to find every night while digging for BM gems. Since the scenes were so sectioned off, quirks and murk was magnified and allowed to grow slowly like a stalactite. Nowadays, with everyone a torrent away from ProTools and a tweet away from instant, negative appraisals, we’re left with a lot of average, samey tunes that are starting to smell a bit sour. Did I just equate black metal to having too much milk in the fridge? Hacky? Well, let’s moo on.
As a title, 1985 – 1988: The Ancient Scriptures looks batty, but when you hear the thing, your echolocation kicks in and you realize it’s actually spot on. Blurry synths, plinking guitars with oodles of reverb, and an insistent back-beat. I’m sure this will be tagged with the dreaded blackgaze descriptor. However, I hear far more new-wave, of both the martial marching goth variety and the ol’ new-romance. Whatever you want to say about it, it’s different. In the era of homogeneity, that may be enough. Still, a lot of these cuts come correct. Dive in to the kinda Type-O tumult of “#5″ and tell me you’re not secretly loading this upon your pod with different ID3s. “#6″ follows with an Anaal Nathrakh tornado full of nails. Sold now that you’re black and blue? Thought so. Stick with this one. Each song is a game of Twister on xBox. Nostalgia and the new, combined just for you.
