Come the Tide

Although I still don't particularly like doom vocals, I like them more after listening to Come the Tide. This album alternates between heavy, doomy sections of metal angst, and lighter sections of post-rock simplicity. The result is an album with serious emotional impact. The doom vocals have such a rich timbre that they become a force of nature.

One criticism that I have of this album is how simple the instrumental tracks are. The focus really is on the voice: the instruments (a standard set for the most part, with a surprise saxophone on the second track) build tension but rarely do anything memorable on their own. This diminishes the quality of the post-rock, instrumental sections and makes them a bit boring.

What is special is the delivery of the vocals. I don't know enough metal or doom to say why these vocals work for me, but they made an impression. When I think back on this album, I remember exactly how they sound: like listening to a force of nature, or an outraged god.

Also, although the instruments don't do anything extraordinary, the structure of the tracks is nonintuitive and engaging. Listening to the album for the first time, I enjoyed the feeling of fluidity.

Overall, this album is somewhere between a 1 and a 2, but I'll give it a 2 because of how pleasant these vocals were to listen to loud in my car. Try listening to the middle tracks: "Detachment," "The Mountain," and "Of Winter and Treason."