CoC : Minas Tirith - The Art of Becoming : Review

Minas Tirith - _The Art of Becoming_
(Art Music/Voices Of Wonder, 1996)
by: Brian Meloon (5 out of 10)

I'm not really sure how to classify these guys, as their sound varies from watered-down death metal, to progish metal (sans commercialism), to thrash. A lot of acoustic sections break up the songs, keeping things interesting, but also breaking up some of the continuity. The production is okay, being clear enough, but ending up giving a "dull" sound to the songs, especially the guitar tone. Unfortunately, they don't really live up to the "technical metal" tag that they give themselves, as while the riffs are moderately interesting, they aren't in any sense "technical." The playing is competent, but not really as flashy as I would expect of a "technical" band. The riffs also tend to be a little generic. The drumming is impressive though, and fairly dense. The vocals really set this apart, as they are very distinct, varying from gruff (not guttural) death vocals to clean vocals with an almost country-like twang. The vocalist also has an annoying habit of adding high grace notes to his vocal lines (somewhat similar to what King Diamond occasionally does, but not quite...), which at times is comical, and at others is irritating. In any case, though, this is a diverse affair, with a lot of styles touched on. I'll give them credit for being unique, if not completely satisfying.

(article published 10/5/1996)

ALBUMS
5/13/2001	C Flaaten	9	Minas Tirith - Demons Are Forever

GIGS
5/13/2001	C Flaaten	Mayhem / Carpathian Forest / Minas Tirith	Norwegian Oldies and Norwegian Oldschool