CoC : Ciborium - Colossal Crags : Review

Ciborium - _Colossal Crags_
(Independent, 1998)
by: Pedro Azevedo (8 out of 10)

Having found Ciborium one of the most promising bands featured in Independent Recs' _High Radiation 4_ compilation [CoC #33], I approached this Portuguese band's debut _Colossal Crags_ with interest. As it turns out, most of the material here is about as good as their _HR4_ track, and occasionally better. The style brings no surprise after knowing the compilation song: atmospheric death metal, technical enough, mostly fast and with plenty of pace changes. Keyboards are fundamental here, and manage to remain sober and efficient most of the time. Together with the pace changes, the dynamic nature of the music and the catchiness of some sequences, they keep the listener interested. The strong death vox suit the sound quite well, as the keyboards tend to often dominate the mix. The drums could sound a bit better, by the way; same for some of the guitar parts, but this varies a lot. Nevertheless, the overall sound is very acceptable and the music is very listenable and enjoyable. Be warned, however, that this album is only 30 minutes long; my rating is therefore based upon the assumption that it will not be sold at full price, which fortunately appears to be the case.

Contact: ind.rec@esoterica.pt

(article published 19/11/1998)