CoC : Molasses - Trilogie: Toil & Peaceful Life : Review

Molasses - _Trilogie: Toil & Peaceful Life_
(Fancy, 2000)
by: Gabriel Sanchez (10 out of 10)

In the Gabriel Sanchez tradition of bringing to CoC music that its target audience would likely not touch in a thousand years, I present my exposition of Molasses' _Trilogie_. To me, extreme music was never about being loud (necessarily) nor pushing the moral limits through overt offensiveness in lyrics and style. It has been, and continues to be, the production of music that is as challenging to the ear as it is to the heart and soul. Molasses intertwine traditionally non-intersecting styles to produce an outlaw brand of music that is as atmospheric, dark, and richly poured over with beauty as anything I have ever encountered. "Saint Catherine", perhaps the finest track on the album, could invoke an internal stir from even the most hardened, emotionally desolate listener. The group's awe-inspiring rendition of "Amazing Grace" brings the touch of a non-existent deity into the empty soul of an atheist; if but only for a moment. By no stretch am I too proud to admit there is something frightening about the way Molasses scratches across my heart. The atmospheric noise backdrops to the acoustic instrumentation mesmerizes while the lyrical content penetrates the emotions; filling them with pain and sorrow track after track. There is an impeachment of ideologies throughout _Trilogie_ that seeks to poetically deconstruct any listener's prejudices to style, form, and life itself. I told myself repeatedly that I would never dare review this for CoC, but the internal pressures are too great. The music has opened up and resealed too many wounds not to share. My aserious approach to music antithetical to the CoC norm has been shattered. There is nothing but the strongest encouragement on my part for all to give this one its fair due. Anything less would be to sinfully deny the personal impact of this recording and my total regards for its majestic qualities.

Contact: Fancy, PO BBox 493, Place du Parc, Montreal, Quebec H2W 2P1, Canada

(article published 13/3/2001)