CoC : Farmakon - A Warm Glimpse : Review

Farmakon - _A Warm Glimpse_
(Earache / Elitist, 2003)
by: Jackie Smit (6.5 out of 10)

One would hope that the boys in Farmakon have a high tolerance for criticism, because even a casual listen to _A Warm Glimpse_ provides substantial evidence to fuel certain accusations that the young Finnish band dipped their creative toes in the Opeth well of prog/death a tad too often for press and fans alike to merely regard the (currently) high-flying Swedes as a casual influence. Indeed, Farmakon emulate their heroes to such an extent that only the trained ear will distinguish "My Sanctuary in Solitude" or "Mist" from anything found on _Blackwater Park_ or _My Arms, Your Hearse_ -- right down to the distinctly underdeveloped Mike Akerfeldt-like vocals of Marko Eskola. It is only on the rarest of occasions that Farmakon interrupt their plagiaristic dirge with a pleasantly old school thrash attack or a series of almost Mr Bungle-esque eccentricities -- the latter sounding cringingly misplaced. So why the 6.5 score then? Well, as much as their shameless copying of a superior act irks me, Farmakon are undoubtedly a tremendously talented collective of musicians, and derivative as they may be, there are some truly enjoyable tracks on this record -- not least of all the stunning opening number, "Loosely of Amoebas". However, I should hope that when the time comes round for their sophomore outing they would have discovered a more unique and distinguishable sound.

(article published 9/7/2003)