The execution is so wonderful that you forget how simplistic and monotone a lot of this track is, and it goes on for just the right amount of time. The aforementioned “Children Of The Grave” goes from pummeling rhythms backed by clanking kicks by Bill Ward to slow and menacing doom riffs laced with terror. Even the fun number around smoking the reefer “Sweet Leaf” dials the rhythms down into darker depths with the minor keys of execution.Īnd then we have the parts that truly hold Master Of Reality to such heavy heights. On the surface, I wouldn’t see this as intentional or even something everyone picks up, but it’s hit me that way from day one. On the other hand, “Orchid” adds horn-like effects to the back of its acoustical mass to invoke the feeling of crashing into a proverbial barge while out at sea. “Embryo” less so because it’s over so quickly, but its odd placement of connecting the upbeat “After Forever” with the menacing drive of the main riff in “Children Of The Grave” is what gets me the suspense of knowing what is ahead of you. Not abnormally jarring enough? I even think the simple acoustic interludes do the trick as well. Every little bell and string pluck makes a difference. While yes, it is incredibly soothing, the woodwind instrumentation, spine-tingling bass, and hopeless vocal delivery injects a feeling of abandonment that I just can’t ignore. Going softer yet, you have “Solitude” which has always contained such a haunting feel. The booming bass hooking onto the upbeat lead guitars may feel that way at first, but then it drops to a chugging note, eventually winding up in a stomping bridge. “After Forever” should jump out immediately, being the infamous song around Christianity that still doesn’t shed much light in the realm. Seriously, let’s take a look at even the more welcoming tunes before us. But how they managed to darken even the songs written in a lighter vein to a scarier degree is just mind blowing. What better way to capture such a dark and eruptive disc of what many call the first true doom metal album than with a horror movie figure? It’s no secret that Master Of Reality has a reputation for being the one that dropped everything down and executed its rhythms the way we know and love the genre today, even fifty years later. Tell me how the first time I ever heard “Children Of The Grave” that I thought the eerie outro voices sounded like Jason Voorhees.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |