Band : Portraits of Past
Album : Cypress Dust Witch
Release Year : 2009
Genre : Screamo | Emo Violence
Tracklist :
1. Fire Song
2. Cypress Dust Witch
3. Through To An End
4. Cypress Dust Witch II – Bridge
Often looked upon as one of the grandaddies of true Screamo, Portraits Of Past are remembered with the greatest respect. So in 2009, when they started gigging again after a 13 year hiatus, people began to get excited. An Ebullition records band of old touring again with new tunes in their repertoire? Surely that’s enough to get anyone giddy.
“Cypress Dust Witch”, the new 4 track EP released by Excursions Into The Abyss, is simply beautiful. Their sound has matured in the decade and a bit they’ve been busy doing other things. It’s a more grown up and well rounded collection of pieces, all still retaining their trademark sound of passion and chaos. Amidst the fury of jangly riffs, erratic drumming and pained screams you’ll also find wonderful sections of glassy almost-Post-Rock interludes which act as a perfect counterpoint to the insanity of the Punk. Like tender, frail thoughts between anguished realisations. This is what Screamo is meant to be!
Fire Song explodes into a cacophonous racket of blistering percussion and frantic guitars. Robert Pettersen snarls and spits violently when suddenly everything slows down. It gets peaceful. And then the beauty comes like a wave of soothing rest. The calm before the storm that lulls you into a sense of security. Then out of nowhere the track erupts again with passionate anger. That’s the general theme throughout “Cypress Dust Witch” and it works to great effect. The highlight comes with the third song Through To An End which begins with all the idyllic twinkles and drones of a pretty lullaby. Even with the screams and shrieks, you still get lost in the attractive vibe of the song. It’s a wonder that anyone could take an ugly format and transform it into something delicate and pretty. I absolutely love it!
The most remarkable aspect of the music is the effortlessness of each metamorphosis between angry and insane to calm and harmonious. The lack of stark change between ideas works well both on the individual tracks as it does with the EP as a whole. “Cypress Dust Witch” is about the most pleasurable aural kick in the face!
2. Cypress Dust Witch
3. Through To An End
4. Cypress Dust Witch II – Bridge
Often looked upon as one of the grandaddies of true Screamo, Portraits Of Past are remembered with the greatest respect. So in 2009, when they started gigging again after a 13 year hiatus, people began to get excited. An Ebullition records band of old touring again with new tunes in their repertoire? Surely that’s enough to get anyone giddy.
“Cypress Dust Witch”, the new 4 track EP released by Excursions Into The Abyss, is simply beautiful. Their sound has matured in the decade and a bit they’ve been busy doing other things. It’s a more grown up and well rounded collection of pieces, all still retaining their trademark sound of passion and chaos. Amidst the fury of jangly riffs, erratic drumming and pained screams you’ll also find wonderful sections of glassy almost-Post-Rock interludes which act as a perfect counterpoint to the insanity of the Punk. Like tender, frail thoughts between anguished realisations. This is what Screamo is meant to be!
Fire Song explodes into a cacophonous racket of blistering percussion and frantic guitars. Robert Pettersen snarls and spits violently when suddenly everything slows down. It gets peaceful. And then the beauty comes like a wave of soothing rest. The calm before the storm that lulls you into a sense of security. Then out of nowhere the track erupts again with passionate anger. That’s the general theme throughout “Cypress Dust Witch” and it works to great effect. The highlight comes with the third song Through To An End which begins with all the idyllic twinkles and drones of a pretty lullaby. Even with the screams and shrieks, you still get lost in the attractive vibe of the song. It’s a wonder that anyone could take an ugly format and transform it into something delicate and pretty. I absolutely love it!
The most remarkable aspect of the music is the effortlessness of each metamorphosis between angry and insane to calm and harmonious. The lack of stark change between ideas works well both on the individual tracks as it does with the EP as a whole. “Cypress Dust Witch” is about the most pleasurable aural kick in the face!
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