REVIEWS

Depth Beyond One's - Red Lines Entwined
		Tracklisting: 01. Wraith 02. Hatred Rising 03. Fig Leaves 04. Mortuus Inventus 05. Red Lines Entwine 06. Last Hope 07. Black Years 08. Poverty 09. Under the Shadow of the Tree 10. The Breathing Space Total: 53:57		Rating:   Links: - Official Website
Depth Beyond One’s are a band from Oulu that emerged in 2003. Having already released an EP in 2007 (Ebb), they have decided to release their debut album, Red Lines Entwined, online in March, taking full responsibility for the recording, mixing, and mastering processes. This release is, in the band’s own words, a conceptual album, where the listener can mostly find an experimental, progressive sonority – sometimes bordering more on rock elements, others on metal. The album opens with “Wraith”, which lets us know the lyrical content of this album will surround the troubled life of a man whose past is unveiled. Having the background reasons exposed in a straightforward song, we delve deeper into this album’s concept and the sound that DBO will be exploring within the album. “Hatred Rising”, the song that follows, exposes the hatred that lives within this being, and musically it is decently represented, with the song featuring an aggressive overtone. However, this harder edge is soon confronted with a softer stand, with progressive elements such as acoustic guitars and keyboard passages, displaying that despite being blinded by hatred, this man finds himself debating over his life constantly. Following “Hatred Rising” is "Fig Leaves", probably the most accomplished song musically. The song keeps representing the blending of soft acoustic guitars, vocals, and extra percussion with the raw, distorted guitar riffing and very atmospheric-sounding keyboards. Lyrics-wise, the song still revolves around the issue of the main character of this tale trying to find himself. “Mortuus Inventus” is the first of the two instrumentals featured within this album, serving pretty much as an interlude between the first part of the album and the title track, “Red Lines Entwine”. This song is perhaps the most complex piece on the album, opening up in frenzy with once again struggling thoughts. Structure-wise the song is awkward, with constant tempo and melodic changes. I’d say by this point the band do try to take their experimentalism a bit too far, and the song as a whole, unique piece doesn’t make all that much sense, despite some catchy passages. Lyrically, it’s better developed, and keeps on adding to the theme of this man raised without proper passion, now questioning higher powers about the reason for such drifting, in conjunction with the reason for his existence. “Last Hope” is the song to follow, again another progressive piece. The unusual pre-chorus leading to the catchy, melodic and (once more vocally perfectly nailed) recurring chorus of the track makes this one song some sort of an earworm. The progressive nature of the song opens space for a short-lived harder part that would have fit better if it were more extensive. If I haven’t mentioned Opeth by this point, I’ll let you know that at times they seem to be a clear inspiration for the band’s overall sound. “Black Years” is a faster-paced number, where the main character is again confronted by revisited memories. The chorus is, once again, catchy and well accomplished at practically all levels. The novelty is that after this chorus, we find a side of DBO that hadn’t been exposed as clearly within the album until here, with the vocals taking a sudden turn to a harsher tone and the band’s sound reaching its loudest and most metallic peak. One of the most solid songs on the album, for sure. Again some time for breathing is allowed when the second instrumental of the album steps in, “Poverty”, right before we’re brought to the closing of this journey. Good use of additional percussion can once again be heard. “Under The Shadow of the Tree” brings us back to the predominating progressive atmosphere of the band's sound, although the harder musicianship that was brought to attention in “Black Years” is once again heard, making for a balanced contrast. What’s a novelty on this song is the well accomplished breakdown, opening up with loud bass lines which explode into powerful riffing chords. Lyrically, it seems to bring us to some sort of a closure; the main character doesn’t seem to be prepared to keep on living with his erroneous past life. This is cleverly represented musically in the last two minutes of the song, where the pace gradually grows and sampling of an alert sound is heard. “The Breathing Space” is, as it sounds, the space where we’ll find out what to make of this story. Guided by the melody of a melancholic piano, it is clearly the most emotional song on the album. As the lyrics suggest, the character is finally confronted with the end of the line, and his complicated and wasted life is finally taken by death, which is brought into record in a moving way, with the decreasing and terminating breathing sounds closing the album in an intense way. This is an album that isn’t meant to be heard just once and then thrown out, as far as I see it. It can’t be understood at a first listen; it needs more than that. So if your business is music that gets you going for the moment, this album isn’t for you. If, on the other hand, you have the time to stop and appreciate a conceptual album of this proportion, then this is something you should get. Whether you can personally identify with the story disclosed within this conceptual album or not, the simple fact is that this one will most likely grow on you - be it either for the captivating atmosphere or the the progressive, experimental, and overpowering (by infinite details) music. Radium
Released: 2009, self-released