Sum Of R — Ride Out the Waves
Stylistically, this music could be described as glacially slow doom metal with a subtle hint of the stormy minor key tonalities of Romantic symphonies to compliment the usual bluesy wails and power chords. The intriguing and fitting cover is an ash colored image of a veiled dancing woman with her hands raised above her head in a posture which is somehow ominous.
Guitar is the prominent instrument here, but chords are used quite sparingly, and with space in between. Its tone is that of typical doom, thick but also somewhat indistinct and sludgy. The first and second pieces, each about 5 minutes, both revolve around a single repeating riff containing two or three chords. The effect is hypnotic, though there isn't much to differentiate to differentiate the sound from countless other bands' lethargic jams.
Electronic elements are present but wispy and faint, mostly providing an uncomfortable and eerie backdrop which successfully anticipates the next massive, crashing chord. The drumming is also quite restrained; the drummer plays only to accent the guitar, and never engages in any but the most skeletal beats, so the music retains a rigid feel.
The first time I played the album, I was underwhelmed by its emptiness, and felt like I was waiting for it to start for its entire duration. Expectation, however, is a large part of the perception of music, and the second time through I began to appreciate the record as one of some substance despite its intentional minimalism.
The first track to make an impression on me was the 3rd and quietest piece "Mist of Tears". For the first minute and a half, it's a sluggish lament for piano, until the guitar joins with a regretful improvised melody that perfectly intertwines around the sparse meandering chords. The lack of repetition is refreshing, and the mood should soothe any weary traveller.
The tracks on the second half of the album generally have more direction, and stray further from the doom metal norm. The first 5 minutes of "Echo & Captured Lightning" (by far the longest track at 9:40) are a menacing, muted chug which is gradually overtaken by dissonant feedback. The final section is a murmer of dark, bassy chords from the piano and filtered hi hat taps.
The closer "Alarming" is my favorite on the album. To my ears it is the only track where the musicians really let loose and write something that builds to a powerful emotional resolution. This piece has a greater number of complimentary sections, as well as generous amounts of pained minor chords that clearly require more than 2 strings of the guitar. The way the dejected, plodding opening riff soars into greater and greater depressive intensity recalls the most notable melancholic doom band of them all, Esoteric. It soon becomes evident how the piece got its name as a blaring bomb siren-esque pulsates along with the guitar's droning quarter notes in the final two minutes.
Sum of R's "Ride Out the Waves" is a record with some great moments, but also multiple tracks that are simply unremarkable, despite being so short. The band successfully achieves the ominous, anticipatory tone they seem to be going for, but many of the long build ups are left to trail off without resolution, and the album can be a frustrating and unmemorable listen. With a few more tracks like "Echo & Captured Lightning" and "Alarming", I would be significantly more interested