Your Shapeless Beauty – My Swan Song
The only real shocker on “My Swan Song” is that Your Shapeless Beauty, with a band name, album title and overall booklet design that screams romantic doom, blasted out of the gate with intensity and technically precise musicianship. After making that initial adjustment that I wasn’t going to be bored to death by the trappings of doom, the trappings of the death/black metal crossover world quickly seeped into this album, even though the guitar sound was very full/interesting and the overall songs seemed very well considered. But let’s look at the basics. Harsh black metal screams offset by a deeper death delivery? Check. Largely technical, note oriented riffs with the occasional hint of groove? Check. Airy synth accompaniment to give the plastic illusion of atmosphere? Check. On paper, it adds up to make Your Shapeless Beauty look like just about every other band arising out of the European and Scandinavian territories. In the bands defense… even though just about every tool in their arsenal is a hand-me-down, the overall sound production is very full and flattering and Y.S.B.’s songs hold up really well. The bands use of melody and dynamics both in playing and speed textures is quite advanced as is the urgency in all the vocal deliveries. The synth work seems a bit thin in tone up against the power in the guitars, but the overall keyboard placement never comes off as intrusive. Granted, I’m not totally blown away by this album (this is a sadly common occurrence), but I can foresee hanging onto this disc after this review is finished which at least says something about Your Shapeless Beauty’s song birthing skills. – Marty
ADIPOCERE RECORDS
Worm Gear 