Crown of Asteria – Cycles
Inspired by the amazing environs we enjoy in the state of Michigan, Megan Wood from Crown of Asteria has had her ear pressed to the soil and arms outstretched to embrace the woodland spirit, for this EP, Cycles, is a very serene and enchanting listen that puts the participant in the same headspace of sitting alone in the woods with eyes closed. Senses are heightened. You can hear everything from that pesky Blue Jay off in the distance, down to the subtle rustling of leaves as a June Bug attempts to crawl up from its earthen birthplace. The title track in particular… beautiful acoustic guitar work with atmospheric treatments in the background for a touch of hypnotic wanderlust. Cassiopeia: Queen above the Skyline (a 25 minute long track) begins in a similar fashion, with a desolate synth tone to sculpt the desired mood. The track builds with acoustic guitar, a primitive/simplistic drum beat, then the electric guitar comes in to introduce a promising black metal characteristic. What detracts from the vibe for me, is when the drums come in. I don’t mind it when people use synthetic drums, but in this case, the rolling double bass is a little too 1 dimensional and plodding even though the rhythm section is muddied in the mix. Megan’s musical ideas are solid, interesting and ever atmospheric/cloaked in effects which gives her a definite blackened folk classification. Even though her timing during the “metal” moments slips on and off the beat perhaps due to the rhythmic delay being used, I still found myself working past the few things that bugged me to enjoy once again the folk/acoustic core of this instrumental release. In the future, with closer attention to timing and a better sounding/more engaging rhythm section, there is definitely promise lurking at the heart of Crown of Asteria. Mood triumphs over form on Cycles. -Marty
FB: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Crown-of-Asteria
Bandcamp: http://crownofasteria.bandcamp.com/
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