As of Today - Corridors (2009)
©As of Today
United Kingdom
Tracklist:
-
The Dwarf and the Whore
-
Sterile Hands, Septic Waters
-
Corridoors
-
A Day in Trangression
-
Nil by Mouth
Lurking from the depths of London, U.K., As of Today hope to step up with their debut Corridors and they do little to disappoint. You'll first pick up on long untraditional guitar riffs that try to sound pretty but are are as ugly and grimey as Metal can get. The vast intricacy and incorporation of influences is absolutely baffling (listen deeply). You'll hear it all from Porcupine Tree/Pink Floyd/Opeth/Tool to Agalloch, Burst, In Mourning, The Ocean, Intronaut, The Prophecy, Threat Signal, Long Distance Calling and even Anathema. Whether all of these are direct inspirations to the band or not, it is a fine example of how influences can either actively and/or passively effect a final product. Picture all of the heavy parts of Porcupine Tree's Fear of a Blank Planet with gruff/roaring Centurions Ghost like vocals and you'll get an overall sense of what we've got here.
At first the vocals do not appear partucularily strong however upon repeat/closer listens nothing could be further from the truth. True, they do sound a bit monotonous at times but are saved by some excellent placement harmonizing/complementary roars that take control and convert themselves into a reassuring presence. The fact that the vocal to instrumental ratio is approx 1:3 gives bonus points towards the albums lasting power in the sense that they are not too overwhelming. Self produced Corridors shows that the band knows what they are doing. Although there is far better production (and certainly far worse [my audio copy being 148 kbps VBR may have something to do with that]), I wouldn't have it any other way; be it presentation of the raw thrashing drumming, complacent apearance of piano/keys, acoustics/light interludes, wicked solos, or the ambient filling effects contributing to the overall atmosphere, everything is pretty much solid.
On the other hand, my major gripe with the album is that, although running at 32:33 in length, it feels a bit short. Then again, the saying "too much of a good thing is bad thing" could apply. Regardless, having listened to Corridors many times, as well as mixing it up with other bands, my enjoyment of the album has failed to waiver. Corridors is a fantastic debut sharing a glimse of a band with a promising future. Although fans who adhere to their particular 'style' of Metal/music will likely stick to their guns, As of Today seem to certainly have what it takes to be appealing to a broader, genre-bridging fan base. With plenty of room to grow, it will be exciting to see what these guys pull out of their hats in the years to come.
-Joel
