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United Mind Club - World Blood History


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At the beginning of their existance, the music of this Russian band was hard to classified. The artists created it in an experimental way, mixing different genres. Currently, after recording "World Blood History" in 211 their style is defined as dark symphonic metal. Does it sound appealing?

Intro introduces us to mysterious world.  Peaceful music intertwines with sounds of violin, electronic elements and quiet female wailing. It stops suddenly in most unexpected moment. I assume it is done on purpose and aims at leaving us with the feeling of insufficiency, it’s an invitation to listen to the rest of tracks.
Already the second track proves that we’re not going to feel any melancholy, it’s dark but not dolorous. In "B.B.B.P." guitars enter and female voice is replaced by a male one. Tracks are based on typical industrial sound – harsh guitars harmonize with electronics. Clearly outlined symphonic elements harmonize with voice articulation of the vocalist whose loud whisper, spoken fragments sometimes turn into scream. Clear, melodious parts are accompanied by aftersound, choirs and controlled chaos. The singing is full of emotions so the atmosphere soon is shared by listeners. The tracklist is not very diversified, especially when you listen to it several times.
Next tracks are based on similar motives, which is surprising since mixing such different genres provides a lot of combinations and creative variations. Fortunately I’ve found one pearl which is "Dreams of Luther". I had already been interested in it before I opened the album, because of the title – you surely remember German reformer Martin Luther. As it turned out this whiff of history was worth paying attention to. The track is catchy with lots of verses sung/screamed with humour. I’m sure that a lot of listeners would like it after first listening. For those who like long introductions with bells tolling in an abandoned gothic temple (finally we’ve got the promised dark!) I definitely recommend "For nobody but me". In terms of vocal not much is changed, there’s choir, whispers – so the same story.
The important aspect of each release is its graphic design, in this case it was created by Moon Ring Design studio. Despite the prestige of the company, the cover didn’t delighted me. It’s full of symbols and it makes the impression of disordered vision. The main character brings to mind deadly Mother of God in a crown. She is surrounded by hourglasses and a clock – reminding the mortal that time is passing. To complete the image there are bloody words on the arms "FEEL" and "LOVE". Is it fascination with turpism? Band’s logo clearly doesn’t go with macabre collage and the title is almost invisible. I hope the musicians didn’t pay much for that, it would be a pity.

Tracklist:

01. When you were still alive
02. B.B.B.P.
03. Dreams of Luther
04. Jaguar
05. Its just bleeding
06. Interview with the beast
07. For nobody but me
08. World Blood of History
 
Author:
Translator: morrigan
Add date: 2014-12-15 / Music reviews




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