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Klone - Black Days review




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Band: Klone
Album: Black Days
Release date: April 2010


Disc I
01. Rite Of Passage
02. Spiral Down
03. Give Up The Rest
04. Hollow Way
05. Immaculate Desire
06. Closed Season (Interlude)
07. The Spell Is Cast
08. Danse Macabre
09. Rain Bird
10. Behold The Silence
11. Army Of Me [Björk cover]
12. The Monster [MP3 version bonus]
13. Give Up The Rest [live] [MP3 version bonus]
14. Spiral Down [live] [MP3 version bonus]
15. The Spell Is Cast [live] [MP3 version bonus]

Disc II [DVD bonus: All Seeing Live]
01. Intro
02. Introspection
03. Candlelight
04. Home
05. Last Breath
06. Chocked
07. Interlude
08. Nothing's The Same
09. Empire Of Shame
10. Promises
11. Under My Skin
12. All Seeing Eye
13. Disembody

Here's an album you'll be seeing on many "Top" lists for 2010. I see Klone called prog sometimes, and though Black Days is some groovy, gritty metal music done in a progressive way this isn't exactly "prog" as some might consider the genre in a classic sense. At times I'm even reminded of Tool; yet whether or not prog is your thing, as long as you don't mind a bit of grit and darkness with your music then you're in for a real treat with Black Days.

Vocals are sung, yet somewhere between clean and extreme. While he's rarely "clean singing," these aren't extreme vocals either. It's a fitting, gritty vocal performance that's so soulful. Whatever he's feeling, I'm feeling, too. And he's feeling it all: sometimes it's melancholy, angry, sinister, instigating, grieved, but always flowing seamlessly from one to the other. Not to be missed is their cover of Bjork's "Army of Me." This is one of those situations where no matter what you think of the original artist or the original song, there is no denying that it "metalizes" in an epic, epic way.

While individual songs don't stick out so much, there is enough continuous variety in tempo, and skill in performance and songwriting, to keep you hooked from beginning to end. Nice breakdowns are thrown in to keep you grooving as well. Honestly when I began to listen for the first time I thought I would just enjoy a few songs then switch to something else. Fat chance. Before I knew it the album was over and I had to listen again. This is a truly engaging piece that I can't stop spinning.





Written on 12.12.2010 by Susan appreciates quality metal regardless of sub-genre. Metal Storm Staff since 2006.

Twitter: @HeavyMetalSusan


Comments

Comments: 13   Visited by: 227 users
12.12.2010 - 21:56
Dane Train
Beers & Kilts
I am searching for this album right now!
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12.12.2010 - 22:27
Darkside Momo
Retired
Nice review, but this album is way too monotone for me. All Seeing-Eye, their previous effort, was also more aggressive (a bonus, if you ask me)
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13.12.2010 - 02:56
Richard

Sounds OK, not sure if I'd buy it. I see what you mean about the vocal style being melodic but also "gritty", the vocals reminded me a bit of Sentenced's late 90's stuff but with a bit more feeling and 'oomph' behind it.
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13.12.2010 - 04:52
Rating: 8
Ag Fox
Angel No More
I'm intrigued. Nice review
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loves 小巫
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14.12.2010 - 09:37
Susan
Smeghead
Written by Guest on 14.12.2010 at 03:26

Basicly Swedish Mela-Prog bands send Rock in an Avantgardishly wrought Metal box across the pond via Post, where the Grungy package is finally opened by some rarely used Alternative Tools.


Epic
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"A life all mine
Is what I choose
At the end of my days"
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31.01.2011 - 03:16
Rating: 8
Dream Taster
The Enemy Within
Thanks for the review. I love it. Somewhere between Tool and Pearl Jam if you ask me.
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31.01.2011 - 21:09
Rating: 9
silenius

Awesome album
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01.02.2011 - 14:27
Rating: 8
Ag Fox
Angel No More
Finally found a lossless copy of it. Love the vocals and the groove! Thank you, Lyrinan (=
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03.02.2011 - 23:47
Axe Argonian

My theory of how Klone came to be: Tool and Pantera were making love to each other, shortly before Godsmack jumped in between them. With open arms, Tool and Pantera welcomed the third partner and then encouraged several 90's grunge groups and even King Crimson to join the fun. After several hours of lovemaking, Klone was born.

Klone is an odd but intriguing product of several sounds. I'll most definitely keep an eye on them.
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"Man does at all times only what he wills, and yet he does this necessarily. But this is because he already is what he wills." - Arthur Schopenhauer
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09.02.2011 - 16:17
Rating: 8
Aebsi

Man the songs seem to finnish before they even begin, at least each song is done before you know it. You're just hooked from start, I love the "Spoonman" feeling close to the end of "The Spell is Cast", pure masterpiece.
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Just be Yourself
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23.02.2011 - 22:57
Rating: 8
tea[m]ster
Au Pays Natal
No way this is progressive metal, I think it's more metalcore with sludge sprinkled in. First band that came to mind was Mastodon. Good stuff no matter the genre...
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rekt
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27.04.2011 - 14:19
Spirit Molecule
spirit molecule
Written by Darkside Momo on 12.12.2010 at 22:27

Nice review, but this album is way too monotone for me. All Seeing-Eye, their previous effort, was also more aggressive (a bonus, if you ask me)


I agree with you on this, All seeing eye was definitely better. Decent album nonetheless.
But as a band i actually prefer the Klone side project, Mistaken Element (i think they only share the vocalist)
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26.08.2012 - 17:18
Rating: 8
X-Ray Rod
Skandino
Written by tea[m]ster on 23.02.2011 at 22:57

No way this is progressive metal, I think it's more metalcore with sludge sprinkled in. First band that came to mind was Mastodon. Good stuff no matter the genre...


Wouldn't call them progressive in the same way I wouldn't call them metalcore It definitely has elements of both, that's clear... But it's not one or the other anyways.
Pretty good album though, as a Björk fan... I must say the cover is absolutely brilliant.
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Written by BloodTears on 19.08.2011 at 18:29
Like you could kiss my ass
Written by Milena on 20.06.2012 at 10:49
Rod, let me love you.
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