Echolot - Curatio

Angry Metal Guy

I was only loosely familiar with Echolot upon taking this promo. The prospect of ‘Psychedelic Doom,’—as their blurb announces—intrigued me, however. As it turns out, this would be a leap much further out of my comfort zone than I was bargaining for. For Curatio, the group’s fourth LP, is not doom, even if at times it displays that sensibility. It’s prog. At the risk of incurring the wrath of my esteemed colleagues, this is not a genre I have much fondness for (unless it comes with a much stronger dose of death perhaps). Not one to back out in the face of adversity, I persevered, and soon Echolot had wormed their way into my brain not (entirely) unwillingly. For their particular blend carries a smooth, modern, post-metal leaning, and a certain understatedness that’s actually quite charming.

Consisting of four tracks spread across around thirty-eight minutes, Curatio’s success stands or falls with the strength of these lengthy compositions. These are loosely structured and free-flowing, often given to ambient guitar and bass meandering. Clean refrains and gentle strumming build into ripping harsh screams (“Burdens of Sorrows”). Atmospheric reverb coats subtly distorted plucks with a syrupy warmth at one moment, near-post-black coldness at another. Duets of shout-singing and throaty growls over layered chords frequently recalls The Ocean. The dominant post-metal of alternately moody and mellow tones enhances the punch of more aggressive moments. Even these latter parts hold an easygoing groove. And other than the mildly jarring dips into black metal on final track “Wildfire,” transitions are pretty seamless, making for an enjoyably smooth listening experience that rewards whether you’re daydreaming or listening intently.

Curatio by Echolot

Echolot describe this album as arising from the “depths of the seven seas,” which is both apt and inaccurate, in different ways. It does ebb and flow, but recalls somewhere closer to the wave-broken surface rather than the dark profundity of the ocean. This isn’t to say it’s not alluring. The first movement of “Resilience of Floating Forms,” has an ethereal delicacy in its mournful plucks and fragile cleans played out over restlessly shuffling percussion and rising guitar. When the harsh vocals collide with the prog-rock clean-sung intro of “Burdens of Sorrows,” and add further drama to the crashing final build of “Countess of Ice,” it’s like a jolt of lightning striking the water’s surface. The extended instrumental passages of ambient chords (“Countess of Ice”) and soaring riffs over turbulent drums (“Wildfire”) are subtly thrilling. Too often, however, the warm croon of the cleans becomes more of a whine, turning streaming, atmospheric instrumentation sour with saccharine puling. The music then loses some of the drama and beauty it has built up, leaving the back end of “Burdens of Sorrows” and much of “Wildfire” in particular to stagnate in an almost emo aura.

Ultimately, Curatio is a little frustrating, for beautiful though it often is, the release of the tension they build up never feels quite enough. To be fair, this reserve sometimes works, allowing the cascading guitars and echoing synths (“Countess of Ice”), and syrupy atmosphere (“Resilience of Floating Forms”) to wash over the listener. Yet, even after repeat listens, I am still disappointed that the best, and most dramatic moment of “Burdens of Sorrows” is that early entry of harsh vocals and the completion of the urgently mournful refrain. I still resent the extended interruptions to the gorgeous, powerful builds of “Resilience of Floating Forms.” I am still turned off by the sunny second half of “Wildfire.” Compounding the frustration is the clear talent of these musicians. In fact, were this an instrumental record, there may be less to complain about, as the subtly shifting instrumentation would not be impacted by the objectionably sunny cleans. (The harsh vocals are, however, totally excellent in their throaty savagery). Moreover, the irrefutable brilliance of Jonathan Schmidli’s percussion in particular would stand out even more. As it is, it’s still a joy to listen to in all its intelligently rolling-over, cymbal-crashing glory. But even the greatness of the musicianship, even in an instrumental capacity, can’t provide denouements that aren’t there.

I’m concerned that this review seems overly negative, because this is not a bad album. It is an elegant piece of musical introspection, in equal parts peaceful and gently stirring. Fans of the genre, and of Echolot, are likely to find much to enjoy here. It’s just missing that little extra to fully complete the rise and fall of its musical waves.

Rating: Good
DR: 6 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: Sixteentimes Music
Websites: darkseacreature.bandcamp.com | facebook.com/echolot.space
Releases Worldwide: November 4th, 2022

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