Band – An Isolated Mind
Album – Self Titled
Country of Origin – USA
Genre – Instrumental Metal
Release Date – January 5, 2020
Label – Vigor Deconstruct
Author – Benjamin Boggs
An isolated mind is one person’s journey. On the latest release, Self Titled, Kameron Bogges professes and bears witness to his own journey. This is a gorgeous instrumental album, and like any good musical storyteller, multi-instrumentalist Bogges has created an emotionally charged and extremely exciting album.
I love when I am unable to classify an artist into a neat little box. While trying to put a point on what I would best call this, I did a little online digging. According to Encyclopedia Metallum, An Isolated mind is “Avant-garde Black/Death Metal.” While the latest release, “Self Titled” certainly includes these aspects, I would be remiss to consider this album only that. In fact, very little of this work would even come close to what I would consider black metal, the exception being the occasional blast beat. That is absolutely not an insult, by any means. This album smoothly evolves and warps from genre to genre with masterful ease.
The dynamics on this recording are off the charts. The opening track, “Fear”, creates a nervous steady droning that leads seamlessly into the triumphant second track, the appropriately titled “Euphoria”. It is a dizzying mix of technicality and melody. An unholy union between post rock heroics and good old fashioned progressive metal muscle. This is most loudly proclaimed on the jagged centerpiece, 5150. Here the album treads most into a progressive metal territory. The breathtaking melodic passages on this song are so mournfully unrepentant. When the epiphany breaks wide open, it introduces a howl that only adds to the frenetic strumming of the strings.
The duality of the album is perfectly captured on standout track “Sempervirens”. This shows Bogges blasting on all cylinders. While this song is what I would call the most comparable to traditional black metal, what separates this from black metal is the tone. This isn’t grim; it’s a revelation. It is screaming from the mountaintops to rejoice! However, once the bliss expires, the harrowing undertones creep back in, almost as if that feeling of expecting the worst while you are at your highest is whispering in your ear. The album finishes in a very similar vein – not a transformation; an acquiescence. I hear the acceptance and sorrow that succeed the elated outbursts amidst a violent, but positive energy.
From the band’s bandcamp page, ‘”Self Titled” is a collection of two EPs recorded between March-June of 2018, prior to the debut. Both are considered a prequel to “I’m Losing Myself”.’ What I like about this album most, is the serene tranquility that creates a false sense of hope before creating a wave of what I could only describe as a mournful bliss. These EPs absolutely compliment each other, holding hands in both the light and the darkness. Once you absorb the entire piece, it is apparent that they belong together. It is a very beautiful album, without question. If you are looking for a beautifully sorrowful album to spend some time reflecting upon, then look no further.
Biography: Benjamin Boggs is the vocalist of Drink Their blood. He is proud to be a part of the MoshPitNation writing team.
