By Nick Smalley, with help from Luke ‘GFD’ Benjamins.
The intro really makes the song. The pacing’s well done too: it bounces between slow, tired spots to frenetic, crazy speed.
Image source: MSPaint Adventures.
His smut has been forged into a formidable blade, capable of bringing elves to tears, John, too.
By Kalibration
Slow, dulce strings. The mood’s right on target, with those maudlin, wandering notes. More of a background ambiance than a stand-alone track.
By Kalibration
A mellow xylophone track. The mellowest, most leisurely song on the entire album, as a matter of fact. It seems this track was cut before The Concesce’s ‘SEA HITLER’ persona was revealed, so unless the Batterwitch turned over a hell of a new leaf, the song isn’t all that related to its subject. Doesn’t stop it from being a relaxing beat, though.
By Kalibration
An exotic exercise in bongo drums and finger cymbals. There’s no instrumental melody to compete with, and that talent for percussion has a little more room to shine.
By Alexander Rosetti
Track art by Marina.
This track serves as a pretty strong anchor for the album. It really establishes the main theme well (especially near the end, love those booming timpani). The little passage that starts around 0:45 has a great lullaby quality to it.
By Alexander Rosetti. Includes “Sarabande” by Erik “Jit” Scheele
Track art by Rikuru.
Continues the thoughts established in the first two tracks on the album, with a little more variation in pace. Lots of slow, reverent strings. The symphonic turn on Sarabande in the second half is fantastic.
By Alexander Rosetti
Track art by Marina (poor Jade).
Kind of a leisurely, Baroque chase scene, off and on. My favorite part’s the variations on the main ‘Pondsquatter’ theme near the end (especially that march bit).
By Alexander Rosetti. Includes “Black” by Toby “Radiation” Fox.
Track art by Rikuru.
Most of the album gives off a very positive vibe: this track’s a little more brooding, a little more dramatic. Even apart from the staccato, chanted march cover of Black, there’s a great sense of tension throughout. The hook from Prospitian Folklore gets turned on its head when it’s done in electric guitar instead of an orchestra.
By Alexander Rosetti
Track art by Marina and Rikuru.
If you get a chance and you own the album, have a read through in the liner notes PDF that comes with it. Alexander Rosetti describes the setting he’s trying to accomplish, the story he’s trying to tell, with every song. This one follows the destruction in Bilious, and all that’s left is a sole clarinet melody, caught in the wind of a vast emptiness. Crushed but not yet destroyed, like a fern emerging from the ashes of a forest fire.