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Reviews
Confessor: Unraveled
02/03/06 || Global Domination
This review was written by ex-staffer/cocksmoker Lumberjack.
Lately all kinds of old bands have clawed their way out of the unmarked graveyard of obscurity. Some of these new albums from old farts, such as the new offerings from Bolt Thrower or Gorefest, remind you why you ever cared who they were to begin with, and rival (or best) anything else from their catalogue. Some of them should’ve been taken behind the toolshed and shot years ago.
So, what about Confessor? Are they old? Check. “Unraveled” is their first album since 1991’s “Condemned.” Did they kick ass when they were younger and less wrinkled? Absolutely; “Condemned” is one of the finest and most unique releases in metal, and it seems as if every current death metaller who throws in some tempo changes feels compelled to cite Confessor as a reference. So, after a 30 year break, how much do they suck? Because, we all know, if you’re metal, you’re not allowed to like anything but the first two albums or so, and you’re definitely required to vomit immediately upon mention of a “comeback” album, right?
Well, if that’s how it is, the fuckin’ Metal Gestapo is gonna have to revoke my license: this is one of the best albums I’ve heard.
Notice that I didn’t put “this year” or “this week” or “in the past five minutes” at the end of that previous sentence? That’s because in my 22 long years on this earth I have only had the great joy of recklessly stumbling across one other album which evokes the same kind of feeling in me that “Unraveled” does, and that’s “Condemned.” Confessor, for those uninitiated, got their start around the time when death metal’s underpinnings were being laid. As bands continued to speed up and growl like madmen, Confessor chose a different tack.
Confessor is heavy. Somehow that word has gotten tied inextricably with the word “fast.” However, this doesn’t have to be the case. Confessor play like a dreadnaught sails: it’s not fast, but doesn’t leave much alive in its wake. Shifting time signatures, stomach churning guitar harmonies, waves of bass, and ominous booming drums combine with singer Jeffreys’ plaintive wailing to create something that sounds a little like doom, a little like death, but mostly like…Confessor. The music is technically complicated, and demands your full attention, yet maintains a groove so addictive you may need to detox after one listen.
Their sound is somewhat different from their last offering, in a few areas. The song structures are slightly more controlled and straightforward and the tempo is just slightly slower. Jeffreys does an amazing job with his voice, often layering his ethereal croonings over each other, but doesn’t hit the ear-piercing high notes he was (in)famous for back in ’91. However, anyone at all familiar with their older work, will instantly recognize the signature Confessor sound. This is not music you put on in the background while you do other things not Confessor-related. “Unraveled” will suck you into its world of waves of crashing dissonance and otherworldly and strangely heroic voices and not release you for some time. This is the music that plays in your dreams and that you hum when you wake. At times on “Unraveled” Confessor bowls you over and crushes you, daring you to move. Other times, specifically the choruses to “The Downside” and “Sour Times,” that they compel you to sing along. I don’t think many albums this year have the soul and emotion this album, clearly a labor of love, is saturated with. I can only imagine the elation Confessors oldass fans must feel at their champion’s triumphant return after such a long sabbatical. Having been only 5 when “Condemned” was released, I’m grateful that I finally checked this band out.
9/10
- Information
- Released: 2005
- Label: Season of Mist
- Website: www.confessorband.com
- Band
- Scott Jeffreys: vocals
- Steve Shelton: drums
- Cary Rowells: bass
- Brian Shoaf: guitar
- Shawn McCoy: guitar
- Tracklist
- 01. Cross the Bar
- 02. Until Tomorrow
- 03. Wigstand
- 04. Blueprint Soul
- 05. The Downside
- 06. Sour Times
- 07. Hibernation
- 08. Strata of Fear