With the advent of shoegaze and post-Metal popularity, a slippery slope has developed. Over the years, different bands have experimented, subtracted, mixed and formulated.  After listening to THE CHANT's "A Healing Place", I'm left wondering how much a band can take away from their sound and still be considered Metal?

Fair warning: This album has more in common with ENYA than NAILBOMB - no excitement, barely-there distortion and no energy. Now that has been said, are you still with me? Then maybe this is your kind of thing. I hope you packed your full attention span.

Opener "Outlines" is eight minutes of sung and layered vocals, slow tempos and eventually a saxophone solo. And "Spectral Light" almost follows the same formula. Acoustic guitars, keyboards and breathy vocals rule the track for almost five minutes. A vaguely industrial drum beat makes up the final 90 seconds of the song and acts as an intro to the next track, "Riverbed."

"The Black Corner" turns the moodiness up to 11. The guitar part is Alternative Rock at its heart, and the vocal lines sound like they were lifted directly from an album by A PERFECT CIRCLE. Again, section is connected to section until the song eventually reaches eight minutes in length. Fortunately, "Ocean Speaks" is only four minutes long. Here we see what the band could be with a bit of musical editing. The riff actually offers a small punch, the chorus is clear, and the song's point and intent are evident to the listener.

"Distant Drums" and "My Kin" drag the album back to the doldrums. Long-winded and limp, the subdued tracks feature more moaning, barely-there backing music and flat lined feeling. The final track, "Regret" is another six minute gloomy number.

THE CHANT's meandering song structures and occasional crescendos just did not hold my attention. Maybe my musical brain is an un-evolved block of stone, but this album never managed to grabbed me or generate much listening interest.