Memory
Ivan
•
December 4, 2018
IVAN's "Memory" is a two-track full-length that is 48 minutes in length and full of things I never expected. With two songs above the 20-minute mark, this is a tedious album to get through. I also suggest that you don't listen to this when you're really sad because both songs are like watching the scene from movies where it shows all of the good guys dying off, except this scene lasted 25 minutes. Boom. There goes Bambi. Boom. There goes Fred Weasley. Boom. There goes every character you ever loved that was killed off.
Yes, these songs are sad. However sad and depressing they are, the melodies are intricate and beautiful, mimicking a classical approach to composition. The songs have depth, and within this depth are many melodies playing at once, but each one compliments the other. There are some things that I never expected from a Doom/Death Metal album. First of all, there's piano and violin, and they aren't limited to specific sections. They play throughout the entire album with the guitars, bass, and drums. This is what really layers the music so much and makes it sound classical.
Just because it's classical sounding doesn't mean that it's neoclassical. It's not fast or shredding at all. It's mid-paced, Doom-laden Death Metal, and it gets the job done. The only problem I see with this album is that there aren't any major differences between the two songs. Each song has the same concept: layered melodies created by violin, piano, and guitar. The intricacies of the music make it so that you have to listen to the album multiple times in order to get the gist, and the length of the songs don't make this easy. In fact, it takes a while for the melodies to set in. It's probably a good thing the songs are so long because of how long it took for my brain to wrap around what all of the instruments were doing as a collective group.
Other than the issue of the music not being diverse at all, this album isn't bad. The overall atmosphere of the music was very depressing, but serene at the same time. I would recommend this to people who like modern Doom/Death with a twist.
8 / 10
Excellent
Songwriting
Musicianship
Memorability
Production
"Memory" Track-listing:
1. Visions
2. Time Is Lost
Ivan Lineup:
Brod Wellington - Vocals, Drums
Joseph Pap - Guitars, Vocals
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