Closure
Blossom Cult
From their Facebook page, BLOSSOM CULT describes themselves as "The cult offers a place to call home for those who feel trapped in a torn society. Those who refuse to identify with any of those sides screaming at each other. The BLOSSOM CULT songs comment on society from a position neither right or left. They sing, scream, spit and whisper in brutal honesty - touching you, reaching for your heart. They are something real. Emotional, angry, sometimes tender, sometimes roaring. Breathe. Believe. Be free." "Closure" contains eight tracks.
"Beginning" leads off the album. It's a very brief one-minute opening instrumental, with tones of beauty and charm. "Atlas" is next. It opens with a powerful riff and some keys. Vocally, it switches between screams and cleans, in an almost "question and answer" session. I like the melodies they develop here. They are clean and alluring. That guitar solo shines like a beacon in the night. "Burn" opens with a slower moving pace, but still with that melody in the forefront of the music. The vocals are clean and emotive, creating that longing feeling that you get from good music. The harmonies in the chorus are nice as well. This is a very charming song.
"My Sickness" opens with some darker tones. The cadence in the vocals reminds me of LEPROUS. Here we get some screams as well. There is also a bit of atmosphere here and those clean vocals get to me every time. "Burden" opens with some heavier tones, and then whispered vocals. You get the sense something is coming for you. Then, screams come in and the song turns angry. The harmonies in the clean vocals really bring out the strength of the song for me.
"Cotard Delusion" opens with pretty piano notes, and pensive vocals. This song is powerful in its delivery of emotion...all clean vocals, with subtle harmonies. What a grand mark it will leave on your psyche. "Same old Song" moves a little faster on the spectrum, with plenty of "get-up-and-go." That odd cadence in the verses is back again. The scream reminds you of the frustration from the title of the song. "Road to Home" is a short closing track, with warm and comforting tones...the perfect way to end an album. The melancholy strings remind us that we all still have work to do, but home is where the heart is as they say.
Overall, I found the album to be non-genre specific, meaning that it's just the band and their music. It doesn't fit neatly into any boxes, and that's OK. As they described above, it's highly emotive, sometimes dark and angry, and other times light and hopeful. Could you say that they suffer from a lack of a clear identity? I suppose that could be a take-way. But I prefer to say that the band embraces several different styles and incorporated them into their music. In this sense, they distance themselves from the "same old same old" that is out there, and I applaud them for that.
8 / 10
Excellent
Songwriting
Musicianship
Memorability
Production
"Closure" Track-listing:
1. Beginning
2. Atlas
3. Burn
4. My Sickness
5. Burden
6. Cotard Delusion
7. Same old Song
8. Road to Home
Blossom Cult Lineup:
János R. Krusenbaum - Vocals, Guitars, Keys
Max Krüger - Guitars, Backing Vocals
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