Minsk - With Echoes In The Movement Of Stone

Minsk from the Chicago/Illinois area are one the heavier exponents in the Doom scene and certainly one of the more eclectic.The new album however takes a little more listening than the average Doom album to fully grasp the sonic landscapes that this band is producing.Specializing in rich Psychedelic crushing ambiance which has become their trademark sound,this new album see's them going beyond what most bands hope to achieve within the genre.Beautiful and terrifying at the same time,the band has a sonic progressive Doom rock quality you don't hear that often.Opening track "Three Moons" attacks the listener while " The Shore of Transcendence " is awesome in the way the track builds and builds,again a great example on how to construct a song.This track may be their best track ever,a instant classic ! “Almitra’s Premonition” keeps your attention throughout the entire 10 minutes and provides some extra crunch to the album." Crescent Mirror" is another great track,full of dynamics and reverb.One thing people will noticed with this album is how the band has changed since their earlier works,the vocals are more gentle with the blackened screams are more or less gone.This is not much of a problem as now they seem to have a new lease of life.The strange drumming techniques are now a little easier to follow and yet this may be the heaviest thing they have ever done.Overall this is a intriguing hour of music that may confuse some fans and it may take some people a few times to fully grasp the songs but after that this album becomes quite infectious.One of the best releases out on Relapse this year.8.5/10