See It Burn - Ascending To The Masters

Thanks goes out to Dustin for sending me the new album from See It Burn titled "Ascending To The Masters". Their first album "Desolation Overture" which i also reviewed a few months ago had me scratching my head trying to figure out what this band was all about and this new album is equally as intriguing. The band is a duo from the UK made of John Hoskison-Parkin and Glenn Boddice but who plays what on this album is also a mystery. Described as a concept album, it paints the picture of a medieval pilgrim on a journey of self-discovery and enlightenment, as he learns his life lessons, he ascends towards his masters. Such descriptions are useful but i am still confused as to the true meaning of it all but one thing i do know is this is a very strange album that is beyond easy genre placement. Part drone, part doom, part industrial, part folk and very acoustically driven ambient progressive rock, this is a mellow listening experience that demands concentration for you to be able to fully absorb the vibes and moods within. The album begins with a intro titled "Eve Of Beauty", a sad melancholic acoustic piece rich in a folksy type of sound but that is only one element of what is a very diverse album. "Through The Valley Of Solice" begins with more acoustic guitar that is a warm, very live sound almost like its right there in your living room. "Alone I Wander In The Dusk" is even more peaceful acoustic sounds and at this point, you will be wondering where is the drone or doom. "Mountains In The Mind" doesn't change those thoughts either, it is more acoustically driven ambiance that is very well played but the urge to fall asleep is overwhelming at this point.

"Nocturnal Harvest" at least wakes you up a bit, it has a haunting droning ambiance that can be compared to a mellow Sunn O))) while the next track "Bleak Tidings For A Weary Traveler" brings back more acoustic, medieval folk driven melodrama. Once again my patience is pushed to the limit, i don't mind sections of music like this but not a entire album. "Unleashing The Mammoth Rage Of Mother Nature" is up next and finally we get some dramatic song structures happening, a chilling droning burst of fuzzing ambient noise and distorted guitar sounds. At last, after all this band is widely regarded as being in the drone field of music but you have to wait a damn long time to hear any on this album. This is the standout track on the album just because it breaks free of the acoustic guitar shackles that the album is tied to throughout. "Into The Black Caves Of Eternity" is the final track on the album and is a mammoth piece of work at over 20 minutes at length. Thankfully this is more droning heavy doom ambiance, a 20 minute acoustic piece would be overkill at this point. The track is full of light and shade, heavy to mellow and back again, the loud sections build up some droning, industrial intensity at times that is very much in the Sunn O))) vein. Beautifully constructed and arranged, there is even a (shock,horror) drum beat that starts up in the last 5 minutes adding some much needed drive to the track. It never gets dull throughout its 20 minutes, i just wish the whole album could have been more like this. Anyone who read my review for the previous album from See It Burn would know how impressed i was with that album but i am sad to say, this album is top-heavy in acoustic guitar for my usual readers to stomach. But it also must be pointed out that the last 2 drone tracks take up the bulk of the album filling up some 31 minutes so i guess you can always skip the first 6 tracks( just a tip for the drone fans out there). To sum up, despite the fact that the acoustic tracks nearly sent me into a coma, the last 2 tracks are great and so makes the album worthwhile from a drone perspective. The album could have better served by putting a drone track as the first and last track of the album with the acoustic tracks in-between. Still a very interesting album, i just cant take the acoustic numbers in such a large dose. 6/10

www.myspace.com/seeitburn