Doom Metal from the Woods of Finland
08/16/2003
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Skepticism are an experimental metal group that instantly spoke to me. Some people describe Skepticism's sound as depressing. There is certainly a large dose of melancholy to their sound, but there is transcedence in the sound as well. The band is shrouded in some mystery and choose to continue in this manner. They are making metal music that so undescribably BEAUTIFUL (a strange word for metal, I know) and mysterious. It is not sappy beautiful, but beauty in sorrow, beauty in pain, beauty in transcedence. The music is very ambient and minimal for metal. Each of the 4 musicians plays a fascinating role in the alchemy that results from their collaboration. There is a keyboardist who plays neo-classical dirges, often approximating the sound of a huge organ. There is a guitarist who really knows his role in the band, is always restrained, but often mesmerizing. There is a drummer who very slowly and skillfully pounds drums and cymbals. His high-end cymbal sound is unbelievable, especially on AES. There is a singer who will remain silent for minutes on end and then emit groans of sound that sound like a distorted guitar to a certain extent, but also serve a narrative purpose that is critical to the band. Farmakon might be my favorite of Skepticism's albums, but all are great. Of their CD-EPs, the Process of Farmakon is the weakest, admittedly, mostly because it is so short (18 minutes). One more song would have put it in the realm of AES and Ethere. Anyway, you are highly encouraged to support this unique band of artists and its terrific underground label (Red Stream)."
Blown away
Brian Skala | Fort Worth, TX United States | 06/22/2008
(5 out of 5 stars)
"One of the most incredible doom metal albums ever made. So dark, strange, powerful and addicting. The felt beaten drums create a fantastic thumping sound, the keyboards attract a hypnotic listening experince and the bizzare, unconventional guitar licks have the listener wanting more. All this and the distant vocals create an awesome music experience."
Depression... darkness... depression...
Antonio Palacios | Perú | 11/08/2005
(4 out of 5 stars)
"Skepticism play a variant of the doom metal genre* called ¨funeral doom¨ or ¨opressive doom¨ Voices coming from nowhere, haunting whispers, slowness, weird grunts, and anguish are characteristic in this record. You're going to experiment a lot of feelling while you're listening to the album, and that's the idea behind this particular genre: the sensorial experience thru the music.
I also have to say that the concept of solitude, depression and bitterness has been worked not only in the music but in the graphic design of the album. Check the CD cover and you'll see... nothing.
*Doom metal can be divided into this main categories (just for organization):
- Proto doom: Black Sabbath
- Traditional doom: Candlemass
- Death doom: dISEMOBWELMENT
- Funeral doom: Shape of despair
- Melodic doom: The 3rd and the Mortal
- Symphonic doom: Lacrimas profundere
- Stoner doom: High on fire"
Track Listings (6) - Disc #1