Starchitect - No (CD)

Review
Metalizer
5/5
21.12.2011

Нарочито лёгкие настроения представлены на новом альбоме украинцев Starchitect. Если первый трек заставил вас выпасть в осадок, то последующие – с особым шармом сносят вам крышу… дома своим ураганно-тайфунным состоянием. Потрясающая энергетика, хороший расклад, сбалансированный между партиями инструментов, превращают этот альбом в единый целостный монолит, отражающий своей блестящей, сверкающей поверхностью лучи яркого солнца. А названия песен чётко осуществляют задуманное и демонстрируют планы музыкантов, например, (в переводе с английского) такие композиции, как «Солнце, дождь», «Свет», «Да», «Друзья» или «Тишина», «Лицом к лицу», «Убийство» – не правда ли, всё становится понятным? Разве что осталось для меня загадкой название диска – «No» в смысле «Нет» или оно подразумевает собой «Номер», впрочем, пока размышления над этим любезно заводят в тупик, к концу диска это становится уже неважно. Главное, что, несмотря на жанр, в котором созидают Starchitect, а это (условно назовём) post/hardcore с небольшой примесью matcore, как известно, сложно и тяжёло воспринимаемая слуху музыка, не оседает в памяти как совершенно бессвязный, безынтересный и нелогичный скомканный комплекс запутанных конструкций, а остаётся как вполне приемлемый опус, годный к прослушиванию.

Согласно пресс-релизу, альбом продолжает тенденцию, старт которой был взят ещё на сплите, вышедшем в прошлом году с группой Fading Waves. Тяжёлые, толстые, плотные гитарные риффы дают о себе знать напрямую, будьте осторожны – у неподготовленного слушателя может даже разболеться голова, ведь подобную музыку надо уметь начать слушать не спеша и не торопясь, потому что диск исключительно для тех, кто, в первую очередь, понимает, что такое post metal и hardcore, здесь «авось понравится» – не пройдёт.

Прекрасные иллюстрации буклета, выполненные Эриком Фишером, заранее располагают к прослушиванию альбома, листать его хочется до бесконечности: эти разноцветные пёстрые чертёжные пятна будто гипнотизируют, мягко заставляя постоянно вглядываться в него и стараться замечать там каждый раз что-то новое для себя. Но, товарищи, а где тексты? Так не честно. Релиз предоставлен Slow Burn Records.

Атмосфера – 5/5
Техника – 5/5
Материал – 5/5
Реализация – 5/5

Author: Валентина PANTERA Катышева

Review
Metalstorm
6/10
13.01.2012

Starchitect is a post-metal band from Ukraine… and yet another adherent to the ever increasing list of bands I’ve started lumping into that “SSDD” (Same Shit, Different Dudes) category. Post-whatever basically means some cool riffs, songs that slowly develop and cover a couple moods – Mellow Moment TM chill parts and angry, angsty outbursts of distortion and intense instrument pounding, all topped off with horribly over the top screamo vocals.

Their latest album is conveniently entitled No. Convenient? Sure. It answers a lot of questions.

While the music is generally pretty cool, is it anything different than what anyone else is doing?

No.

While the music is generally pretty cool, is it better than what anyone else is doing?

No, not really.

Do they employ those screamo vocals to better effect than the various other bands you’ve bitched about using a similar approach?

Hell No.

Go check out the opening minute of “Friends” – a demo version is on their myspace page. If you can endure the opening minute’s salvos of hooting and hollering without wanting to jam a pair of scissors into your ear canal in an effort to rupture your eardrums, bully for you, you might be able to enjoy the album. While the demo version is rougher than the well-produced final product, I would rather watch the whiny highlights of Ross from the sitcom “Friends” (my second least favorite TV character ever, behind only Scrappy Doo) for however long this album is than listen to either version of the song of the same name.

In all honesty, the music is not particularly different than anything anyone else in the field is doing. I’ve received a slew of these type of albums over the past 15 months, and they fit right in the middle of the pack of the lot. It’s not bad, but it’s not really groundbreaking or new… they create songs well enough, but not well enough to create their own identity and really differentiate themselves from anyone else. They blend in.

And I’ve already bitched about the vocals once, but I’ve gone a full paragraph without denigrating them and feel the need to do so again. They drag what is already middle of the road down. Somehow they seem worse or more egregious than all the other SSDD acts out there. They made listening to the album (which would have been OK as an instrumental) a bit of a dreaded chore… like vacuuming. And they are about as pleasing to the ear as the deafening, roaring whine of the crumb and pet hair gathering, Geneva Convention violating Hoover my wife uses. The one which I have affectionately dubbed “The Noisemaker.” Usually I crank the tunes to cover the sonic torment of the machine. Usually.

When it comes down to it, would I recommend this album?

Sadly, No.

Author: BitterCOld

Review
Aristocrazia
31.12.2011

Avevamo incrociato gli Starchitect nel 2010 grazie allo split con i Fading Waves, nel 2011 per il duo divenuto trio e adesso composto oltre che da Primus Man (batteria e voce) e Demoni (chitarre) dall’entrante Alexander (basso) è arrivato il momento di dare alle stampe il primo album “No” sempre sotto l’egida della Slow Burn Records.
Il sound degli ucraini è devoto alle atmosfere post, si è passati da una visione più hardcore e canonica del genere a una più “rock” oriented in alcune sezioni, le atmosfere sono più stralunate e meno rigide, il grigiore spigoloso che godeva di attimi riflessivi e intimi dei pezzi dello split si arricchisce di sfaccettature melancoliche e tonalità quasi positive. La doppietta scoppiettante che vede succedersi “Light” e “Yeah” si allontana infatti dal torpore minaccioso per dare una lieve pacca a mo’ di sveglia.
Il resto del platter è però standard, minaccioso e acido, penso soprattutto alla disturbata “Friends” nella quale Primus si squarcia la gola urlando come un ossesso su un pezzo umoralmente schizofrenico ma che sa già di sentito, alle dissonanze che sembrano ostentatamente forzate in “Face To Face” e a “Murder”, piacevole ciò nonostante dello spirito legato al titolo possiede ben poco.
La produzione per quanto pulita non da certo una mano agli Starchitect, il suono del rullante in alcuni frangenti è poco gradevole così come la chitarra sembra distante perdendo contatto con la base.
Non è sicuramente privo di difetti questo “No”, la staticità e il forte legame con le radici del post se non sviluppato attraverso una ricerca che metta sul piatto personalità ed esplorazione rimangono solo doti di fortuna per ottenere, come avviene in questo caso, una sufficienza e nulla più.
Se è spiccare il volo il loro intento, le ali dovranno essere ben più che semplicemente aperte, si dovranno spalancare abbandonando le ancore a influenza che ne appesantiscono notevolmente l’evoluzione, mettendo sul piatto un discreto affiatamento strumentale e una tracklist dotata di un trio di pezzi centrali che la rendono ascoltabile. Per ora di più non si può proprio pretendere.

Author: Mourning

Review
Pavillon 666
7/10
15.11.2011

Mêlant les mots « star » et « architect », les Ukrainiens franchissent le pas en cette année 2011. Après la sortie d’un split CD avec FADING WAVES, le trio se décide à sortir le grand jeu, signant chez “Slow Burn Records”, une des filiales de “Solitude Productions”. Bien que reprenant les éléments laissés dans leur précédente sortie, les membres accentuent encore plus leur façon de voir les choses, et ne se privent pas de nous dire « non » ! Un titre d’album assez évocateur d’une époque où l’on nous demande tout et n’importe quoi.

STARCHITECT dit non aux conventions, à la banalité et aux directives, ainsi qu’aux pochettes censées représenter quelque chose. L’artwork de « No » reste quelque peu abstrait, malgré ces tons de blanc et ces couleurs déposées en amas sur toutes les pages du livret. Mais comme on dit si bien, « il ne faut pas juger un livre à sa couverture », et donc, ne pas juger un album à son livret. Jetons-nous donc au sein de ce « No » particulièrement torturé.

Sous cette apparence “doom/atmosphérique” frappante sur le premier morceau « The Sun, the Rain », STARCHITECT ne fait pas vraiment dans le “doom”, malgré des pistes lentes et souvent longues. Et même si les atmosphères sont mises au premier plan, les Ukrainiens ont de prime abord pensé aux riffs de guitares et au chant torturé de Primus Man. Ici, c’est du “post-metal”, du vrai, proche d’ISIS sur leur « Celestial », qui fait rage du début à la fin. Les instruments ont une place prépondérante sur la majeure partie des titres, afin de plonger l’auditeur dans un monde lourd, déchiré et lent. On se retrouve aisément perdu dans ces méandres d’éléments magnétiques et hypnotiques, mélancoliques et aériens, saturés et syncopés.

Car oui, STARCHITECT varie son propos et manie son sujet. Rien que son nom de scène est représentatif de la musique effectuée, quelque part entre le ciel et les étoiles. Car les riffs sont loin d’être agressifs, et ils nous proposent une variation d’harmonie non négligeable, à mesure que la progression se fait de manière plus mélancolique. Les cris écorchés sont aussi un vecteur de souffrance, mais font la part belle à des atmosphères aussi pesantes qu’éthérées. « Light », par exemple, sera en pur contraste avec un « Yeah » plus positif.

A contrario, un « Friends » met davantage en valeur une certaine souffrance, comme si STARCHITECT avait été victime de trahison, désillusionné par une bande de prétendus amis. Les riffs sont alors plus hésitants, bien que précis dans leur exécution. Le rythme se ralentit, au profit d’une atmosphère de doute, de tristesse, et de rage par la suite, quand tout devient plus tranchant et agressif. Une agressivité que l’on retrouvera dans le titre « Silence », loin de nous proposer quelque chose de silencieux. Le chant nous crache toute sa douleur et sa souffrance, tandis que les instruments se veulent plus saturés et bruitistes, des éléments qui se retrouvent tout autant sur un « Face to Face » arraché, se terminant par un bruit blanc.

Si vous aimez le “post-metal” voire le “post-hardcore” typé ISIS ou NEUROSIS, cet album risque d’être pour vous. STARCHITECT arrive très bien à retransmettre ces atmosphères terribles et torturées au sein d’un album peut-être trop court. Toutefois, le trio fait preuve d’efficacité, arrivant à alterner en un seul morceau, par exemple, autant de côtés éthérés que de côté pesants et écrasants. Il nous montre qu’il est l’architecte.

Author: Matai

Review
Mtuk Metal Zine

Starchitect sounds to me like it should be a Progressive band playing dreamy and ethereal music. Ethereal it is to a point, but what this Ukrainian band offers up is in fact Post Metal in the style of Cult of Luna or in less harsh moments, Bossk. So we plug in and inhale a sweeping and deadly guitar range, backed by a deadened drum sound and occasional hoarse roars. It is of course heavy and whilst the lazy comparison can be made to Cult of Luna thanks to its sweeping dark soundscapes, it’s more direct thanks to its shorter tracks. With Starchitect, once a musical statement is made, we move on.

So the first track “The Sun, The Rain” leads to the more pounding “Light”. The roars synchronise with the deep guitar riff. By contrast, “Yeah” is lighter in a Post Metal sense, sounding like Canned Heat to begin with and developing good forward motion and a nice riff. It soon cranks up to the dark soundscape to which we’ve become accustomed. As the sound gets broader and darker, it’s like a threat hanging over us. The constant beat is hypnotic. The band are now working up a sweat. It’s fast and mobile, exhilarating in fact. The mood changes again on the much harsher “Friends”. This is more like post Metal Hardcore with a rhythm section. It leads to a quieter passage and then a wall of noise. After the noise, it mellows out a bit and builds up, this time to something emotionally charged. I have no idea what any of this has to do with “Friends”, but it’s an interesting and unusual track. Crash, bang …. the slow dark tones contribute to an atmosphere of desperate anguish. “Silence” steams on constantly and majestically. As ever, the drums produce the power, while the guitars provide the menace. Roars of anguish continue against the bleak backdrop. This track takes more than one turn but we always return to the bludgeoning and mid-paced instrumentals. “Silence” is not golden. It is just very heavy.

As if to prove the point, “Face to Face” is a continuation of “Silence”. Pained screams match the dark and mechanical rhythm. It then steps down. The journey continues in a new direction with sludgy minimalist guitar and cymbals. The sound begins to build up. One senses the customary monolithic slab but we have first to work through an intricate and hypnotising web of guitar work. Cleverly, we never get there because the valve is opened, the air releases and the track comes to a stop. Finally, we have “Murder”, not the Katatonia version but there is a slightly melancholic air to begin with. We’re soon in the regular harsh pattern, which changes as it steps up a notch, becoming higher pitch and anarchic as the album ends.

“No” is an album whose life comes from its interesting variations and developments. As an example of the Post Metal format, it is of high quality and I would certainly recommend it.

Author: Andrew Doherty