Make-Trephine

Devouter Records
2012

Nothing beats having random albums show up in your e-mail for review. This latest on is the 9-track debut-release from Chapel Hill, North Carolina's Make. Who you might ask? Honestly, the name was new to me as well. Seeing as the three-piece hail from Chapel Hill though (the home of many a hip act) I approached this album with a mixture of excitement and trepidation. An odd mixture I'll admit, but when you've been burned one too many times by false hype you learn quickly that not everything is as it seems. Anyway, the band had previously released a self-titled EP in 2010 followed by a 3-song live record ("Live @ WXDU") in 2011. With "Trephine" the band looks to take their "drone-pysch-doom-metal" sound even further then ever before. Yes, this is not mainstream metal folks. No, this trio offers 9-tracks of near instrumental music. While there are vocals they are spread out amongst long passages of progressive, post-rock/sludge-doom. Make (such an odd name for this odd band) prove themselves capable of technically savvy metal with exquisite instrumentation while still exposing inner-conflict with an unholy edge. The music is grand and sweeping, epic and twisting, dark and passionate all while maintaining an uncanny ability to stay grounded. This is a promising debut album from a rising band and a record worth picking up.








http://thebandmake.bandcamp.com/album/trephine

Make-Axis

Devouter Records
2012


Doesn't seem that long ago that I covered Chapel Hill, N.C. act Make. You can check out my review of their last album below, but "Axis" is more of the same only it's 3-tracks this time around. When the opening number is 17 minutes long though it kind of makes up for being "only 3-tracks". As stated it's more of the same only in this case that is a very fine thing again. This is fuzzed out doom by way of  freaked-out drone-metal rock. Yes, it's every bit as unnerving and unnatural as that might sound and yet, given the right context in which one sits down to fully plug-in and engage this album with, it's a thing of beauty. Don't expect anything that sparkles or shines though as this is bleakness at it's optimal level (only without making you want to throw yourself in front of a moving train or anything stupid like that). Hard and harsh metal shouldn't be so effective in such an ambient setting and yet Make do just that-they make the noise their own work of art.







 http://metalmark.blogspot.com/search?q=make-trephine