Xasthur has always been known for its obscurity and hazy sound, but on All Reflections Drained he really takes this aspect over the top. Following the vein of the previous album, Defective Epitaph, it's a lot more muddled and twisted, giving the idea of a "clean sound" a very gruesome name. The entire album is one big distorted blob, driven by eerie keyboards and wailing guitars. Mmeant to create the soundtrack of nightmares, and it most certainly does, but unfortunately this album is also a nightmare for fans as well.
All Reflections Drained does a good job of keeping the Xasthur legacy on top of the U.S. ambient black metal game by focusing on the atmosphere through the heavy use of keyboards swirling around thick, drawn out guitar chords with a steady drum line in the background; however the music gets too thick at times, making the listener get lost in the music ("Damage Your Soul" is a good example of this). However, this is not too worrisome as a second trademark of Xasthur is most of the songs on the album are very similar sounding, so if one was to get lost in the music and fall asleep only to wake up about twenty minutes later, they probably wouldn't have missed much.
Another issue with Xasthur's most recent release is the absence of his vocals. Sure, every once in a while his distorted howl of anguish comes over the speakers, but it is more in the background with the drums than in the forefront with the rest of the music. This is a HUGE change, and possible disappointment, for most Xasthur fans like myself, who felt that the vocals were a key point of what made the music so damn scary. His voice is unnerving and inhuman, and such a big part of the music that to do away with it is like taking the drums away from your favorite band.Try to imagine Godsmack, The Dixie Chicks, Jay-Z, or even Cher without the presence of vocals or drums in their music! It would completely change everything.
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