Out of a Center Which Is Neither Dead nor Alive

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Out of a Center Which Is Neither Dead Nor Alive
Minsk - Out of a Center.jpg
Studio album by Minsk
Released 2005
Recorded 2005
Genre Doom metal, post-metal
Length64:58
Label At a Loss Recordings
Producer Sanford Parker
Minsk chronology
Out of a Center Which Is Neither Dead Nor Alive
(2005)		 With Echoes in the Movement of Stone
(2007) With Echoes in the Movement of Stone2007

Out of a Center Which Is Neither Dead Nor Alive is the debut full-length album by Chicago-based post-metal band Minsk. Produced by Sanford Parker, the album was released in 2005 on At a Loss Recordings.

Post-metal is a style of music that is rooted in heavy metal but explores approaches beyond the genre's conventions. It emerged in the 1990s through the work of bands such as Neurosis and Godflesh who transformed metal texture through experimental composition. Associated with and inspired by post-rock and post-hardcore, the genre employs the darkness and intensity of extreme metal but emphasizes atmosphere, emotion, and even "revelation", drawing on a wide range of sources including ambient, noise, psychedelic, progressive, and classical music to develop an expansive but introspective sound. Post-metal songs are typically long, with loose and layered structures that discard the verse–chorus form in favor of crescendos and repeating themes. The sound centres on guitars and drums; any vocals are usually screamed or growled and resemble an additional instrument.

Minsk is an extreme metal band from Peoria, Illinois founded in 2002. Self-described as "psychedelic metal", their songs tend to start out as slow and simple, and become heavy and complex towards the end. Their sound draws from doom metal, hardcore punk, ambient and noise music, with a highly psychedelic attitude achieved through tribal drum patterns, thick layers of synthesizers and keyboards, and echoing vocals. They are named after the capital of Belarus. The idea of survival through suffering is a recurring theme in the lyrics and musical style. In fact, regarding the origin of their name, their official biography states: "Drawing its nominal inspiration from a remote Belarusian city nestled deep amidst the in-betweens of the East and the West, a city that has been burned to the ground on several occasions only to be rebuilt like a Phoenix rising from its ashes." The sounds and atmospheres they evoke in their songs are complex and psychedelic.

Contents

Critical reaction

In a review of the album, Allmusic's Greg Prato wrote: "Although the group has obvious roots in metal (as evidenced by tracks like 'Narcotics and Dissecting Knives'), Minsk has plenty of tricks up its sleeve, such as the sonic hodgepodge 'Holy Flower of the North Star' (a track custom-made for listening to on headphones)." [1] Phil Freeman of The Wire remarked: "What's most striking about this music is how adeptly it subverts or sidesteps metal's traditional insistence on catharsis. It's New Age music of a sort: it fills the room, and it's often quite beautiful, but its ebb and flow are so regular and smooth that it acts as a sedative rather than a stimulant." [2] It was ranked the 17th best metal album of 2005 by PopMatters, whose Adrien Begrand called the album a "mind-blowing, richly textured debut" and "the cream of this year’s avant crop." [3] Jeff Pizek of Daily Herald said that the album's songs have "no catchy harmonies or sing-along choruses, but plenty of blissful textures are woven among the downtrodden loping." [4]

<i>The Wire</i> (magazine) British music magazine

The Wire is a British avant-garde music magazine based in Hackney, London. The Wire launched in 1982 as a jazz magazine with an emphasis on avant-garde and free jazz. In the late 1980s and early 1990s, the magazine expanded its scope to include a broad range of musical genres. Since then, The Wire has covered electronica, modern classical, free improvisation, avant-rock, hip hop, nu jazz, traditional musics and beyond. The Wire has been independently owned since 2001, when the six permanent staff members at that time purchased the magazine from its previous owner, Naim Attallah.

PopMatters is an international online magazine of cultural criticism that covers many aspects of popular culture. PopMatters publishes reviews, interviews, and detailed essays on most cultural products and expressions in areas such as music, television, films, books, video games, comics, sports, theater, visual arts, travel, and the Internet.

Track listing

No.TitleLength
1."Waging War on the Forevers"10:40
2."Narcotics and Dissecting Knives"10:57
3."Holy Flower of the North Star"14:18
4."Three Hours"11:10
5."Bloodletting and Forgetting"8:25
6."Wisp of Tow"9:28
Total length:64:58

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References

  1. ↑ Prato, Greg. "'Out of a Center Which Is Neither Dead Nor Alive' - Overview". Allmusic (Rovi Corporation). Retrieved December 5, 2012.
  2. ↑ Freeman, Phil (January 2006). "Reviews: Minsk - 'Out of a Center Which Is Neither Dead Nor Alive'". The Wire . 1 (263): 62-3. ISSN   0952-0686.
  3. ↑ Begrand, Adrien (December 19, 2005). "The Best Metal Albums of 2005". PopMatters . Retrieved December 5, 2012.
  4. ↑ Pizek, Jeff (October 7, 2005). "Indie metalheads need Minsk's debut full-length". Daily Herald . p. 5 (TimeOut! section).
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