Chthonic - Takasago Army [2011]

Chthonic's Mirror of Retribution was a highly praised release that I missed, so I was curious to hear this new album, Takasago Army. For those unfamiliar with the band, they play a style of melodic death/black metal somewhat comparable to old Dissection, but with added folk and oriental influences (and one huge difference to be described later). Sometimes the oriental parts work, sometimes they don't. When they don't, it's usually when they're clearly used as a gimmick to make the band seem different. However, I must give credit where credit is due, as they do sometimes add interesting parts to an otherwise samey experience. Opening instrumental "The Island" is admittedly beautiful, as is the interlude near the end; I just wish we had some better songs to go along with them.

That's Chthonic's most substantial difference from Dissected right there: songs that are actually memorable. Sure, you can throw as many chanting folk parts and great, heavy riffs as you want on a song, but they won't mean a damn thing if there's nothing to tie them all together. "Kaoru" is a perfect example; it starts off promisingly enough, but just drones on, forgetting where it began and losing all my interest in the process. "Takao," "Broken Jade," and "Mahakala" all disappoint in a similar way. I'd say there are only three songs actually worth hearing on this album. True opener "Legend of the Seediq" has an attention grabbing chorus, as does "Southern Cross," but "Oceanquake" is the clear winner with its atmospheric mastery. If the whole project had been like this song, it might have been a masterpiece.

The other tracks aren't necessarily bad, just entirely unremarkable. What's even worse is that all the best tracks come in the first half of the album, making it that much harder to listen to the whole album. This causes a painless 40 minute run time to drag for what feels like a lifetime. It's just another ailing factor to add onto all the other ones for this dull experience. I'm not sure if Chthonic has drastically changed since their last album, or if all the hype over Mirror of Retribution was merely false (as it often is). To be honest, however, nothing I heard from Takasago Army caused any eagerness in me to find out. I guess I just have to accept that this is yet another band which floats many people's boats while keeping mine safely motionless at port.

   Overall: 5.5/10 (Mediocre)