Driven by Sonic Obsession

Even now that increasingly fewer people let language barriers stand in the way of exploring music with non-English lyrics, it seems extreme metal bands from East Asia have a somewhat easier time finding their foreign audiences than metal bands with cleaner vocals. The somewhat proggy and very folky heavy metal of Taiwan’s Crescent Lament is very much worth hearing, however, and I would say that the idiosyncratic vocals of Muer Chou – at least from a western perspective – are among the band’s biggest assets. ‘Land of Lost Voices’ is their third album and it is without a doubt their best yet.

‘Land of Lost Voices’ continues the concept of its predecessor ‘Elegy for the Blossoms’: a bleak love story set against the backdrop of the many tragedies Taiwan endured in the 1940’s. Musically it is very much a continuation of the previous album, though notably more streamlined. Crescent Lament’s riff work occasionally shows traces of their origins as an extreme metal band, but most of the music on ‘Land of Lost Voices’ is an elegant, exciting mix of contemporary heavy/power metal riffs, highly prominent Taiwanese folk influences – most notably Jedi Yeh’s erhu, but there are other traditional instruments – and a subtle gothic edge.

At times, the music is somewhat reminiscent of what Japan’s Rakshasa goes for, but Crescent Lament is even more melancholic and their arrangements are more spacious. In addition, Muer Chou’s vocal approach adds a completely different color to the music. Her vocal technique appears to be rooted in East Asian opera, which I have always felt is far more expressive vocally than European opera. For listeners used to the European style of opera singing, her voice may take some getting used to, but it is well worth it, as I don’t think any other voice could have carried the story with quite the same amount of gravitas and subtlety.

Musically, Crescent Lament is highly creative and unpredictable, but never overly complicated. Although there is a relatively large amount of layers, the arrangements never feel dense. Every instrumentalist knows exactly when to take a step back and let someone else fill the space, which ends up making every song sound incredibly dynamic and, given how much is happening, surprisingly accessible. Most notably, drummer Komet Chou and guitarist Wat Chiu occasionally show to be perfectly capable of faster rhythms and rapidly pulsating riffs, but they are every bit as effective when they remain in the background and let the rest of the band take care of somewhat busier parts.

Being a concept album, ‘Land of Lost Voices’ is best listened to in its entirity, though it certainly is one of those rare concept albums on which all songs also work on their own. ‘Vortex of Collapse’ is an excellent song in which the constant ebb and flow of the drums and rhythm guitars perfectly enhance and contrast with the melancholy of Muer’s vocals. The cleverly understated mini-epic ‘Northern Storm’ is probably the biggest grower on the album, whereas the brooding ‘Empty Dream’ and the powerful ‘Ominous Shadows’ are excellent examples of how Crescent Lament can ease a listener into a multi-faceted song.

Also, I love how the band resisted the temptation to end the album with a huge, sweeping climax. ‘By the Lone Light’ certainly is a strong closer with a beautifully haunting chorus and multiple great melodic hooks, but it brilliantly steers clear from being the hyper-sentimental apotheosis a story like this usually gets. ‘Once Shattered Mirror’ and opener ‘Another Night of Solitude’ were wisely chosen as singles, as they are probably the most immediate songs here and they represent the overall sound of ‘Land of Lost Voices’ very well. Ultimately, even the brief interludes and finale manage to impress.

Streamlining their sound ever so slightly is exactly what Crescent Lament needed to take the next step in their evolution from the already very good ‘Elegy for the Blossoms’. More people in Europe and North America may be familiar with Chthonic – whose guitarist Jesse Liu actually produced ‘Land of Lost Voices’ – but based on the quality of their last two albums, Crescent Lament would be my primary recommendation for anyone wanting to get familiar with the blossoming Taiwanese metal scene. They may be a little different, even within Taiwan, but that is exactly what makes ‘Land of Lost Voices’ so exciting to listen to.

Recommended tracks: ‘Ominous Shadows’, ‘Vortex of Collapse’, ‘Empty Dream’, ‘By the Lone Light’