RIFF REWIND (28/10/2012): Samothrace - "Reverence to Stone"

Samothrace 2016

Bio (2012)

 

The band is named after a Greek island that is the home of the Sanctuary of the Great Gods, a site of important Hellenic and pre-Hellenic religious ceremonies. The most famous artifact from this site is a large, half-crumbled statue of Nike, the goddess of victory in ancient Greek mythology.

 

Having relocated to Washington, Samothrace originally formed out of Kansas and surrounding areas sometime in 2006. Due to the turmoils every band inevitably encounters, they had a few halts such as line-up changes and the occasional incomplete song, which we get to experience on this LP with the first track 'When We Emerged' having originally appeared on their 2007 demo.

 

Samothrace's lyrical theme revolves around social unrest, political corruption, and the resilience we carry to bounce back from otherwise shitty conditions inherent in life.

The band features highly talented members, past and present, involved with acts such as Oroku, Splatterhouse, The Fucktards, and Short Bus Kids. Their beginnings were as friends within the punk/hardcore scene, which gave rise to this almighty band, Samothrace. 

 

With a live recording of their 2014 performance at The Roadburn Festival issued in April of the same year and some short touring cycles in between, Samothrace remain active as a three piece, but with no new material for 5 years, today we are rewinding the riffs back 5 years to the day when we first review their remarkable second album “Reverance To Stone”. 

 

So if you missed this album first time around or indeed you don’t know this band be sure to remedy your error by checking out our review in full below. 

 

By: Teabag Stallone

Album Type: Full Length

Date Released: 31/07/2012

Label: 20 Buck Spin

The emotion felt on 'Reverence to Stone' is bleak, yet uplifting, but remains harmonious as a whole. Style, sound, originality and quality are what we can expect. They do not disappoint and this release proves that.

 “Reverence To Stone” CD//DD//LP track listing:

1). A Horse of Our Own

2). When We Emerged

The Review:

Samothrace offer a sound with depth and emotion unmatched by most that fall into this category of doom. I was blown away, yet again, by their latest release 'Reverence to Stone', being a fan of this band since their very first full-length, 'Life's Trade', which is also available via 20 Buck Spin. Both are highly recommended, as they don't trail far from their roots, harboring a characteristic style fans love about this band.

This long awaited two-track gem surpassed my expectations, both tracks are flawless and superb in build-up, delivering everything we expect from this band. They leave their original, yet ever-evolving sound untouched and heavy as ever.

'When We Emerged' starts off very atmospheric with the perfect amount of melody, slowly integrating the down-tempo goodness we all love with progressive sludge/doom. The vocals kick in shortly thereafter, dissonant like that of which many funeral doom bands utilize. Then, shit really starts to get heavy with Axler pummelling away to the sound of his mates dishing out a slighly faster delivery of the same melodies.

'A Horse of Our Own' is even more rewarding in depth and really showcases Renate and Brian's skills on guitars, as well as Spinks' harrowing vocals that give a sense of despair and pain. Both tracks seem to drop off in the same atmospheric fashion they began with, but remain intense throughout.

If you are into deliberate build-ups that offer faster instrumental sections which fade out eerily, then this is the album to dive into. The emotion felt on 'Reverence to Stone' is bleak, yet uplifting, but remains harmonious as a whole. I am really looking forward to future releases from Samothrace, as it is truly a band which lives up to everything I've come to love about them.

Band info: bandcamp || facebook