If epics were relevant in music as they are in literature, they would serve as the perfect means to describe YOB. Notable for the lengthiness of their music, and their distinct brand of doom/sludge, the Oregon three-piece strays far from the plentiful pool of Neurosis clones, though they still play a large part in the molding of their sound.
While 2005’s The Unreal Never Lived, was a relatively straightforward doom YOB release, their latest, The Great Cessation, brings forth an extension on the latter style, where considerably more experimentation is apparent. Particularly the title track follows this pattern, as it takes a completely different turn from anything they’ve done as of late, and not surprisingly, ends up one of the stronger songs on the album. The track starts out radiating with atmosphere, as it weaves steadily through reverb-driven chord progressions and layered guitars, complimenting the post-rock style that is scattered across the album for the most part, but ever-present in this song. Along with the heightened level of atmosphere on this release, The Great Cessation also showcases a significantly darker YOB, as tracks like “Silence of the Heaven” and “The Lie that is Sin” exemplify, with their brooding, doom sections, and an almost black metal inspired vocal style.
The turn YOB takes on this album closely resembles the direction sludge-colleagues Isis started to take with Panopticon, as they don’t completely stray from metal like maudlin of the Well did on Part the Second, but rather, begin to introduce other styles into their music. Whether or not this benefits the band is questionable, because they seemed to do a much better job in terms of songwriting with The Unreal Never Lived, despite its simplicity. However, The Great Cessation remains a solid release nonetheless, if not on its own, the title track alone helps it qualify.
(7.0/10)
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