Let It Flow is a gothic/doom metal band from Turkey consisting of musicians in their early 20's. They play a solid form of sad, melancholic music with distinct gothic and doom metal traces. What gives their music an extra dimension is their female vocalist Sinem Deger who unfortunately left the band shortly after the album was released. The Momentary Touches to the Depths is the band's debut release and dedicated to the founder, guitar player and lyricist Suleyman Pamuk who passed away. It is a shame that the singer Sinem Deger is no longer in the band though, as several listens will have you think her vocals really enrich the sad and moody music of Let It Flow.
Joining the female vocalist is the band's guitar and flute player Ozgun Akay, who also does some backing and lead vocals on some of the songs. The album starts with a short acoustic cut titled "Dirge", which has a nice guitar swell towards its end, connecting with arguably the best track on the album: "Mourning". The drumming immediately gets your attention with nice subtle rhythmic changes, but it's Sinem's beautifully soothing vocals soaring above a forlorn acoustic guitar and captivating melodic theme that marks the piece as a standout. The long title track arrives with swirl of melancholia, as slowly cascading riffs and an ever-present guitar line creates a dense atmosphere, with some spoken vocals thrown in the mix, and gently humming vocals. There are elaborate doom metal riffs planted in the song's background climaxing with a slowly-developing oceanic mass. What comes next is the short acoustic instrumental "Lumerian" preceding "Desires Lost", the first track with clean male vocals. In essence, this is another acoustic track that must have been transformed into electric later on, evoking Anathema circa Judgement (speaking strictly in terms of the way the acoustic guitars sound). "Cloud Loneliness" also features guitarist Ozgun Akay on vocals. Akay is an ambitious singer, but his heavy accent may distract some. Perhaps he should have remained as a backing singer only, as I feel Sinem Deger, despite her deficiencies, is a much better fit to the music.
"Deadly Silence" is soul-shatteringly sad with more voiceovers and sound effects; whilst on "Stuck" the album picks up its pace with faster drumming, flickering harmonies, and both singers exchanging verses. "Flee" is the second instrumental track (excluding the intro) and serves a precursor to the more vocal-driven set of songs. "Choke" is very much like Lacuna Coil for its rising guitar dynamics and vocal melody. It is also one of the heaviest pieces on the album, particularly because of the guitar waves at the end. The album concludes with yet another acoustic track, "Departure", conjuring images of Anathema, Katatonia's Discouraged Ones period, and even more underground acts like This Empty Flow and As Divine Grace.
The Momentary Touches to the Depths is a great debut from a young band. The biggest problem with new bands nowadays seems consistency. Let's see how long it will take them to release a follow-up, only with improved production and a well-accepted replacement for the female singer.
Track Listing
- Dirge
- Mourning
- A Momentary Touch to the Depths
- Lumerian
- Desires Lost
- Deadly Silence
- Stuck
- Flee
- Cloud Loneliness
- Choke
- An Ordinary Ghost
- Departure
Printer Friendly Page
Send to a Friend
