Cursus - Cursus (2017)
This is Cursus' first full-length
album, and with it, the duo of guitarist/vocalist CJ Duron and
drummer Sarah Roorkfirst introduce themselves to the world at large
with a fair amount of style. Opening track “Her Wings Covered the
Sky” moves at a slow and deliberate pace, the down-tuned guitar
chugging along with the clack of the drums a higher counter-point,
and occasional growled vocals punching in spots of change among the
steady instrumental growls, establishing a foundational style which
sticks around through the rest of the album.
Some sharper riffs are brought in to
tweak the formula with “Waters of Wrath”, with the vocal presence
expanding alongside those changes, and the heaviness gets more direct
in its shaping. Things proceed in similar fashion from there, and
while there's some solid riffs built into the proceedings, it feels
like the music is missing some vital spark to bring it to the next
level. Maybe these songs do better in a live context, with the band
able to shape things more to the reactions of the audience, but in
the studio-captured form, it feels too ponderous, and oddly sterile.
That might be due to the low variety range in dynamics that the band
is able to pull together with their chosen set-up, as the timbres and
tones tend to stick pretty much in place from song to song, with a
few exceptions (their cover of Pink Floyd's “Set the Controls for
the Heart of the Sun”, for example). And the gut-belted growls
could stand to be used in more moderation, probably, as the contrast
provided by comparatively clean vocals in “Trail of Tears” really
makes the latter shine.
Those complaints aside, Cursus do a
good job of maintaining consistency in their chosen mood, and the
mixing pushes each part of their ensemble out with near-equal
spotlighting. Nothing feels too quiet or awkward in the mix, some of
the grooves land quite solidly, and when they take things in the
slower, more thoughtful directions (mainly in the last two songs), it all gels with real appeal.
But debut albums are where bands are supposed to cut their teeth, get
a feel for what works in long-form song arrangements, and so on, so
with what they show here, there's little reason to believe that
Cursus won't deliver with their follow-up, whenever it may come.
~ Gabriel
For Fans Of; Ahna, Aldebaran, Dažd,
Grime, Oak
~
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