Algos – The Death of Seasons (Self-Released)
Thursday, 14th May 2015
While one-man projects seem to have black metal written all over them, occasionally you’ll find one-man efforts in other genres. Algos is the latest to step out of the woodwork, with everything being written and composed by Jurre Timmer. The Death of Seasons is actually the first full-length by Algos, following up two EPs recorded last year.
Outside of the softer production, you’d never peg Algos for a one-man show. The melodic death/doom combo that is presented here has all the hallmarks of a more well-established act. For starters, the doomy aspects are nicely balanced out by more uptempo (melodic) death metal. It is done in such a way that the mostly lengthier tracks never fail to keep the listener motivated the entire song. The heavier end is not ignored, with “Realm of Madness” quickly showing that this isn’t going to be your traditional melodic death/doom concoction. But as you move through the album you’ll still find countless melodies that you’ll want to keep coming back to. Some of these are strongest in more high speed riffing of “The Flood” and epic closer “Fragmented” (closer if you don’t’ count the lovely acoustic end of the title track). The use of keyboards is also noteworthy, capturing a majestic feeling on “To Wake in Dreams” as well as adding some atmosphere on “Sails” and “Hymn to Anubis.”
One-man bands can occasionally slip off the rails, but Algos is firing on all cylinders. It’s refreshing to hear some doom-based material that isn’t afraid to switch things up and go at a more malevolent and sinister angle (instead of the ole weepy and wounded approach). The Death of Seasons finds a nice blend of death and doom to paint a picture that should find an audience with either camp.
