I was just as pleased with the beautiful, artsy, yet chaotic and insane Pensive portion of this CD as I was with the brutal, zao-like metalcore of Seasons In The Field.
Pensive goes above and beyond any of their earlier material. It is similar in the fact that mellow emo-like vocals and acoustic guitars turn into metalcorish chaotic riffs and unique screamed vocals but many aspects of the band have changed for the better. Brett (of Zao) Detar's guitar work is so much more impressive than ever before. His "pretty" stuff is amazing but he also does some metalcore stuff. The best part about the guitars is that you can listen to both the mellow and insane parts and tell they are part of the same song, they fit together quite amazingly. The vocals are along the same style as before except much more polished. The singing and screaming are used close together and are not only more insane together, but beautiful at the same time. This is not just a slop of riffs and different several types of vocals strung together like some bands that attempt this style tend to do.
Seasons In The Field is pure metalcore in the vein of Zao. Daniel Weydant is NOT the vocalist, he is the bass player, but he does do backup vocals that you will immediately recognize if you own the new Zao cd. The vocals here are awesome, with sometimes 3 or 4 different types going at once. Brett Detar does a guest appearance as well. Russ Codgell's riffs are amazing. I like this guitar-wise just as much if not more than Zao's Where Blood and Fire Bring Rest.
The lyrics here (from both bands) are very worshipful and you will never have to guess what they mean. Not only is the mixing SUPERB but the layout and design is far superior to ANYTHING I have ever seen. With 6 songs from each band you can't go wrong. Whether you are a fan of metalcore or not, I would have to say that there is something here for you.
9.5/10
Other coverage for this album
HM Magazine #74Reviewed by Chad OlsonTwo bands on this split disc. Pensive is up first with a sometimes acoustic-based/sometimes black metal approach. Sound like a weird combo? It is. Seasons In The Field offer some dark drudgery with some Roger Martinez vocal similarities.Dead Zine 1998Reviewed by FletchIf you want to know what Pensive is like, check out the review of their ep, The Subtlety of Silence. I don't really hear any kind of style changes on their behalf. The reason I got this cd was for Seasons in the Field. They are a really good band. Russ and Dan from Zao play in Seasons in the Field. You can definitely hear little bits of Zao in Seasons in the Field. Or maybe you can hear little…Similar sounding releases
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