AlbumsNovember 29, 201114,998 views

Mouth Of The Architect The Ties That Blind


The Ties That Blind
01. Baobab 02. No One Wished to Settle Here 03. Carry On 04. Harboring an Apparition 05. At Arms Length MP3 06. Wake Me When It's Over
2006 Translation Loss Records
Our score 9

by Nick
10/18/2006

Well it looks like the guys over at Translation Loss are developing into quite a nice little label. With recent stellar releases from Rosetta, American Heritage, and now Mouth Of The Architect, I am now an ardent supporter of Translation Loss and will continue to be as long as they keep pumping out the quality jams. And if you're unfamiliar with the label, consider MOTA's The Ties That Blind to be the perfect first date in what will likely become a long lasting listener-label relationship. While I could attempt to recklessly ramble off obscure ambient/prog/sludge/metal comparisons to describe MOTA's style, I'll just stick to the well beaten path and liken these guys to Neurosis and Isis. Combining slow, heavy riffs with keyboard atmospherics and dark melodic interludes, The Ties That Blind is a pristine example of what the prog-metal genre has to offer. Though long winded in length at a hair over 66 minutes, this record is not in the least bit boring or pretentious. Many "progressive" artists often get lost in their world of experimentalism and find it necessary to include long periods of random noises and avante-gardisms to round out their records (I'm looking at you Kayo Dot), and although I tend to enjoy bands in this category, I will be the first to admit that a lot of that excess experimentalism often detracts from an album. From the opening chord of "Baobab" to the closing notes of "Wake Me When It's Over," The Ties That Blind is a perfectly structured, fully-developed work of progressive music devoid of all of the aforementioned unnecessary noise. As the shortest song on the disc is over seven minutes long, the length of each track leaves plenty of room for MOTA to effortlessly move from slow paced drone-metal inspired riffs accompanied by layered screams to catchier mid-tempo metal sections to near-epic walls of sounds. The musical scope of each track is carefully planned, as riffs are often reused at points 6-8 minutes apart in a song, successfully tying the individual song parts together. While each track could easily be a standout track, "Harboring An Apparition" sticks out as my favorite, as it steadily builds from an intro that would feel right at home on Explosions In The Sky's Those Who Tell... into layered guitar riffs complemented by melodic keyboards before ultimately reaching massive sonic proportions when the sparsely used, but powerful vocals make an appearance around the five minute mark. The album in its entirety also possesses excellent flow as each track leads naturally into the next. The production on The Ties That Blind is really a top notch job, allowing MOTA to capture their wide variety of dynamics and styles. All of the instruments are easily identifiable, making it effortless to appreciate all of the skilled instrumentation on this disc. Bottom Line: The Ties That Blind is definitely one of my favorite releases of 2006 and is an absolute must-have for fans of this genre, as well as a great place to start for those new to it. If you pass this up simply because you already have a bunch of Neurosis and Isis albums you will be fucking up. Hard.

39 comments

Post Comment
Cory_ 10/18/2006 8:05:14 PM

hmm

anonymous 10/18/2006 8:12:36 PM

first first

RobertRedford_ 10/18/2006 8:15:50 PM

By far the best album of the YEAR!

truthsayer_ 10/18/2006 8:20:54 PM

Good album, but a 9/10? That's really pushing it.

drewcifer_ 10/18/2006 8:31:42 PM

alright, scandy, you weasly prick, i will get this only because of your last sentence.

Coldchain_ 10/18/2006 8:34:42 PM

Good band, great beard

HC4EverDistro_ 10/18/2006 8:51:58 PM

2 left at $10.75 http://store01.prostores.com/servlet/hc4everdistro/Detail?no=100

AVastCollectionOfAssholes_ 10/18/2006 9:01:33 PM

Easily a 9/10, this album is f*cking amazing. Dead on review.

hotaction_ 10/18/2006 9:19:46 PM

im all about this stuff. and this does sound pretty sweet. but 9/10?

jack_mama_ 10/18/2006 9:29:48 PM

f*ck yeah.. good stuff

lolz_ 10/18/2006 9:45:38 PM

solid review

Nowonmai_ 10/18/2006 11:37:58 PM

9... pushing it? Maybe. Doesn't stop me from absolutely loving this band and everything they do. Since the one guitarist/vocalist left I think their vocals lost something. Regardless this is a great band.

xduderx_ 10/18/2006 11:45:00 PM

i love everything about this band and every single thing that they do

Adam_Oshkosh_ 10/19/2006 1:56:51 AM

2xlp preorders here: http://www.gileadmedia.net/store.htm

xomertax_ 10/19/2006 2:03:48 AM

Sludge/doom bands are really hit or miss with me. This band is a big hit however. Great review. Kayo Dot AND Sunn0))) < MOTA

din_ 10/19/2006 2:26:18 AM

im gonna be f*cking up. hard.

anonymous 10/19/2006 3:56:30 AM

the cover looks like mickey mouse. Good music though.

wiretap_ 10/19/2006 2:09:47 PM

probably my favorite release of this year.

anonymous 10/19/2006 3:21:47 PM

top 5 cd

Matt_ 10/19/2006 4:28:32 PM

Fantastic album, good review. Hasn't this been out for quite a while though?

Nick_ 10/19/2006 4:31:16 PM

Matt, it came out at the end of August, Translation Loss sent it to me around the end of september/early october. I listened, submitted a review, and abracadabra, here it is. There's reviews that take way longer than this one to get out.

carsonslovak_ 10/19/2006 5:37:05 PM

this album is incredible. the review is dead on.

m00k_ 10/19/2006 5:57:19 PM

But I already have a bunch of Neurosis albums.

glenstein_ 10/20/2006 12:55:00 AM

24 comments and still no whiney bitches complaining about Lamboat reviewing progressive/sludge/whatever metal? Good review, but I think they overdo the vocals. I get kind of a feeling of monotony out of the sheer depth of the screams, which seems to also come off in the guitars. Doesn't Translation Loss also have Cable and Dysrhthmia?

Vic_ 10/20/2006 6:29:48 AM

The Cable "Last Call" cd/dvd will be out next month. hear a sample & see the trailer: www.translationloss.com

Ralphio_ 10/20/2006 10:13:28 AM

I blast this out of the car window when Im cruising Wal-Mart

anonymous 10/20/2006 10:18:44 AM

woah theres actually an mp3, im sold

anonymous 10/21/2006 5:03:04 AM

I'm not sold on the many Isis comparisons with this band, but I do think they sound like a Through Silver in Blood era Neurosis packing in Australasia style soundscapes. This album is more than worthy of a 9. f*cking brilliant stuff. No One Wished To Settle Here is the standout.

Imalwaysright_ 10/21/2006 7:56:17 AM

Great album.

Tony_ 10/21/2006 1:23:37 PM

this album isnt bad, its probably not a 9 for me as im not into has heavy of stuff anymore and this bands vocals get a bit tiring. the Exlosions-esque parts are the best, and when it gets heavy it hits hard, but its like a 7 for me. good review though, im sure id love this more if i still loved constant screaming.

theaxis_ 10/21/2006 2:05:43 PM

record of the year

mefuckyeah_ 10/25/2006 2:54:22 AM

*listens* *falls asleep*

anonymous 10/27/2006 10:43:55 AM

CRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAp

Mishelle_ 10/27/2006 1:18:14 PM

These guys are fabulous on CD, but holy jebus, they are soooo amazing live. It's just too bad they only typically only have enough time to play 3 or 4 songs. Can't wait for a headlining tour. Whoa, mama!

American Heritage_ 10/27/2006 3:59:47 PM

Agreed. I've been listening to this album alot.... but it wasn't til i saw them live for the first time last week that it totally knocked me on my ass. These guys destroy live. Can't wait for CMJ.

Matt_ 10/29/2006 12:04:26 AM

is it just me or has nick given everything a 9/10. but as for the album, its pretty good. but not 9/10, 7 or 8

Nick_ 10/29/2006 9:25:36 AM

It's just you. Of the 20ish reviews I've written (including ones pending posting), I've only given two 9/10's and it was just a coincidence that they were posted right after one another.

SARSmaster_ 2/22/2007 9:45:35 PM

I honestly do not understand why 90% of LG is on this band's nutsack. They are dull, unoriginal and completely INDISTINGUISHABLE from all of the other Neurosis/Isis clones(Minsk, Callisto, Rosetta, etc.) There is nothing unique or enjoyable about this album. This band sucks hard

LieKPosTMetAlDeWd_ 4/14/2008 2:52:07 PM

SARSmaster is a boner. This album is beyond any rating scale. By far the only band who can contend with Neurosis. This shits all over the new ISIS which just plain sucked. This album can stand right alongside Oceanic. Siiiiiiiiick dewd.