|
Riga, Latvia |
 |
|
Death Metal |
|
Page online:
|
June 17, 2003
|
Last update/review:
|
August 17, 2006
|
Neglected Fields
This band's official website proudly proclaims Neglected Fields
to be "Latvia's finest technical death metal band".
It's hard to argue with this, since yes, they are from Latvia,
they do indeed play technical death metal, and frankly there
aren't a lot of other Latvian death metal bands at the moment
to contend for the title of "finest".
The band formed in 1995 and by 1998 had recorded their debut
album
Synthinity, interestingly released on the famous British
label Neat Records (interesting in that this band sounds nothing
like anything else Neat has ever released).
Anytime the phrase "technical death metal" is mentioned bands
such as
Cynic and
Atheist
are invariably mentioned, and sure enough those two bands are
good reference points when describing
Synthinity, though
arguably the arrangements here aren't quite as mature as those
by the aformentioned influences.
There is considerable musical talent here, and the songs twist
and turn, but too often the songs seem to have too many
unrelated riffs strung together, resulting in a rather unfocused
sound (an exception is a pretty cool cover of "Breathe" by The
Prodigy).
By contrast, the band's second album,
Mephisto Lettonica,
displays quite a bit of growth.
They are still rooted in technical death metal, but the
addition of keyboards have helped to fill out their sound
(and, at times, give a slight black metal flavor to the
proceedings).
The arrangements are now more broad but also more cohesive, and
the aforementioned comparisons to Cynic and Atheist really
don't apply anymore
(among other reasons, the fusion influence of those bands is
not found here).
Lettonica is a healthy improvement over the debut, and a fine
example of technically-minded symphonic death metal.
Current Members
Sergey
vocals/guitars
Sergey
guitars
Sergey
bass/backing vocals
George
keyboards
Karlis
drums
Former Members/Guests
Herman
guitars/keyboards
Discography
Synthinity
1997
|
- Sphere's Rhapsody
- Calm, Precious, Mad
- Eschatological
- Ephemerae
- Sansara
- Synthinity
- Living Structures
- These Fires Through ...
- Fairy
- Breathe
|
-
Sergey
-
Herman
-
Sergey
-
Karlis
|
|
Mephisto Lettonica
2000
Scarlet
|
- Solar
- The Spider's Kiss
- Whatever That Tempts
- Feral Garden
- Presentiment
- The Human Abstract
- Creaturesque
- Once Carcass Is Cold ...
- Outro
|
-
Sergey
-
Herman
-
Sergey
-
George
-
Karlis
|
|
Splenetic
2006
Aghast
|
- Intro
- The Spectator
- Teufelswerk
- Ov Snake
- The Cosm, The Vacuum, The Wave
- Splenetic / Confusion
- For Those Beneath Me
- Triplicity
- Khert Neter
|
-
Sergey
-
Sergey
-
Sergey
-
George
-
Karlis
|
|