A Life Once Lost
Ecstatic Trance
By Tyler MunroA Life Once Lost's first album in five years is more of the same rhythmic groove metal fans have come to expect from the band, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. Ecstatic Trance thrives in its simplicity, bobbing along from stellar opener "Something Awful" with a meticulous pace that continues throughout, even with its nuances. Though, at times, too simple for their own good, the drums build a solid backbone for an album that, while guitar dominant, never strays too close to excess ― the leads are often powerful, but rarely overdone. In many respects, Ecstatic Trance strips itself of over-indulgent polyrhythmic noodling in favour of grooves that never stray too far off the beaten path. It's all quite repetitive, with even the eerily Slipknot-sounding "Madness is God" eventually falling in line, but then there's a sense that maybe that's the point. Ecstatic Trance is far from perfect, but it locks itself in pretty early and rarely lets go.
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CONCERT: Colin Stetson The Great Hall, Toronto ON, May 19
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