Battlefields

From the Midwestern climes of Minnesota and North Dakota come Battlefields, who throw genre pigeonholing to the winds with their debut, Thresholds of Imbalance. Though most post-hardcore bands derive their sound from doom metal, Battlefields proudly brandish their gravitas as war scars to challenge the competition. Each of the epic tracks is followed by a short experimental cut that sets the mood for the next instalment of dread. The 11-minute opener, "Disacknowledge," marries Isis-like repetition to doomier fare that smacks of Katatonia's Brave Murder Day. The brief "Stasis" shifts to Tides cum Junius, full-bodied and resonant with atmosphere. "Blueprint" dips into Iron Monkey-like sludge mixed with Novembers Doom-ish transitions. "Approaching" is another short tune with ominous voice samples and eerie guitar noise that introduces "The Thresholds," 13 minutes of creeping textures, Grief-stricken vocal discharges and groove-laden passages reminiscent of early Mastodon, which is later reprised by "Quake and Flood" and "Nibiru." Like Mouth of the Architect, Battlefields thrive in crestfallen doom, discovering maximum fecundity in Thresholds of Imbalance.