Confessor

Unraveled

Season of Mist 2005

I can still remember the day I heard Confessor for the first time.  I was awestruck by the insane drumming and the even more insane vocals.  I wasn't sure what to make of them at first but they certainly were unique and after some dedicated time spent with them I came to understand and embrace their quirky brand of doom metal.  Now many years after the release of Condemned and their demise they have been reborn amidst much hype.  I reviewed their taster EP earlier this year and was quite pleased with the new music they displayed.  But now that I have my hands on the full length I must say I am dismayed.  The mature approach they have taken to song writing has left them coming across sounding somewhat like a more metal version of Alice in Chains or some other generic Seattle grunge band.  Maybe it is Scott Jeffreys' vocals and I am sure they are mostly to blame, but it is the all around song craft on Unraveled that has left me feeling this way.  There is just something missing from the original magic that I used to love about Confessor.  I am not naive and realize that in the period they had been out of the music scene some attitudes and preferences would change.  However It feels that they are not really the band they used to be and the Seattle sound infiltration whether real or perceived has really thrown me off here.  The musical talents of everyone seem so muted and restrained within these confines too.  With all that said this is a very professional album and a lot of thought has obviously gone into these songs.  The production is stellar.  At the end of the day though if you are looking for Confessor of days gone past then you are out of luck but if you are looking for something else altogether then you might be in luck.  This however is not my cup of tea.