The Journey Towards the Paths of Light - The Oracles

So, given certain circumstances wherein I have temporarily lost the ability to play guitar, I have decided to start reviewing bands based on albums/random recordings and whatnot. In this post, I will be reviewing “The Journey Towards the Paths of Light” which is an EP by the progressive-metal band The Oracles.

The band’s line-up consists of Chris Nuelle on vocals and guitar, George McKenzie on guitar, James Pearce (also a member of Stone Circle) on bass, James Stewart (also a member Vader and Divine Chaos) on drums and more recently (not featured on the EP) Alan Webb (also a member of Ancient Ascendant) on keyboards. This 5 song EP is

Fading:

This opening track starts off with some mild keyboards, vocals and guitar (I’m assuming there’s an Ebow being used here) building up to a slower paced track that serves as an intro to the album, it keeps this slow pace with some mildly distorted guitars which builds up to a slightly heavier version of the same riff (chords instead of notes) all the while with the bass shining through clearly, keeping everything in line. At the 2:50 mark there is a nice and smooth changeup to a slightly faster riff, this song is clearly influenced by Opeth and Enslaved respectively (very Akerfeldt-like clean vocals, with simple yet crisp, driving guitars like Yvar). The track ends with a guttural-vocal segue into the next track

The Journey:

One can tell Nuelle was heavily influenced by Opeth and Enslaved by this track alone. His guttural vocals are definitely an intricate mix of both the bands, his lows much more like Akerfeldt’s and his mids highly reminiscent of Grutle. I must say The drumming on this track is not so impressive; it keeps a simple beat, with an almost constant double-kick pattern throughout. The guitar-work on this track is very mixed as well; when there is a pattern of palm-muted chords it has a distinct Enslaved feeling, while alternatively whenever there are individual notes that ring through, they are very distinctively Opeth-like. This song is definitely a contender for my favourite on the EP, as it is very high energy and really makes me want to move around and head-bang my way through the ages.

Towards the Paths of Light:

Right off the bat this song goes straight to the point, opting for the ever-appropriate heavy build-up starting with palm-muted notes, moving onto the same notes left to ring out. When the vocals kick in at 0:45, even though there is a drop in the energy, you can tell something big is coming. At 1:00, it has arrived. Hands down this is my favourite song on the EP if only for that riff alone (which gladly returns with slight alterations). It is Nuelle’s guitar-work like this that make this EP what it is: a wondrous work of art. By no means is this riff entirely complicated or technical, but the genius lies within its simplistic beauty. The midpoint of the song, at 2:40, is an interesting use of a drop in energy, because it previously had such energy, dropped it all, started raising it back up then completely dropped it by the 3:30 mark, when Nuelle comes back in with his clean vocals, which are not at their strongest at this point on the EP (a bit like Akercocke at times, though still infinitely better than Jason Mendonca’s clean vocals) but they pick back up again after another crushing riff at the 5 minute mark. The closing of this song really gets me pumped, when Nuelle’s vocals kick back in you can really feel the urge to sing along to this little British boy’s crooning.

The Dawn:

Porcupine Tree… Porcupine Tree, Porcupine Tree, Porcupine Tree. I don’t care what you say; this song starts off sounding like Porcupine Tree with heavier guitars. Stewart’s drumming really picks up in this track, not quite as technical and all over the place as Gavin Harrison, but enough to make sure that you know he’s there, and knows what he’s doing. At the 2:00 minute mark it definitely changes, no longer sounds anything like Porcupine Tree, much more like, once again, Opeth. The solo at 2:58 really feels genuine, you can feel the emotion in the bends, and it does not go the path that so many solos do: pointless wankery. This is a good example of the guitarist letting the solo lead him along, even though it is short, it is more powerful and satisfying than any solo I have heard any guitarist in the same vein as Alexi Laiho (Children of Bodom) has done, for he takes it and runs as fast as he can, never stopping to savour any of it, or seeing where it could go. The ending of this track hits its peak, and then drops completely, save for a small amount of keys ringing through to the final track.

Faded:

Starting with a yell (not quite as impressive as Tom Araya of Slayer in “Angel of Death”), this track drives the album home quite nicely. The vocals are very much Opeth like once again, complete with a slight voice crack. In fact this entire track is very reminiscent of Opeth in their glory days (My Arms, Your Hearse. Still Life.); it is filled with crushing riff after crushing riff with a good mix of clean and guttural vocals. The most brutal, death-metal like part on this entire EP lasts but ten seconds, between 3:50 – 4:00, and it is one of the few riffs that really makes me want to get up and throw down in a mosh pit (which I never do). The song then plays out to a very light, “Weakness”-like keyboard progression.

My final thoughts on this EP are that it is truly a work of art. The way every song flows smoothly into one another, every riff, the way it has been masterfully mixed and mastered, everything about it rings true to what progressive-metal should be. This is definitely a band to keep an eye out for; you can order the EP HERE. Hopefully, after Stewart finishes touring with Vader, The Oracles can come around and do a world tour so that I can see them live here in Canada and so that the world can hear these tunes.