CD Review: The Ordeal by Painted in Exile
Photo courtesy of Wikipedia
The Ordeal by Painted In Exile is a debut album in the making for seven years – if not more. It’s finally here, and I have to say it’s worth the wait. To describe Painted In Exile to somebody that hasn’t listened to them before is a bit difficult, but here’s a shot: imagine you took a blender and threw in black metal, death metal, jazz, hip hop and Classical music. Weird, right? Well, it works.
The Ordeal starts with a single rimshot and takes things to a dark place really quickly. As the album progresses, it brings its audience on a journey – much like a rollercoaster adventure of music – filled with plenty of “OMFG” moments. With a genre plagued with the same repetitive elements – such as simple breakdowns and djent riffs – The Ordeal somehow manages to do things differently than the other players in the game. I haven’t listened to a progressive metal album this good since Between the Buried and Me’s Colors, which is fitting because it was recorded and mastered at the same studio. If I had to pick one element that is worth listening to The Ordeal for, it would be those dope keys.
-Brett Luft
