Review by UnhinderedbyTalent for Weakling - Dead as Dreams (2000)
US black metallers Weakling never made it past album number one. John Gossard and co went their separate ways after the release of their debut which is sad in the sense that there was a real sense of more to come when ever you listen to this record, it has moments of great promise that with time would have been honed into potential masterpieces over coming releases. Sadly, this was not to be.
To start with, Gossard's vocals are superb. They fall short of Bethlehem proportions of demented ramblings but are still scowling rants that add a real harrowing edge to proceedings. They offer an almost surreal element to the music and feel at times disconnected from what is going on around them. There are a couple of occasions when a cleaner style is adopted and this is less appealing and often unnecessary, but overall the vocal input in here is one of the main things I take away from this record.
The second trophy to be raised on this record is in the direction of the songwriting. There's a density to the tracks on here that take it far beyond the realms of traditional black metal. The pace and tempo varies throughout the record, touching on doom metal like atmospheres alongside death metal-esque riffing through to the sublime tremolo of the most recognisable black metal traits.
The keys of Casey Ward do a great job of supporting these vast structures, drip feeding atmosphere into most tracks in the most subtle manner. You have to listen harder on some occasions than others but they are mostly definitely there under the fuzz of the riffs, the "tish" of the drums and the howl of the vocals, adding richness and depth to proceedings all the while. The guitars have a tone that resonate deep in the musical sphere that envelopes them, they feel like they lead the charge but also reverberate well of the rhythm section to god effect.
My only criticism is aimed at the drums. I struggle to feel much of anything from Sam Foster ("Little Sunshine" as he is listed here) beyond a flurry of "tishy" hi-hats and the drums overall sit a little too far back in the recording process. Rescued most certainly by the fact that everything else that is going on around him is very clear on its place and position overall, Foster gets away with it on this occasion but there are moments when the lack of drum prominence thins the sound somewhat.