Review by Shadowdoom9 (Andi) for maudlin of the Well - Bath (2001)
So I've heard that this album is, in some ways, similarly inspired by Tiamat's Wildhoney, and I thought "Hey, I like Wildhoney! Maybe I'll just check out this song that got shared." (I'll tell you what song it is later on in the review) So I did, and it was true! It does sound like a brighter, more experimental Wildhoney. And when this album got recommended to me and a few other Infinite members, I knew I had to find out if there's any more Wildhoney to feed the metal Pooh Bear within me.
I gotta admit, Maudlin of the Well is indeed a band that is so incredibly unique. Their music is a lovable range from death metal to progressive rock to jazz fusion. Bath is one of the best experimental metal albums I've heard since Cynic's Focus! Too bad Maudlin has been inactive for almost a decade, so we gotta enjoy what they have.
The album starts with "The Blue Ghost/Shedding Qliphoth", one g****mn long calm overture. Seriously, this is an 8-minute album intro filled with mostly jazz! Then when it fades out, and right when metal purists are thinking of ejecting the CD and setting it on fire, at literally the last minute the heaviness explodes in loudness, causing those metal purists to reconsider their motive and listen to the rest of the album. And yes, that's the song I listened to believed when it's said that it sounds like Wildhoney. But if you thought you're gonna hear a beautiful album, let me tell you... "They Aren't All Beautiful"! This second track is the first actual song for fans of both death metal and jazz. First starting off as straightforward tech-death, then it transitions to a jazzy pace, then back to death metal. When Gojira at the time meets Cynic's Focus! The third song "Heaven and Weak" starts with a slightly weak slow intro, but gets more progressive and heavier before twisting into stronger aggression to f*** off that weak heaven. The fourth track is the "Interlude 1", the first interlude (not counting the long overture), filled with eerie synths over standout acoustic bass.
Next up is the infamous "The Ferryman". It starts with a organ dirge intro for 45 seconds, then fades into a slow second beginning part with soft cymbals and drums. Then the softness is cut off by a sudden progression to slow death-doom that speeds up to tech-death. Then there are some female vocals to give the song a similar vibe to mid-90s Therion. After that song ends, you hear something different; water being splashed around a bath tub! I guest that's the titular part of this album. It segues to "Marid's Gift of Art", where the water splashes fade out, making way for a nice acoustic melody and clean vocals. Soon, trumpet played by Jason Bitner (not to be confused with Shadows Fall drummer Jason Bittner), cello, and bass become audible. Now for my personal favorite, "Girl With a Watering Can", starting with clarinet, then more female singing and soothing guitar. Then the riffing gets heavier and the male singing comes in again. Then after a short soft break, it gets heavier with a killer guitar solo. F***ing amazing!
"Birth Pains of Astral Projection" is the over 10-minute epic of this album. It gets pretty weird throughout this song, especially in the riffs. After starting soft over 3 minutes, it switches to bad-a** death-ridden progressive metal to for any metalhead to enjoy. That's the last bit of death metal you would hear before the two soft end-songs. The next interlude "Interlude 2" has more splashing water with bass and piano beside an easy guitar riff. Final song "Geography" is also soft and slow, but with amazing clean singing.
I can tell you what an amazing album Bath is, but it's one of those masterpieces that you gotta hear to believe. Please, just buy this album, you won't regret spending your money! I plan on listening to Maudlin's other albums when possible, and maybe you can too, anytime including taking a bath. A once-in-a-lifetime avant-prog metal treasure!
Favorites: "The Blue Ghost/Shedding Qliphoth", "They Aren't All Beautiful", "The Ferryman", "Girl With a Watering Can", "Birth Pains of Astral Projection"