Vol. 1 & 2

Practically brand new to the Pacific Northwest metal scene, Seer (not to be confused with the Pennsylvania stoner doom duo with the same name), released a single EP (Volume 1) that was planned to be followed by another named Volume 2, but as far as I can tell, they changed their plans and released both via Art of Propaganda under a longer album named -- what else? -- Vol. 1 & 2. This EP combination, as it turns out, fits together fairly well. Vol. 1 & 2's sound, as it turns out, partakes equally of traditional doom and sludge. Bronson Lee Norton's vocals bounce between clean melody and a harsher roaring, all on top of immense riffs that march at a steady clip. On Glimmervoid, these are mingled with surprisingly delicate melodic phrases, while Cosmic Ghost spends almost all of its time on clean singing and instruments, only bringing the distorted part in the background, as if it is playing along in another room. Even the guitar solos on this one are clean, though mixed such that they override the background Most of the others, however, have a brawny heaviness to them, combined with a choppy distortion whose every jagged edge can be spotted at the front of the mix; both Haunter and Antibody are the reverse of Cosmic Ghost, with the vocals shoved to the background in favor of the riffing. The latter half of the album being the second EP, I feel like that this is the newer and more evolved version of their sound (not to mention better production); it definitely sounds stronger and more confident. Aeons, though, may be my favorite on the album. Richer and more musically subtle, it drones bluesily with vague background vocal oohs moaning sadly through the echoing instruments, a little like something Earth might do if they sped up a little. The Volume 1 part of this album is OK, but the Volume 2 part is far superior and shows a band that is quickly refining their abilities to become a force to be reckoned with.