Samothrace are clearly not a band in a hurry to go anywhere. Not only is their music of choice a stately post-metal style doom, but also because this is only their second release since debut “Life’s Trade” in 2008. Then there’s the fact that the first number here ‘When We Emerged’ is a rerecording of a demo track that got them signed.
As “Reverence To Stone” actually only consists of two tracks you’d be quite entitled to wonder whether ‘When We Emerged’ deserves revisiting when perhaps fans may want to hear something new. All I can tell you is that it’s a fine piece of music combining a wide soundscape of influences. It has the background intensity of God Speed! You Black Emporer with huge plummeting doom riffs and death metal growls added as colour and counterpoint. I have to say I’ve never liked death metal’s unintelligible vocal style, but here where it’s used sparingly it conveys enough emotion to be tolerable.
The newer track ‘A Horse of Our Own’ shows no particular artistic development – it’s more of the same, only longer! Although, it does pick up the pace at one point and a lovely Sabbath-style psychedelic blues guitar solo emerges. It’s really no better or worse than the opener but has enough light and shade to keep you listening. I can’t say it’s particularly exciting to me, but it’s worth checking out if you like progressive metal.
Our Rating: 
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