It’s time for Zach’s Nitpicking Corner, where I complain about stupid little flaws in an album because I’m an easily-irritated, rather whiny person with too much time on my hands. Today’s subject: From Oceans to Autumn’s first full-length, Calmed by the Tide.

-Oceans are swiftly becoming the new “sky” in terms of overused inspirations for albums. There are other things in the world, people. Use them as your inspiration.
-I have already complained about the whole naming-your-tracks-after-your-band thing, and splitting it between two tracks is no exception to the rule.
-The drumming is mixed way too loudly. You don’t want drums to intrude upon your ambient soundscapes, even in ambient metal. If drums are going to be involved, they need to exist low in the mix, as an accessible part of the swelling, oceanic drones, not in front of the mix, giving the listener to an easy escape to the more accessible drums and basically forcing the listener to ignore the “ambient” part of the track, itself.
-While I’m complaining about drumming, the drums on “Slow and Weight” are just plain ridiculous. I’m not sure of the intention behind hitting some toms really quickly, then stopping for a few measures, then repeating, but it is not effective at all.
-Using ellipses in song titles earns you the label “wanker” from just about everyone who can tell if a band is taking itself too seriously, and From Oceans to Autumn use three. Not a wise choice.

Now that that’s settled, I can tell you all why From Oceans to Autumn’s debut leaves me hungering for more. Many metal bands refer to themselves as “ambient,” but very few of them actually attain this title, and I am happy to say From Oceans to Autumn have earned it. Swelling, flowing compositions filled with ambient guitars create a stimulating, sensuous environment, and field recordings of falling rain lull you into that false sense of sleepy security that makes the album as inviting as it is droning. “Drifting in Silence” is a highlight, utilizing a repeated bass note and the aforementioned field recordings to draw you into the swirling, foaming ambient guitars. It is not a coincidence that drums are completely absent from the track, as well.

The album at its best evokes Rosetta, sans vocals, at its most mellow (think “Temet Nosce,” not “Monument”) but it can’t seem to decide whether to throw caution to the wind and embrace the ambience or to tread the path followed by Pelican on The Fire in Our Throats Will Beckon the Thaw. FOtA is not derivative of these bands, it must be made clear, but it follows both paths at various points throughout the course of the album. My advice: go out and be as ambient as you can, guys. We’ve already seen what happens when “ambient metal” bands try to make their music as accessible as possible (i.e. Pelican’s much-maligned latest effort). With a bit more focus and a little bit more sense behind the mixing board, this album could’ve been a stunner. I have a feeling the next one will be.

-Zach Mills