“Luminol”
is a grand opening track with its twelve minute run time. It comes out fast and energetic with a sweet
base line that lasts for about four and a half minutes before taking on a
slower pace to tell the sad tale of a street performer. It is the longest song on the album and the
least satisfying, as it goes on for too long and could have been condensed
without losing anything. It is not a bad song, but the others overshadow it.
Thankfully, “Drive Home” is a shorter and better song. Dealing with the themes of loss and
acceptance, the atmosphere is tragic and sad, yet there is a comforting
presence in the music. Backed by a great guitar solo, the music is tight and
has more direction than the opener. Next
up is the aggressive and manic “The Holy Drinker.” It tells of a hypocritical, alcoholic
preacher who challenges a stranger to a drinking contest, and the stranger just
happens to be the Devil. The end part sounds delightfully sinister.
Marking
the halfway point of the album, “The Pin Drop” is a macabre tale of a failed
relationship. It has reached its breaking point with the husband tossing his
dead wife in a river, who sings the song as she drifts away. Wilson
explains that “the idea is that sometimes in a relationship there can be so
much tension, so much unspoken resentment and hatred, that the tiniest thing
can set off a violent episode, and in this case, one that ends in tragedy. The
sound of a pin dropping on a floor can be the thing that instigates the
fury.” The music captures the essence of
this broken and wasted relationship, making for a dynamic song. “The Watchmaker” is a gothic tale of
watchmaker and his wife. The loveless union ends with the watchmaker killing
her and burying the body beneath the floorboards, but she is not ready to leave
him. It is a twisted tale that seems
like a mix of Poe’s “The Tell-Tale Heart” and “The Premature Burial.” “The Raven That Refused to Sing” is a fitting
end, bringing the album’s main themes of relationships, death, and loss
together.
The Raven That
Refused to Sing (And Other Stories) is a worthy musical accomplishment. This is one progressive rock album that fans
will find much enjoyment in. The longer
songs do tend to go on for a bit, but it does not ruin the overall success of
the album. When it is over, The Raven
That Refused to Sing makes for a haunting experience with its macabre tales
of personal failures, loss, and tragedy.
4.5/5
Stars
Key
Tracks: Drive Home, The Pin Drop, The Raven That Refused to Sing
Brian McKinnon – Sr. MuzikReviews.com Staff
April 3, 2013
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