The Proselyte

The Proselyte's self-titled debut album is a fantastic demonstration of what doom and sludge metal is all about. It possesses the deep menacing vocals, the heavy, crunchy, yet somewhat atmospheric guitar, a playful and rhythmic bass, and solid plodding drum beats. It has a heavy, sluggish pace, but never begins to get boring. All of the tracks fit together like a giant puzzle. Some of the highlight tracks off the album are "Bood" and "Rest To Restore Normal Breathing."

The thing that struck me most about this album is that it is very original. The album has passages throughout each track that alternate between very heavy, to very atmospheric. Though this pattern may seem recycled and formulaic, The Proselyte make it work in a very original way. I never once thought to myself, "Hey, haven't I heard this somewhere else before?" The band really expanded on the genres of sludge and doom with the album, and I have nothing but appreciation towards their musical talent.

The production of this album is very good as well. I don't usually take the time to notice such a thing, but this time, the production value really jumped out at me. All of the riffs on the guitar (as crunchy and fuzzy as they are) are audible and understandable, which makes it a hell of a lot easier to bang your head to. The feedback on the guitars never sounded so good either. Also, I noticed that the vocals gained a lot from the production value. they are very crisp.

If you are a fan at all of any sludge or doom metal, I highly advise you to give this album a listen. You will instantly fall in love with it. So do it up!
- Written by AtTheHeart on March 2nd, 2009 Of Winter12

The Proselyte – Self Titled
Reviewed by Thunder Horse (StonerRock.com)
Self Released
Release date: June 2007


This is the debut release by the Proselyte. They are a relatively new band, formed in Boston in 2006. What you may have heard on their demo is not much different than what is on this release. They ride the tide between Isis and Neurosis - mid-tempo to slow numbing gloom played through molten vintage tubes. I must mention that the song titles on the CD are illegible (either that or my dosage is off), so I’ll address the album by track.

After a droney intro track, the second track takes a direct plunge into darkness: faux Gregorian chants with layered guitars. After a few minutes, the song slips into more traditional Isis territory. Tracks three and five are straight ahead rocking tunes that both feature big riffs and some intriguing guitar work. Some of the intertwining tracks are simply noise and sustain. Track seven is a cool ethereal keyboard piece. This track reminds me of the Coyote Oldman CDs that I used to listen to when I was into meditation.

The final (and legible) track is “Rest to Restore Normal.” This song features a huge classic-sounding riff, reminiscent of Weld-era Neil Young. The piano part adds a great affect to the song, emanating spooky undertones. They get a chance to showcase their unique vocal harmonies once again in this track.

As an album, this disc is a trip. Ambient moods giving way to opaque crushing guitars. They allow the music to develop gradually, without dragging out the jam for too long. One their main strengths lies in their vocal harmonies. These harmonies, though brief, make them stand out a little more than other bands of this ilk. I’ve seen their name on a lot of local bills, so I doubt that this is the last we’ll hear of the Proselyte. - Reviewed by Thunder Horse (StonerRock.com)

Performer
November 2007
pg. 41

The Middle East Upstairs
Cambridge, MA
September 23, 2007


"Of the 20 or so people that stayed, 15 of them immediately cowered in front of the stage and waited impatiently for Cambridge locals Proselyte to start their set of raucous doom metal. Admittedly, this particular breed of metal is an acquired taste, since it involves a lot of dissonance, atonality, and unpredictable dynamics. But Proselyte's set performance was worthy of attention, even for an inexperienced metal listener. The Band managed to reach and impressive level of intensity in each song. The band seemed out of breath as early as the first songs end, but immediately jumped into the next song, regaining their energy and launching into another murderously loud number. While the audience was small, the performance was rock solid, filling the room with grinding, raucous metal." - Roman Lojko

Metro
Boston Weekend, November 16-18, 2007
pg. 19

CD Picks
The Proselyte
Album: "The Proselyte"
Label: self released
Grade: ***


REVIEW. “Cambridge-based heavy metal quartet The Proselyte - yeah, we hit the dictionary for that one; it means a new convert to a religious faith of doctrine. Quite the deep, dark, doomy name then... Anyway, The Proselyte’s self-titled debut CD is a promising set of new millennium metal, i.e. sludgy grindcore toped by growly vocals of the ogre-ish variety. Of coarse, The Proselyte, which just one year old, as most growly metal types, likes to show its sweeter side, and the singing lightens to soaring and grundge-esque, a la Alice in Chains. With that formula alone, popularity, or at least spots on 80-band heavy metal festivals seems assured. But, the best parts here are the moody post-rock instrumentals, filled with guitar noise and slow meandering rhythms. The playing is subtle and the sumptuous music expansive and thoughtful. If The Proselyte can muster the muscle to stand apart from the metal pack and ditch the formula, it might me on to something grand. - Linda Laban