The Canyon Observer/Figura/Vox Project/2023 Full Length Review

 

  Slovenia's  The  Canyon  Observer  have  returned  with  a  new  recording  which  shows  the  music  going  for  more  of  a  mixture  of  black,  sludge,  doom  metal,  avant  garde,  drone,  harsh  noise,  free  jazz,  mathcore  and  contemporary  music  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2023  album  "Figura" which  was  released  by  Vox  Project.  

  Nature  sounds  start  off  the  album  along  with  some  clean  playing  a  few  seconds  later  which  also  shows  an  influence  of  free  jazz.  Most  of  the  tracks  are  also  very  long  and  epic  in  length  while  some  tracks  also  add  in  a  small  amount  of  spoken  word  parts,   saxophones  and  cellos  can  also  be  heard  on  a  few  songs.

  Element s of  sludge,  doom  and  post  metal  can  be  heard  in  5the  slower  and  heavier  sections  of  the  songs.  At  time s the  music  also  gets  very  experimental  and  avant  garde  sounding  along  with  the  riffs  adding  in  a  decent  amount  of  melody  and  one  song  also  introduces  black  metal  screams  and  growls  onto  the  recording.

  When  the  music  speeds  up  a  decent  amount  of  blast  beats  and  tremolo  picking  can  also  be  heard  along  with  the  songs  also  adding  in  a  good  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts.  Harsh noises  and  drones  can  also  be  heard  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording  while  the  production  also  sounds  very  dark.   

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  The  Canyon  Observer  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  f  black,  sludge,  doom  metal,  avant  garde,  drone,  harsh  noise,  free  jazz,  mathcore  and  contemporary  music,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Koza"  and  "Kriz".  8  out  of  10.

  https://music.voxproject.fr/album/figura       

The Canyon Observer/Noll/Vox Project/Kapa Records/2018 CD Review

  The  Canyon  Observer  are  a  band  from  Slovenia  that  has  been  featured  before  in  this  zine  and  plays  a  mixture  of  black,  post.  sludge  and  doom  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2018  album  "Noll"  which  will  be  released  on  April  20th  as  a  joint  effort  between  Vox  Project  and  Kapa  Records.

  Distorted  sound  drones  and  soundscapes  start  off  the  album  before  adding  in  some  guitar  leads  while  spoken  word  parts  can  also  be  heard  briefly  along  with  the  vocals  also  bringing  in  a mixture  of  growls  and  black  metal  screams  as  well  as  bringing  in  the  heaviness  of  sludge  and  doom  metal.

  All  of  the  musical  instruments  on  the  recording  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  while  the  music  also  mixes  in  elements  of  post  metal  along  with  a  small  amount  of  melody  also  being  used  at  times  as  well  as  the  solos  and  leads  being  done  in  a  very  melodic  fashion,  elements  of  harsh  noise  and  experiemntal  can  also  be  heard  at  times.

  When  the  music  speeds  up  a  decent  amount  of  blast  beats  and  crust  punk  influences  can  also  be  heard  while  a  couple  of  the  tracks  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length  and  as  the  album  progresses  clean  playing  is  added  onto  the  recording  and  also  gives  the  music  more  of  a  progressive  feeling  and  on  the  closing  track  the  vocals  go  into  more  of  a  melodic  sludge  direction.

  On  this  recording  The  Canyon  Observer  expands  on  their  mixture  of  black,  post,  sludge  and  doom  metal  by  adding  in  elements  of  crust,  experimental  and  noise  to  take  their  sound  to  a  different  level,  the  production  sounds  very  dark  and  heavy  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark and  disturbing  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  album  from  The  Canyon  Observer  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  black,  post,  sludge  and  doom  metal,  you  should  check  out  this  recording.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Noll"  "Abstract"  and  "Circulation".  8  out  of  10.

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The Canyon Observer Interview

1.Can you give us an update on what has been going on with the band since the recording and release of the new album?
We are regrouping and getting our strength back as the release was really intense emotionaly , physically and financially.

2.Recently you have released a new album, how would you describe the musical sound that is presented on the recording and also how does it differ from the stuff you have released in the past?
New stuff is much more aggressive. We just didn't care what kind of album we are making, genre speaking. We just played from the heart and FVCK is what happened. We experimented with new rhythms, new sound, vocal range and style. We just did what had to be done and this is what happened.

3.What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects the band explores with the music?
We explore topics like self discovery, sex, BDSM & general mindfucks through the use of psychedelics.

4.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'The Canyon Observer'?
Go on a psychedelic trip in a canyon listening to our music and than tell us.

5.What are some of the best shows that the band has played so far and also how would you describe your stage performance?
We always go all-out during a show. Whether there is 5 people on the show or 500. We like it raw & without a lubricant. Just pure penetration of sound and visuals that give us a braingasm. There were so many great shows that i couldn't even pick just a few. We love it when the folks get into the music and get close to the stage, get close to the sound and participate in the show. It makes us give even more energy and the show is even more fucked up that way.

6.Do you have any touring or show plans for the new album?
Nik?
Well, from 19th till 28th of February we are going on a Brutal Winter Fest 2016, which is a tour in Cuba. So that's a big thing for us now and we are really stoked about it.
And we are also playing some summer festivals.
Metal Days being one of them.

7.Can you tell us a little bit more about the deal you have signed with 'KAPA Records'?
Nik?
Jacuzzi and bitches. and also they've helped us a lot with promotion of "FVCK" and many times they've financially backed us up for our tours (also this Cuban one, we couldn't do it without them), CDs, vinyls, you name it! They are really great gals/guys and we are forever grateful to them.

8.On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your albums by fans of underground and extreme music?
The feedback was awesome. First VOX offered to co-release the album, the guys from No clean singing premiered our album, we got tons of reviews from abroad and we couldn't be happier with the result. We poured our hearts and souls into this album and the people took it with respect and love. We appreciate all the guys and gals that supported us and hope to see you at a show soon!

9.Where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?
Thats a trick question. We believe that if you decide strictly for a genre you can only make something that has already been done. If you think outside of the genre we believe you can still make something special and unique to what the initial idea of the music was. So I don't know. We will see where the music takes us.

10.What are some of the bands or musical styles that have had an influence on your music and also what are you listening to nowadays?
We have had so much different influences, from sludge bands up to black metal & noise so we just couldn't go into details what we use and what just flows out. We just go with the flow, the way music should be made.

11.What are some of your non musical interests?
Cats & drugs.

12.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?
Love hard, fuck harder.

Regards,
Tine

https://www.facebook.com/TheCanyonObserver/

The Canyon Observer/FVCK/Kapa Records/2015 CD Review

  The  Canyon  Observer  are  a  band  from  Slovenia  that  plays  a  mixture  of  black  metal,  sludge  and  doom  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2015  album  "FVCK"  which  was  released  by  Kapa  Records.

  Drum  beats  start  off  the  album  before  going  into  a  heavy  sludge  metal  direction  along  with  some  grim  yet  high  pitched  black  metal  screams  and  the  music  also  mixes  in  elements  of  post  metal  and  after  awhile  death  metal  growls  can  be  heard  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording  along  with  some  melodic  guitar  leads  being utilized  at  times.

   Most  of  the  tracks  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length  and  there  is  also  a  brief  use  of  clean  singing  being  brought  into  some  of  the  tracks  and  the  music  also  brings  in  elements  of  experimental,  noise  and  drone  at  times  and  you  can  also  hear  all  of  the  musical  instruments  that  are  present  on  the  recording  and  on  the  last  track  the  music  starts  to  speed  up  briefly  and  also  brings  in  a  brief  use  of  blast  beats.

  The  Canyon  Observer  plays  a  musical  style  that  takes  black  metal,  sludge,  doom  and  post  metal  and  mixes  it  in  with  a  touch  of  experimental,  noise  and  drone  to  create  a  style  of  their  own,  the  production  sounds  very  dark  and  heavy  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark  and  disturbing  themes.

  In  my  opinion  The  Canyon  Observer  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  black  metal,  sludge  and  doom  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Bounds  Tied Tight"  and  "All  Of  her,  Mine".  8  out  of  10.