Sarin- Burial Dream

A lot of things both defy me, and, depressingly enough, confirm horrible things for me. For a pertinent example- the notion that certain types of guitar distortion denote "heavy". I think, to myself, aw, c'mon folks, this was recorded digitally, with software treatments, so the distortion is just an effect, and no more so, nor less than modulations or time-based echoes and reverbs. But, of course, I suspect it's because we are conditioned to think of a scooped distortion sound indicates volume and rectified gain stages, and therefore, the province of young, rebellious men who express themselves with massive amplification to indicate their brazenness.
So, while I understand that Sarin were influenced by Godflesh, and Isis, but that's not really the way I hear it. I hear it as Calexio meets deftones, or Morricone meets screamo. Ultimately, whether distortion or echo, there are no truly un-effected guitars, and the tempos are kept deliberate so as to make the melodies seem more spare.
So, that brings us to why I like this- it's really very spare and minimalist, even given that maximalism of 7 minute songs, and so many effects- it's very zen, and contemplative, even with all the great, throaty screams and pounding rhythms. The amount of dissonance in the passing chords and the shifts between echoey single note lines, and saturated chorded riffs is like the natural fissures and erosion in a mountain creek.
I realize this may not be the reaction the band is looking for. They may wish for me to talk about it using words like "Brutal" "heavy" "bludgeoning" and so forth, and I'm sure others will- but, again, from my perspective, it seems deep, sonorous and pretty in a very stern and austere way. This means I dig it, a lot. Noise meets metal, and goes post, but the whole thing is reflective, and introspective, like a noise rock Old Man Gloom. Good stuff, and they seem to know that P90 Jazzmasters mixed with newer model Les Pauls always produces a deep and authoritative sound. A good choice for a snowy, gloomy, cold winter. Think of it as Doom, for a poetic sort....