One has to give
The Living Fields credit for really trying to be different. While they may owe a few gothic doom debts to cross-town heroes
November's Doom, this Chicago-based quartet goes to great lengths to differentiate their sound with additional musical elements of the progressive, symphonic, and atmospheric persuasion. As a result, the frequently epic-sized songs presented on the group's sophomore album, 2011's
Running Out of Daylight, rarely give up their inner secrets on first listen, but then, nor do they always completely achieve the lofty ambitions set out by their creators. Opening cut "Remnant" zombie walks out of the mausoleum wreathed in sawing violins, but along with subsequent offerings like "From Miseries to Blood…" (reminiscent of vintage
Paradise Lost or
My Dying Bride) and "Bitterness" (imagine
Opeth backed by chanting Benedictine monks as well as
Queen's shrieking operatics), its manifold ingredients simply fail to gel into convincingly tight arrangements, at times verging on the brink of chaos, instead. By comparison, both the beautifully orchestrated "Perseverance" and the concentrated folk-tinged urgency of "Glacial Movements" feel fully formed, leaving no room for muddled combinations, clumsy transitions, or unnecessary meandering. And, while these satisfyingly fleshed-out numbers are in the minority, one has to respect
the Living Fields' daring quest for originality, at any price, which culminates in the epic 16-minute title track, which, again, is far from perfect but is occasionally transcendent nonetheless. The same script could be applied as a summary for all of
Running Out of Daylight, and it'll be interesting to see how
the Living Fields can improve upon their obviously stimulating vision as they continue to mature. ~ Eduardo Rivadavia