Mephisto Lettonica

It is not often that the efforts of a band from such a low-key country as Latvia are noted. Neglected Fields come from this small country, which is probably why they are not as well-known as they should be. It took me 4 weeks to receive this (after unsuccessful attempts to buy from independent suppliers), but the quality of this album makes me pleased I waited so long.
Although this album is consistently good throughout, I feel that there are some notable tracks worth writing about.

Solar: The opening track and probably most exciting and epic (and longest) on the album. A really grabbing intro comes with very sudden keyboard interjections. Before the first verse, there’s an arpeggio in a 6/8 (I think) time signature played by the keys and the bass. It’s a very nice sound, but it may seem amateurish and clichéd (in a symphonic metal sort of way) to some. As the first verse starts, you hear Sergey Destruction’s Jeff Walker-like voice, veering towards the likes of Angela Gossow/Gollum too. It fits the music and atmosphere very well but is most of the time incoherent until you read the lyrics. I’m not really fazed by this as the musicianship works well enough. There’s a great middle section that has this really progressive time signature that doesn’t go on a tangent. The clean guitars at the end have to be heard too.

The Spider’s Kiss: The most ‘catchy’ track with the least unconventional time signatures and a great chorus that could be windmilled to with moderate enthusiasm. The lyrics as usual are of an escapist or metaphorical nature and so aren’t so open to one’s interpretation, but in a new decade where a lot of the more ‘coherent’ bands lack any kind of special flavour, this comes as a refreshing change (unless you listen to this sort of thing all the time).

Whatever That Tempts: This is my personal favourite. The ‘intro’ to this song lasts for a minute and a half, but it gives the song more atmosphere than you could ask. It’s a real whoosh of guitar goodness followed by a spooky keyboard part. Then suddenly the sound thickens into a different timbre, a crack of thunder, the rest of the band comes in with the most lovely prog-metal riff. Love it.

Presentiment: By the time this track comes and you’ve listened carefully, you’ll know the bassist has a few things of his own to show off. And he does, with some 6-string bass tapping, and the keyboardist and percussionist for backing. Again with the spooky atmospherics, just how I like it.

You can tell Neglected Fields take after bands like Emperor, Cynic and Death, but they meld these influences together to create a sound and progressive air of their very own (even when faced with occasionally patchy production). Now all they have to do is start touring the UK and US!