Blizzard at Sea: Invariance (2011)

Review

How do you decide which albums to listen to? I've touched on the subject a while back, discussing what sources I look to, which evidence I use. But I didn't discuss how to weigh that evidence.

I submit that most of us decide what to listen to based on a simple cost/benefit analysis. You compare your investment--money, time, bandwidth, and/or hard drive space--to how much you want the album. You want it because of its pure musical quality, the pedigree of the band, the music's originality, or whatever you value. That cost/benefit analysis weighs heavily in favor of Invariance, the debut EP of Blizzard at Sea.

Whether their moniker makes any sense being in landlocked Iowa, their progressive sludge metal makes perfect sense. It's not original by any measure. In fact, any given riff, chord progression, or vocal technique could have been plucked from Baroness or Leviathan-era Mastodon. The concept of the album is not far from Mastodon circa Crack the Skye. But what it lacks in originality, it makes up in quality. Like I said, this sounds like some impressive discographies. It's not quite as catchy, but it's good. And your investment can be as little as you want--it's available as a pay-what-you-want download, and it lasts less than a half hour. (The album is also available on CD.)



The Verdict: Blizzard at Sea isn't original with Invariance, but it's good, and more likely than not you'll find it worth your investment. I give it 3.5 out of 5 stars.