It’s Not About The Witches, the theatrical debut release from T.O.L.D. (The Order of Life and Death) is not only massive, but full of eleven hauntingly beautiful and timeless tracks that will be pumping through your speakers for years to come. Through oscillating synth, deep bass, stunning melodies and an overall dreamy tone, it’s impossible not to get lost in these songs, from the very first theatrical track, “The Fool,” all the way to the diverse ending in “Master Of The Species.”
The buildup in “The Fool,” carried by piano and deep, eerie bass releases into the stunning second track, “Lucifer’s Eyes.” This second song continues that hauntingly beautiful sound with bright steel drums, dreamy synth and deep, smooth vocals that combined, put you in a trance. Somehow, “Lucifer’s Eyes” manages to feel like a summer party track while still remaining dark and haunting – it’s incredible.
A chorus of voices carries the next song, “2 Young,” taking that big sound of “Lucifer’s Eyes” and just adding to it. Where the drums really carried the second track, the bass is particularly strong with this one, even when it explodes into a full blown dance track complete with incredible vocal melodies.
There is a very strong balance between light and dark on It’s Not About The Witches. “Lucifer’s Eyes” is the first taste listeners will get of this, but it certainly isn’t the last. Even on darker songs, there is still a very dreamy, beautiful undertone, and the opposite can be said for the brighter songs. “Live and Let Go” is a perfect example of this balance. While the verses are very dark and creepy, the explosive chorus is very bright and beautiful. And thankfully, it doesn’t disconnected at all.
The following “There’s No Truth” is a slow and beautiful middle track, almost serving as a sort of interlude. Instrumentals tend to sound similar to The XX, while reverb-heavy vocals are layered on top. However, like many other songs on the album, there’s more than meets the eye to “There’s No Truth.” About halfway through the song, it grows with dreamy synth and strong drumming. “There’s No Truth” then flows easily into the dreamy and repetitive “Return Forever.” It’s very easy to get lost in both of these songs.
It’s Not About The Witches continues to grow and surprise right up until the end, and the second to last song, “A Noise,” is easily the biggest transformation on the album. As the title suggests, the song starts out from just simple noises and a very quiet beginning, but quickly transforms into one of the biggest and most anthemic songs on the album. The group vocals are beautiful, the synth is hypnotizing and the drumming is incredible, and overall, “A Noise” is a huge track right before the end.
As a whole, It’s Not About The Witches almost feels like a spiritual experience. These eleven hypnotizing tracks are all stunning in their own way, taking you on an emotional journey as they progress and leaving you relaxed and wanting more by the end. There isn’t anything quite like T.O.L.D.’s sound right now, making It’s Not About The Witches a must listen.
Rating: 4.5/5
Listen to “Lucifer’s Eyes” or “Live and Let Go”
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Purchase “It’s Not About The Witches” via iTunes