Morning Metal: The Thirteenth Floor’s “XIII” EP Review
The Thirteenth Floor – XIII
Released: April 20th, 2014
The Thirteenth Floor hailing from Ottawa, Ontario released their long awaited debut EP “XIII” on April 20th, 2014 to satisfy everyone who has been waiting impatiently since the release of their first single, “Hypnocil”.
I had my doubts going in, as I do with every new album – which is great to any listener because if it sucks, you’re not surprised… On the other hand, The Thirteenth Floor’s debut EP pleasantly surprised me with how damn heavy the thing is.
The seven track EP opens with an instrumental which sounds like really drowned out bagpipes that have been slowed down. The neat thing about all the songs on the EP is that they all have these little eerie parts right before they smack you in the head. “Den of Flies”, the first track is exactly that.
The second single to be released from the EP, “Insidious Agenda” was first released before the vocals could be mixed accordingly to the rest of the song – which is why I was anticipating to hear it so badly. It is this song in particular that I hear Whitechapel. I mentioned that I hear Whitechapel to the band in our interview and it was almost a surprise because none of them said they listen to Whitechapel enough to actually call them an influence. Sure, you don’t have the death metal growls – but the sheer heaviness and animosity built into the song sure makes you wonder how they didn’t at least mention them.
“Harness and Hatches Secure” stands as the longest track on the album, just over six minutes in length. Don’t expect any ridiculous solos on the EP, as it is more of a “you want to head bang, because this is how you head bang” type of band. I actually like this – because while there is little guitar licks, they don’t feel the need to overcompensate and shred the hell out of every verse and chorus.
Remember how I mentioned they don’t need to solo? Well, the fourth track “Deadlights” completely defies that with the intro. While it isn’t exactly a solo, it does add a new flavour into the mix that we haven’t yet heard from The Thirteenth Floor. The cool thing about this is that it provides a heavy background shred behind the chugs.
“Hypnocil” was released first as the debut single from the band as well as the first single from the EP. It is all that you remember with some added finishing touches. “Hypnocil” has the best breakdown – because when you think it’s over, that scream proves you wrong.
The second last track, “The Tracker”, starts off with an eerie guitar thud with notes creepily followed. The best part about this song is the interlude, because instead of just a heavy breakdown – it’s the same kind of feel as the intro before it slams back into the poundage of JaeKwonPark’s drums. The song continues with a short solo before a monstrous growl and before finally ending with a barrage of double beats.
The EP closer, “Mitigate”, actually surprised me due to the fact that it is not at all heavy, featuring no vocals and just ominous, melodic chord progressions. Don’t be fooled by the bass notes, because The Thirteenth Floor does not feature a bassist! That is why we have seven string guitars! “Mitigate” closes the album with a nice finishing touch – with something you wouldn’t expect.
The Thirteenth Floor’s “XIII” was everything I didn’t expect. When I heard “Hypnocil” and “Insidious Agenda”, I knew it was going to be loud and heavy – but what I didn’t expect was the more somber and slow tempo melodic interludes, especially with the final track. My only problem with the album is the repetitiveness in some songs – you could easily pick out songs that don’t sound the same, but with some parts it was almost filler.
Nevertheless, “XIII” adds a new direction in the Ottawa music scene. There is not a single band I have heard in the scene that even comes close to sounding like The Thirteenth Floor. These guys have something unique about their sound and I’m damn proud to be a part of the scene with these guys in it.
The Thirteenth Floor – https://www.facebook.com/TheThirteenthFloorOfficial
Stream “XIII” – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EN07RwdwOz0
James Rockso – Host of CKCU 93.1 FM’s “Morning Metal” & Producer/Engineer at “Pebble Studios”
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Morning-Metal/286205571505773
Morning Metal 2014.