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 As an emotion, envy is a study in contradiction: a desire, perhaps, for something of beauty, made ugly by its unattainability. As one of the Seven Deadly Sins, it's a minor transgression compared to Wrath or Greed, ranked only above Sloth or Gluttony for its degree of wickedness. But it can lead to the more major offenses of Lust and even Wrath, thus it could be supposed to be a "gateway" sin.
As a band, Envy embraces the contradictory nature of its namesake, combining beatific swells of epic post rock with its inherent textural guitar, martial drumming and dynamic flourishes, with the ugliness of raw-throated screaming taking the place of traditional vocals. There are moments throughout Insomniac Doze where the vocals are spoke/sung in a Mogwai-esque fashion (albeit in Japanese), but then the band's hardcore "screamo" roots are exposed as the vocalist unleashes the gutteral howls of an infinitely tortured psyche.
Sonically, the band resides near its countrymen Mono and labelmates Explosions in the Sky, with the chiming, intertwined guitars, circular drum patterns and combustive dynamics of the soft-loud-soft post rock ethic. But the anguish and pathos blended into the majestic grandeur of cinematic rock set Envy apart and demonstrate just how deadly this sin can be.
BeeDub
:: (August 06) 
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Envy