Review by Krys on April 17, 2002.

This power/progressive rock band was formed in late 2000 after two members of Inner Strength, Joe Marselle (guitar) and Scott Oliva (vocals) decided to unleash their musical vision under a new name, The Driven. Their vision is self-described as “raw, simple, straight and to the point”... I can agree with first 3 but to this day I’m not sure what point are they talking about because to tell you the truth, I don’t even see a point in releasing “Gravity Clock”.

So, let’s get their vision under a microscope. Raw - recorded with a low budget at mostly home studios, “Gravity Clock” sounds very raw but that’s not the problem here. The vocals are way up front, the guitars have too much distortion for a power/progressive style, dynamics don’t even exist and the stupid cover looks like someone did it 1 minute before it went to print.

Simple and straight - Oh in this department they achieved the ultimate highs... it so simple and straight that if you put me against a wall and stuck a gun to my head, I wouldn’t be able to recognize a single track by its title. The musicianship is actually quite promising and leaves some hope for the future, but if it doesn’t go together with a feel and touch for some good melodies The Driven faces a long road to the top.

To the point – I already said it; I have no clue what they’re talking about.

If this is “unrelenting power rock at it’s finest” as they claim, then power rock is dead for me because I don’t want to hear any mediocre bands after having had to endure the finest sons of the genre.

One thing I have to give to them is that for only $8 they delivered 18 tracks (68 min. of music). But on the other hand, I had to take a break after the first 9 just to make sure I could make it to the end. If they put all those ideas into 9-10 songs, gave them better arrangements and production maybe I’d appreciate this album a little more, but 18 tracks that basically sound the same without any atmosphere resulted in 3 finished cups of coffee and half pack of smoked cigarettes, just to get through.

Bottom Line: Boring. If a rock band can’t make their songs stand from one another then there must be something terribly wrong in The Driven camp.

Categorical Rating Breakdown

Musicianship: 5
Atmosphere: 3
Originality: 5
Production: 4
Overall: 4

Rating: 4.2 out of 10

Review by Tara on April 28, 2016.

Skáphe² is the second album from black metal duo Skáphe. In 2014, A.P., known for his work in black metal acts Chaos Moon, Esoterica and Krieg released the first Skáphe album which was met with praise and success. Since then, the budding solo project from A.P. has turned into a duo with the addition of D.G. (from Iceland's Misþyrming and Naðra) on vocals. It is with this second album that the band has taken their sound to an entirely new level of darkness and despair.

Skáphe² contains six untitled tracks that can only be described as pure terror. It is an intense listen from start to finish, a solid balance of chaotic atmosphere with plenty of temporal fluctuations. Best compared to an abstract piece of art, some will not understand the appeal while others will be immediately hooked in. Not only is the music itself varied but the vocals are some of the best I've heard in recent black metal. The demonic shrieks and howls from D.G. help establish the overall mood of this psychedelically hellish mindfuck. To better prepare yourself for the journey, have a look at the cover artwork. The striking red and black composition couldn't be more explicit about what is to be expected from the music you're about to hear.

Overall, Skáphe² will take a few listens in order to totally absorb because it is very different and complex. It is as frightening as it is beautiful and has managed to combine all the things that make truly great black metal.