Reviews for the I Am That Which Is demo.

"A refreshing breath of fresh air and originality is what Scholomance contributes to the underground with the release of this excellent five-song demo. Surprisingly, Scholomance is only a two-man band. Yet, they have the intensity and tight structure of at least a full five piece. Every instrument on this release rings out loud and clear, and the drum tracks are extremely interesting. The keyboards in particular are very dominant on this album, and are not just used for background ambiance. They are an integral part of the demo and add a great degree of complexity to the overall song structure. Scholomance's instrumentation (particularly the guitar tracks) are highly technical and quite progressive sounding. Quite a few zines have dubbed Scholomance the "Dream Theater of black metal." I can see the validity of that statement somewhat, but don't let that description throw you off. The lyrics are somewhat medievalesque. This release is of the sort that will "grow on you" the more you listen to it. I certainly await any new releases from Scholomance with bated breath and high expectations. They play music that is epic and dreamy, yet stark and disturbing." -Sociopathic Despair USA

...Next band is SCHOLOMANCE, excellent atmospheric black metal from USA. SCHOLOMANCE’s «Pride Of The Serpents Winds» can be described as a kind of mix between early MOONSPELL and contemporary EMPEROR. It’s various, sometimes fast, sometimes mid-paced, symphonic BM with good vocals and drums sounding like it’s a drum machine playing (?), however despite this fact, rhythm section (bass+drums) creates very good impression afterall. Perhaps, this band is the best one presented on «Until The End Of Time»... -Vae Solis (Russia)

Following their impressive and promising 1996 promo, Scholomance return with a proper demo recording done on 24 tracks which, of course, does their music much better justice, even though I feel that the sound on the tape could be a bit better. This two-piece formed by Scott Crinklaw (guitars, keyboards, and drum programing) and Jimmy Pits (vocals and keyboards), show an uncanny good taste, creativity and ability to write music. Their efforts see them trying something that can be called highly Symphonic and Progressive Black Death Metal, which resembles bands like Nocturnus, Cynic, Pestilence or early Sadist on occasion, but which results quite unique as it seems to receive an infusion of the material performed by the likes of Dark Tranquillity, Emperor, Arcturus or Limbonic Art. Everything sounds just grand in Scholomance; the versatile drum programming, the guitar work rich in both fluency, melody and technic which is, for much of the time, characteristically New Age of Swedish Death Metal, the vocals, clear, strong and kinda raspy with some high-pitched moments, and especially the magnificent keyboard orchestrations and skilled piano melodies. It all comes down to fine epic masterpieces charged with superb atmospheres and darkened intensity, layered and interlaced in complex song patterns and structures which are nonetheless a pleasant listen. Each of the 5 songs is quite unique and holds a edge of its own - the title track weaves at a moderate pace revealing strong traces of Classical influenza whereas 'Pride of the Serpent Winds' picks up some speed before indulging in Arabic-flavored melodic work. Simply put, genius and grand. Comes on pro-duped chrome tapes with full color cover (lyrics included).-Dark Oath (Portugal)

"I am speechless! Either these guys are totally mad or they are the next geniuses of the music scene. It's weird beyond belief, love it or hate it. I still don't know, but I am somehow raptured and hypnotized. This is 150% original and unique." -Savage Garden

Scholomance review found in ISTEN 'Twin Sister' Magazine (Finland) I Am That Which Is. For some reason this fascinating title of American Scholomance's five track demo '97 reminds me of the timeless truth that the greatest and most baffling secrets are always full of nothing, except maybe centuries worth of stale air. The concealment is all. Like Paavo Haavikko in his poem It is hard to begin, to write on a blank page (1966), one should consider separating letters and envelopes, and only keeping the letter. Then looking at an envelope would enable us to ponder what it might have contained, what isnt there. It may be the time, the place or the context that brought up this thought, I dont know. It probably says more about my life than Id like. In any case, Scholomance's compositions and lyrics are both very alive. With keyboards, near-psychedelic guitars and machinerized drums (the latter not a good idea) they weave a carousel of inner turmoil that falls in between darkness and death. Very unlike everything Ive heard coming from the USA lately (which isnt a lot, really), I Am That Which Is offers a pleasant journey into dark metal promiseland. The band's vision is intriguingly crooked and may provide us with some truly excellent music in the future and for that alone, the demo is worth your salt.

"Scholomance crank out some oddly unique  avant-garde black metal with some intriguing time changes and progressive  qualities that even has an Arabic flair running throughout."-Ill Literature USA

"Scholomance: "Pride of Serpent Winds" starts off with some fast drum beats set to real atmospheric keyboards. Very symphonic sounding. The guitars come in moving pretty fast and then all stops when the vocals start. The vocals are kind of deep then get high. The music gets very technical after the vocals begin. Like most bands on this comp, they encompass elements from black/death/doom metal. This is by far the most technical sounding band, as the guitars dont move as smoothly as the rest of the bands, more rough sounding, as with the keyboards." -Chaotic Brutality USA

"...Scholomance, who are wise enough to add a whole spectrum of color to their metal palette with jackhammer rhythms, leads straight out of Dark Tranquilities owner's manual, and serene keyboards." SSMT USA

"Scholomance is orchestrated Metal, with a progressive feel. Very different. Overall, what you have here is very Avant-Garde, Progressive Metal..." Scoops Central.Com

"Scholomance are by far my favorite band on this disc.  I'd describe them as "a cool(er) version of Cradle of Filth".  They take the base sound of Cradle of Filth, minus most of the theatrical and gothic elements, and add many other styles to that base sound: egyptian melodies, much better guitar work, interesting use of dissonances and harmonies, and busy, interesting drumming.  In addition, all of this is packed into only four minutes. I'm eagerly awaiting their debut CD."-Chronicles of Chaos Canada

"SCHOLOMANCE add their touch of originality to this camp. With a bright mix of Black, Death and so many interesting elements I am unable to describe!" -Pull the Chain Belgium

-Scholomance review found in Terrorizer Magazine(England)- "Marry Iron Maiden. Emperor. Voivod and Beethoven and what you get is a rough approximation of where America's Scholomance are coming from. "I Am That Which Is" is an intruiguing demo. Although the programmed drums may irritate the attentive ear, there is so much going on in the band's music that it is easy to forget they are there. Epic, technical, spacey and symphonic are all words which can be applied here, and those of you seeking something a little unusual could do worse than to purchase this tape." 3.5/5 by Gregory Whalen

"...I especially enjoyed the way they synchronize their keyboards with the guitar - both compliment each other perfectly and the combination works excellently. I heard a lot of Eastern motifs in the band's melodies which the guys explained by saying that Rachmaninoff, an underrated Russian composer, is one of their favorite music-smiths." - Arrows of Malice US

"The 2nd demo of American band Scholomance has very complex and high level music. Each of the 5 songs are one independent symphony. We can find huge influences but most dominant are the influence of progressive bands. ...they will be well known soon." -Stygian Shadows Hungary

"They have perfect technical skill that they use to make a kind of prog/orchestral metal, mixed with darkish black riffs. In short, an extraordinary demo tape, something you're not so used to listen to, but of easy listening at the same time. My humble advice is to get this little jewel as soon as possible." Nachts Sinfonie Italy

"a rough taste for the way black metal will sound in the future" - Tales of the Macabre Germany "Full of orchestrated keyboard lines and fluid guitar playing, the aura is heavy, yet complex, with the torturous screamed and anguished vocals." -Ill Literature USA "very complex and strange music" -Skogen Switzerland "I have certainly never heard anything like this, and the music grows stronger for each time I listen to this" -Genocide Norway "pure melody and talent" -Neptune USA

Scholomance is one of those bands that is, somewhat fortunately, difficult to place into any particular genre. Scholomance is a technical band, with something of a candy-laden jazz ensemble approach to music resembling Greek black metal, sensu Rotting Christ.

The sound is complex, at times brilliantly so, to the point that no particular element either dominates or defines. The band is a three-piece, but I hear two guitar lines most of the time. Scott Crinklaw is an outstanding musician, and he assembles an impressive collage of abstract melody and rhythmic diversity from riffless, rapid-fire power chords. The mid-tempo songs are intense nonetheless, utilizing unusual time signatures, frequent, unexpected tempo changes, and abundant syncopation, made fluid by the superb percussions. I think the biggest grins, though, come from the wacky, jazzy bass lines, sensu Steve DiGiorgio. Actual bass lines are a big plus.

Vocals are adequate, situated near-background, and something of a high snarl, which is fine with me. Scholomance use their musicianship to produce a rather dark product, overshadowed by a bit of keyboard insta-atmosphere. Most will appreciate the fact that the keyboards are subtle, yet still manage to contribute positively to the instrumental interplay. Some, though, will be turned off by the ear-candy of glockenspiels and chimes.

With respect to influences, I hear a European black/doom aesthetic combined with some surprising death metal tidbits in both melodies and rhythms. The title track is the least impressive to me, euphonic and well played, but derivative, often reminiscent of Katatonia or Moonspell. The "Exotica Sequence" track is the best on the tape, with a hard-hitting Japanese taiko drum feel in the percussions. Other songs, though, give glimpses of Therion's Symphony Masses, Death's Human, and obviously Cynic's Focus. Piano lines and evil sounding chord-bendings faintly resemble Oppressor, though these are all fragments in the darker black-ish context.

If you haven't guessed by now, I like this demo. It's something between 20 and 30 minutes in length, with five songs, and it's well produced. I think the appeal of the music is wide, due to both the formula and the musicianship. Extreme listeners will be divided, though I think that classic metal listeners will appreciate the infusion of more extreme elements. At five bucks, they're practically giving this thing away; I think it's worth a good eight. -Anderson Johns USA

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