Amidst the ocean of droney, post-rock, post-hardcore clones, there are only a couple bands that catch my attention. It’s a hard genre to accomplish that because the songs tend to bleed together, feedback overshadows the details, and I’m usually exhausted by the time I get through an entire album. City Of Ships had me hooked from the beginning to the end of their vinyl-only release. The band crushes, no question about it. But, they aren’t just here to be the loudest, or the slowest, band; each song has its own personality. Some consist of eerie instrumental passages that lead to more hardcore dirges, while others come across like a heavier Quicksand, which is never a bad thing. The vocals are pretty varied, but always fit the song. Fans of Jesu, Cult Of Luna, and Isis should definitely invest their time and money in this release.
–Evan Katz (Forcefield)