Dec 032015
 

Martriden-Cold and the Silence

 

(Andy Synn reviews the first album by Martriden in almost six years, which unexpectedly appeared on Bandcamp earlier this week.)

So formerly Montana-based and now Denver-based Progressive Black Metallers Martriden decided to go the Krallice route with the release of their latest album, and drop it onto Bandcamp earlier this week with little to no fanfare preceding its appearance. Thankfully for all of you, I’m a huge (borderline obese) fan of this band, so the second I spotted the message about its release I dived on it as if it were a live grenade/puppy and have been listening to it almost non-stop ever since.

What I’ve found, however, is that, for whatever reason, this is actually a pretty hard album to review. For me, anyway. I’ve written, deleted, and rewritten so many paragraphs about each track and then scrapped them totally so many times now that the version you’re currently reading bears little to no resemblance to what I originally intended when I first set out to form my thoughts into (semi)coherent sentences.

 

Martriden logo

 

Largely that’s because the more I listened to the album the more trying to pick apart each track and label its component parts just started to feel overly reductive and futile, everything I was writing failing to get across the impression of creative cohesion that the album gives off, with all its various elements and aspects working in perfect harmony and balance.

Basically, what we have here is (Doctor Who fans take note) a hybrid that’s far greater than the mere sum of its parts.

Despite the five year gap between releases, though (including the departure of the band’s long-time main vocalist Michael Cook), Cold and the Silence still feels like a direct continuation/expansion of the darkly progressive, defiantly blackened vibes embodied on 2010’s Encounter the Monolith, albeit one which (if the artwork didn’t already clue you in) takes some significant steps in a more overtly prog-tinged and enigmatically indulgent direction than ever before.

 

The closest comparison is, as always, with the infamous Norwegian Space-Vikings known as Enslaved, and it’s clear to me that Cold and the Silence errs closest in tone and feel to the runic quintet’s infamous Below the Lights/Isa era —  a time when they, too, elected to shift their sound firmly into the quantum realms of cosmic, blackened prog, much as Martriden have chosen to do here.

Some of these similarities are of a more superficial nature, granted, with the vocals of Shane Howard, for example, bearing more than a passing resemblance to the commanding growl of Grutle Kjellson (though the cadence of Howard’s delivery frequently echoes that of his predecessor Michael Cook, resulting in a strong line of continuity between albums and incarnations of the band).

Others run a little deeper, however, such as the newly integrated, and extremely prominent, use of gloriously expressive clean vocals as a counterpoint to Howard’s gritty snarl, which serve to accelerate each song into the proggy stratosphere every time they appear (delivered, I believe, by Howard himself… though if they are in fact done by his brother Kyle, who also handles keyboards on Cold and the Silence, then these Enslaved comparisons become even harder to refute).

Most of all, however, the scintillating guitar work evident across these seven tracks demonstrates a prog-infused flair for energetic, creative riffing (pay close attention to the hard-driving opening bars  of “Fear and Dread” for a prime example) and psychedelic cosmic atmosphere, which suggests that although Martriden certainly aren’t slaves to their influences (pun most definitely intended), they’re certainly walking a path that parallels that of their forebears… though its one that’s not without a number of divergent twists and turns of its own.

 

That being said, although the lithe, intricate bass work (courtesy of enviably talented session bassist Mark Grabowski) hints at unexpected influences from the classic Tech/Prog/Death stylings of latter-day Death and early Cynic (check out the opening bars of “Pendulum” for an immediate example), this is most definitely a Martriden album, through and through.

Across the length and breadth of Cold and the Silence the guitar tandem of Shane Howard and Will Thackeray repeatedly hammer this point home by delivering a riveting array of diamond-sharp, glass-cutting riffs (such as the laser-guided main riff of “Invisible Cities”, or the stuttering, Death Metal inflections present throughout “The Grey”) which sound like no-one else but Martriden – rhythmically, structurally, melodically – and which, hypothetically speaking, could almost have appeared on any of their previous releases.

This solid foundation, this clearly defined sense of self, is exactly what allows the band to experiment and expand their sound on Cold and the Silence, without fear of losing the thread of their identity in the process.

Nowhere is this more noticeable than in the utterly fantastic integration of a multitude of majestic clean vocal parts throughout the album, which eschew the vapid simplicity of poppy melody in favour of a deeper and longer-lasting memorability that exists in service of each track – rather than as its sole focal point.

Whether it’s the solemn resignation evident in the clean-sung refrain of “The Grey” or the mournful melodic passages present in grandiose closer “Consequence”, each of these sections serves to add yet another impressive string to the band’s bow, and despite their undeniable catchiness, there’s never a moment where you find yourself listening to a song just for its clean vocals. They’re all integrated as part of a greater whole, and all the better for it.

 

In the end it’s taken me almost 700 words to get back to the key point I made right at the start of this review – that this is an album that’s all about balance, an album primarily concerned with exploration and expression, with all these different elements and aspects, from scything riffs to soaring clean vocals, from rippling drum work to evocative keys and subtle acoustic ambience, working in harmony in service of a greater, overarching vision.

So if you’re looking for an album unafraid to paint with vivid, striking colours, unafraid to break with convention and follow a more progressive, creative, and downright compelling path – all without giving an inch in terms of scorching, spitfire riffage and focussed, potent fury – then Cold and the Silence is most definitely the album for you.

https://martriden.bandcamp.com

https://www.facebook.com/martriden/

 

  25 Responses to “MARTRIDEN: “COLD AND THE SILENCE””

  1. Righteous Review!!

  2. Also, I must say how this album reminds me of older Opeth (my still faves Still Life and MAYH). The way it ebbs and flows like those classics did. The two bands sound nothing alike, but this album has a similar majesty about it for me. The same could be said of the previous Martriden albums, but this one’s proggin’ a lot more than the previous ones, which is in no way a bad thing. Anyway, gush.

    • This also immediately make me think of Opeth from the time of Still Life, but different. Quite nice.

      Also: Norwegian Space-Vikings

      • Interesting, as it’s pure Enslaved for me, rather than Opeth – though I suppose the slight Death Metal tinge to those signature Martriden riffs might have a hint of Still Life to it.

        Also: you appreciated that did you? I try and throw something fun like that into every review, just to see if people are paying attention and to see if I can make anyone smile.

        • There’s definitely some Opeth in there, but I get more of a Ghost Reveries feel at times, but with BWP bass presence and less staccato than I remember GR being.

          • I can see it somewhat in the bass presence, now that you mention it. There’s a bit of Martin Mendez to Grabowski’s playing that I didn’t see before you mentioned it.

            Though I still stand by my feeling that Opeth makes up only a small % compared to the mid-period Enslaved influence that’s all over this thing.

        • I definitely hear the Enslaved sound too (like from about the Ruun time-period forwards). After listening to it some more I think I agree with you that they are a closer comparison. In any case, thanks for bringing this to our attention.

  3. I’m glad I didn’t judge this album by the terrible album art and the band’s mark. Way into the music, though.

    • Huh, I suppose it’s a case of “different strokes…” because that’s actually probably one of my favourite album covers of the year. The colours are both different and striking, and there’s such a well-realised idea behind it (rather than just throwing lots of different bits and moving parts at the wall), as well as a surprising depth of field on display the more you look at it.

  4. WOW, I was just searching Martriden on both Amazon and bandcamp the other day to see if by chance there was anything new from them. Can’t wait to dig into to new music from them….LOVED Encounter the Monolith, so far the new stuff is a twinge different but still very interesting, heavy and cool!

    • It’s a very GOOD “different” though.

      And, to be fair, the more and more I listen to it, the more I can see the underlying sonic similarities to EtM, so it’s definitely not AS drastically different as it might first appear… I think they must have picked “Pendulum” as the opener precisely because it’s such a curve-ball (at least on the surface anyway) with the almost Pink Floyd-y riff parts and clean vocals so prominently on display.

  5. Haven’t heard of these guys til now – one spin of this record tells me I definitely dig it, but need more spins to really unravel it.

  6. So did they move, or is Metallum wrong concerning their location? Their bandcamp and Discogs both say they’re out of Denver, Colorado.

  7. I had completely forgotten that a new album was coming out. I’m listening to the first track, and all I’m hearing is Ghost Reveries-era Opeth. Oh wait, *there* we go.

    *starts headbanging furiously*

    There have been good albums this year for sure, but not any that have this many great riffs in the goddamn opening track. An emphatic yes to all things Matriden. I may be rambling at this point.

  8. This is fucking awesome!! A very nice surprise so short before the end of the year.
    Now I might have to rearrange my year-list. 😀

  9. Fucking solid!!!

  10. great review, this sounds killer 🙂

 Leave a Reply

You may use these HTML tags and attributes: <a href="" title=""> <abbr title=""> <acronym title=""> <b> <blockquote cite=""> <cite> <code> <del datetime=""> <em> <i> <q cite=""> <s> <strike> <strong>

(required)

(required)

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.