(Andy Synn has four more albums from last month that he needs you to check out)
I’m in a bit of a rush today, so don’t have time for much of a preamble here… suffice it to say that June was a very busy month, for everyone here at NCS, which has left us with a lot of stuff to catch up on.
Which is why you’re getting a second edition of “Things You May Have Missed” today, following on from last week’s equally killer quartet of recent releases.
DISSENTIENT – BLACK GALACTIC
We’ve covered Canadian Prog-Death cyber-metallers Dissentient several times before, and enjoyed seeing them slowly develop their Meshuggah-meets-Allegaeon-meets-Fear Factory sound into something bigger and more bombastic with each new release.
And while those influence are obviously still dominant on Black Galactic – just check out the laser-guided, subtly technical riffage, gargantuan, groaning grooves, and pneumatic, piston-driven rhythms of songs like “Traveller” and the absolutely massive title-track – the band’s fourth album also feels like they’ve cranked each of them up a little bit higher, making all the different (but complementary) aspects of the album seem a little bit more energised and electrified.
“The Aphelion Sequence”, for example, cranks up both the technicality and the heaviness (though not, it must be said, as much as “Dead Autumn Hours” and “Omnipotent Other”), while “Timefall” lets the precision-milled mechanical grooves and swirling cyber-synths take the lead (without sacrificing that inherent heaviness in the process).
Speaking of the synths, their usage here feels just that little bit more prominent – not just swirling and weaving in and out of the gaps between the guitars but also pushing forwards during the likes of “Pyramid” and the aforementioned “Traveller” to provide the music with occasional passages of gleaming cosmic ambience – while the lead guitar work (courtesy, I believe, of new guitarist Andrew Allston) also shines that little bit brighter, whether providing a welcome sheen of moody melody or cutting loose with some shamelessly proggy shreddery.
It all culminates with the ambitious, eleven minute “Integration” which – surprise, surprise – integrates all of these collaborative influences and competing impulses into what might just be the band’s magnum opus, leaving you with the feel that Dissentient have… once and for all… finally arrived at where they needed to be.
PLAINDRIFTER – GESTALT
Plaindrifter is not a name we’ve featured here before – and no, that’s not because they use primarily clean vocals (especially since they’re really good, brimming with character and charisma) – but it’s a name we’re not likely to forget any time soon.
Beginning with the hazy simmer ‘n’ shimmer of “Moth Murmuration” – seven minutes of rugged stoner-metal riffs and lithe, proggy lead guitar that recall a more meditative and melodious version of long-time NCS faves Dvne – and ending with the ambitious, nine-minute finale of “Debaser” (whose undulating instrumental passages also put me in mind of Boss Keloid at their most expansive and intricately arranged), Gestalt blends Stoner, Sludge, Prog, and Post-Metal in a way that is (fittingly) more than just the sum of its parts.
Fans of both the most recent Khemmis and Lantlos albums will hopefully find a lot to love about “Eternal Season”, marrying as it does the bombastic hookiness of the former with the gleaming melodic joy of the latter (especially during the song’s second half, where it’s stunningly easy to let yourself get swept up in all the catchy grooves and sublime, soaring leads), with the shining chords and rippling rhythms of “Hyborian Age” only serving to compound the album’s already infectious nature.
Sure, I’ve dropped a fair few names during the course of this review – which I stand by, as they serve as a useful cognitive short-cut to hopefully put our readers in the right frame of mind – but that doesn’t mean Plaindrifter should be seen as derivative, rather it’s a sign that they’re operating on an exceptionally high level here (and I haven’t even mentioned the captivating combo of massive grooves, epic hooks, and intricate, proggy introspection that makes up “In Anima”) that’s comparable to many bigger and more well-known names… who they’ll hopefully start getting mentioned alongside after this!
QUIET FEAR – LA TIERRA ARRIBA / EL ABISMO ABAJO
Call it “Post-Hardcore”… call it “Screamo”… or, more accurately, call it a mixture of the two (think the energy and urgency of early Thrice on the one hand and the abrasiveness and aggression of underground legends Orchid on the other)… but whatever you call it, definitely don’t dismiss the new album from LA quartet Quiet Fear as just some derivative of other bands.
There’s just too much intensity – musically, vocally, and emotionally – on display during tracks like “Retén”, “Metathesiophobia”, and the sub-two minute burst of explosive energy and shattered tension that is “Cero Oscura”, guitars squalling and shimmering, drums snapping and pounding, vocals howling with equal parts anger and anguish, for this to feel anything less than totally real and unapologetically raw.
That doesn’t mean there’s not also some necessary nuance to the band’s blistering, bi-lingual approach – “Sophistry”, for example, prioritises melody and moody, while still retaining the album’s spiky sonic signature, in a way reminiscent of classic Alexisonfire, while short-but-sweet instrumental interludes like “Baile Nocturno” and “Silueta” provide an occasional, and necessary, momnt of calm – but it’s clear that La Tierra Arriba / El Abismo Abajo (transl. The Earth Above / The Abyss Below) is ultimately more about confrontation than introspection (though there’s certainly a fair bit of both on display).
This is particularly apparent on more Hardcore-leaning cuts like “Insurgentes” (one of the albums major stand-outs) and “Pseudo Cristo”, whose extra dash of aggression and punchier, punkier riffage (please note that the guitars here are more than capable of showing off some impressive moves when they want to) puts me more in mind of Poison the Well than pg.99 (though it’s likely that both are influences), as well as during the darker, more sombre strains of closer “Delirio”, all of which – when taken as part of the greater whole – should fill you with the need to move, to act, to let out your energy and your emotions rather than bottling them up until they explode.
In a word… catharsis.
VÁTHOS – S O L A C E
Bucharest-based Post-Black collective Váthos are making their first appearance on our site today (I think)… but hopefully, on the strength of S O L A C E, it won’t be their last.
References to the likes of Alcest, Anomalie, and Heretoir are certainly valid, due to the way the group blend chiming melodic notes with churning riffage, interspersed with moments of soothing calm and topped off with a vibrant, versatile vocal performance that switches from crooning cleans to scorching snarls with impressive agility and aplomb.
But that, of course, doesn’t tell the whole story – especially not during such stand-outs as intricately composed early-highlight “Mindkiller”, the absolutely gorgeous “Burning Red” (which has nothing to do with the Machine Head album of the same name), and powerful penultimate track “Muse” – as it’s clear that, especially of one goes back and listens to their debut, Váthos have put a great deal of effort into stamping their own identity onto this album and its poignantly proggy, hauntingly hooky, Post-Black sound.
This is particularly evident during darker, dare I say doomier, numbers like “Weight On Me” and “Lights Off”, where the group indulge in a a harsher, heavier side of their identity – one which I wouldn’t be averse to hearing them explore further in the future – that ultimately contrasts very nicely with their more melodic and atmospheric inclinations that dominate elsewhere.
It’s not perfect, of course – at just over 46 minutes long it still sometimes feels like it drags its feet a little, especially on the occasional track where it seems like the band play it a little too safe and familiar for their own good – but it’s a promising piece of work all the same, and one which should hopefully introduce the band to a whole new generation of fans.