I Built The Sky "Intortus" (2014)

Australian guitarist and one man band "I Built The Sky" dropped this EP, his second release, in early 2014. After enjoying his debut self titled it was mandatory to seek out more of this talented musician. Intortus is a short record extended with a few demo versions and remixes of the title track. Of the seven or so tracks that make up the main bulk of the listen there are a few ideas at work here which collide with one another from track to track. Its an inconsistent listen, but overall a positive one that certainly would of not lived up to a full length with the contrasting ideas and incomplete package. A couple of tracks had no conclusive progressions and fade outs that give an unfinished feel as well.

The record opens up with "Fibratus", an exotic introductory track with xylophones and soft pianos keys that loop as Djenty drumming builds up some atmosphere alongside dramatic piano chords and growing instrumentation. Its a unique track thats pallet of instruments disguises the instrumentations direction, if played on the guitar I'm sure it would sound like a regular track, but the change was warm and a highlight. The next four tracks play out the heavier and lighter side of his sound in an aesthetically pleasing, yet musically unremarkable way as each track works through a singular idea with expanding riffage that never strays far from the original idea before fading out. The record then takes a dark turn as "Undulatus" dives into dense Djent tones and pure polyrhythmic force as chugging riffs power into a massive break riff with alien hammer ons upping the anti in the background. Its followed up with some ripe string slides in between the heavy chugging that sound like laser bursts. Great track.

Between a couple of good tracks their is some pleasant filler thats nowhere on par with the debut record. A lack of consistency or direction really held this one back from amounting to something. With a couple of memorable tracks to cherry pick it has something to offer, but little as a complete entity.

Favorite Tracks: Fibaratus, Undulatus, Intortus

Rating: 4/10

Russian Circles "Empros" (2011)

American three piece instrumental Post-Metal group Russian Circles are a band I'm new too, having enjoyed their most recent record "Memorial" I decided to go back and listen to their previous record, the bands fourth. Like before I found a strange sense of passing immersion in their music which is powerful, moving and has a momentous gravity about it, but when the record wasn't playing there isn't much I could recall. I believe this is a reflection of their musical approach, no hooks or cheap thrills, not even straight forward melodies and leads. Its an unconventional approach to melody and noise which is not unfamiliar, but on this record their dive into momentous noise and sound is one of progression, atmosphere and cascading distortions.

Compared to "Memorial", "Empros" is a darker, grittier atmosphere, rough around the edges rhythmically aggressive on its darker tracks like the opener "309" which progressed into a primitive assault as the bass and drums pound out a crunching militant groove under expanding, noisy guitar ringing reminiscent of Godflesh in the "Streetcleaner" era. After this track the album takes a more melodic accent, yet with harmonious, cleaner notes ringing out, there is an underbelly of rumbling distortion from the bass and massive atmosphere from the drums that continually layer sound into the mix that goes beyond timing and groove, the crashing symbols and rolling toms expand the atmosphere into darker regions.

Unlike a lot of music, Russian Circles don't leave you with a hook or melody stuck in your mind, and its this I gripe with. Every listen has immersion, as soaring noisescapes expand and contract with dramatic enormous guitar tones, but the riffs are reactive to the moment, and never formulated to fit a structure or progression. Its impressive and remarkable in its own right, but the years and years of traditional verse chorus music has made it harder to re-imagine in the mind, and thus I find I never have an itch to put it back on. If anything I think its a reminder to diversify more often. I think this record has a fair amount to offer, but my aforementioned gripe has me wondering of its value to me.

Favorite Track: 309

Rating: 6/10

Russian Circles "Memorial" (2013)

Russian Circles are an American three piece instrumental Post-Metal band from Chicago who formed over ten years ago in 2004. This is their fifth full length release and my first exposure to this band who are receiving much critical acclaim at this moment in time. "Memorial" has been a curious listen for me, a slow burner of which my appreciation for has steadily grown with each passing listen. Its one that calmly drifts into the background, yet with more familiarity becomes increasingly captivating and indulgent. Its a bi-polarizing record that can be gentle and soothing in its calmer, melodic moments and morose in its dark and heavy passages that are orchestrated through dense atmospheres of metallic shoe-gazing.

With no room for cheap tricks, hooks or verse chorus structures, Russian Circles create a constant evolution of sound where each moment feel as relevant as the next. Each song expands and contracts, grows and flourishes in climactic glory before fizzling out in a wash of atmosphere that leads into the next moment. The guitars sound enormous as they wrap there selfs in layers of thick sound, achieved by reverb and echoing effects that amplify and build up the grand moods. The drumming is a commanding and driving force that guides these songs too their destination with thoughtful rhythms and crashing symbols that create a thick layer of noise above the thoughtfully composed base snare grooves that subtly magnitude the music without crashing into the spotlight.

Across the eight songs the group offer a diversity of unraveling ideas that in a fair few darker moments utilize some common Metal riffing styles in the most uncharacteristic of ways. It ends with an extension of the opening track, featuring Chelsea Wolfe's vocals that tease a glorious compliment between the two musical forces. At no point in this record is their a moment where the instrumental arrangement is questioned, but her voice brings them to another level. Its an interesting way to end the record which has proved to be an artistic endeavor of rich atmospheres and dense sounds. Although not every track hits the same level of indulgence, its a record that continues to grow on me with every listen.

Favorite Songs: Deficit, 1777, Lebaron, Memorial

Rating: 7/10

I Built The Sky "I Built The Sky" (2012)

I Built The Sky caught my attention in a VSauce video showcasing the arts and music, this young guitarist was riffing out harmonious melodic Djent and shredding into vibrant sweep picking solos with a comforting fluency. I've since picked up the record for free on Bandcamp and enjoyed these records which I would describe as "instant gratification". It may have just suited my taste, but these tuneful numbers sound the same as the first time I heard it, the charm of this music is out in the open and easy to access.

Being a one man band from Australia this instrumental Djent music servers as a showcase for the guitar to worm its way through bright imaginative passages that range from acoustic rockers to full on metalic grooves. In the rhythm end theirs plenty of almost "polyrythmic" grooves and hard hitting crunchy Djents, but it never strays to far into the heavy, always retaining melodic sensibility and creating a very accessible entry to this style of music. The grooves are accompanied with dazzling harmonious chords strum out in a Post-Metal style creating an epic air underneath the riff fest. In its most acoustic moments the strength of the melodics shine as the captivating sound transcends between a chasm of difference from the crunchy Djents to the almost Post-Rock harmonious epics. 

Alongside the massive guitars is a clear, punchy drum kit that sounds adequate with its hammering pedals, sharp snare and slick symbols. It sounds very much like a drum machine, the toms being a dead giveaway. Either way the drumming itself was thoughtful, lots of care put into the grooves and fills, but despite being positive in general, I feel it lacked a spark or flair to do something interesting, maybe its purpose was met as this album really does focus on the guitar. The bass seemed non existent, either mirroring the guitar or being the low end of Djent, there were only a couple of moments where underneath layers of building guitars did it sound like a bass line might be at work. The instrumental aspect of this record was a success, the guitars felt like a voice of their own and their artistic vision would be dampened by such a bold element as vocals, clean or screamed. There were a few inconsistencies in the production formula from track to track, but nothing major, in general this was a fantastic sounding record expressing some brilliant musical ideas. With a new album due in 2015 I will be keeping a close eye on this musician.

Favorite Tracks: Nebulosus, Opacus, Cumulonimbus, Stratus, Spissatus

Rating: 6/10

Cloudkicker "The Discovery" (2008)

Bomb sirens cry out in desolation as an eerie suspense unfolds. An underlying noise creeps and crawls amounting into a rising, atmospheric guitar ring out, then suddenly busts out into a gorgeous, tight, rhythmic thrashing of djent tonal guitars oozing in reverb and crushing out a simplistic repetition. Straight away I got that feeling like I knew exactly what this record was about. Several listens later that initial appeal is still here and this record is everything I thought it would be. 44 minute of enigmatic instrumental djent with a vibrant splash of color and melody. Cloudkicker is the one man band project of Ben Sharp, mutli instrumentalist who releases all of his music for free through the bands official website.

"The Discovery" is a polarizing formula, a crushing rhythmic assault is carried out by the low end guitars and forceful drumming, while the leads and high range notation color and climax these songs with rich and absorbing melodics that wash together in a sea of immersible abrasion. Its a formula that is set down from the first moment and fails to stay far from it. Through the record each of the songs offer up some different approaches, riffage and ideas that make this very enjoyable if the sound is your cup of tea. Theres some melodic, lighter, more acoustic tracks in between the heavier songs that really help this album flow and transition between tracks.

Asides some great instrumentation and songwriting, this record has a great sound to it. It comes with an "amateur" overtone to it that I can only describe as being warm and loving. It feels like someone put a lot of heart and energy into the production which sounds great, but has some technical flaws, none of which are even a big deal, but that amateur vibe stays present, and I like it very much so. One of the most notable features is the use of a drum machine that sounds like "Drumkit From Hell", having worked with this before it is certainly a hard sound to disguise but even though its noticeable the drumming is well programmed and fluent with the songs. Overall this is a fantastic record that has a lot of personal charm and one that has me yearning to seek out more from this talented artist.

Favorite Tracks: Genesis Device, Dysphoria, The Discovery

Rating: 7/10

Steak Number Eight "All Is Chaos" (2011)

Post Rock/Metal outfit Steak Number Eight are a four piece band from Belgium who released their debut EP in 2008 when the band members age was at an average of 16. Three years later these youngsters released their debut full length "All Is Chaos" in 2011 which I was recently turned onto by a friend. I enjoyed this record with no knowledge of their age, which shows it doesn't really matter when it comes to music.

Steak Number Eight have a big, epic, sludging sound. The group stroll their way through many varying degrees of heavy, melodic and grooving riffs that draw influences from Post-Rock and other styles of Metal that give each track its own flavor. These lengthy songs drone and brood rather than progress as moods and atmospheres intensify into bombastic moments littered with catchy riffs and absorbing climaxes. The album opens with "Dickhead", a catchy bouncy track that doesn't quite set the tone for what follows. Offensive lyrics and upfront riffing, the song climaxes with some almost Deftones-esque screams and guitar grooves that starts this one of with a head banger that the rest of the album doesn't quite follow suit with, offering much more moody atmospheres in the following tracks.

The album sounds decent, nothing spectacular but the guitar tones are the highlight, the production captures the best of the melodic guitars often soaked in blissful reverb. The distorted rhythm guitars texture and tone is sublime, capturing the right balance of distortion and fuzz, giving the guitar room to move in and out of the spotlight when providing the momentums grooves or backing for melodic leads. The drumming and bass is a little underwhelming, I don't recall any moments where the bass came to the forefront or the drum patterns were doing much more than guiding and accommodating the guitar department. Decent album with some great riffs but lacked icing on the cake.

Favorite Tracks: Dickhead, Stargazing

Rating: 5/10

Alcest "Les Voyages De L'Âme" (2012)

"Les Voyages De L'Âme" is Alcests third album, a French band who bring Shoegazing, Black Metal & Post-Metal together to create dreamy, sombre music with captivating melodic leads and rich atmospheres that sing to the soul. Despite some moody tones this is feel good music, upbeat and expressive in a positive way. This record finds the band striking great balance between the harsh and gentle elements of their sound as the 8 songs carry you on a self absorbed journey through their immersible music.

Their sound is epic, soaring, both gentle and strong. The tremolo riffing brings pace and progression as these songs that race forward in such a calm manor. This is reflected in the contrast between the hazy distorted rhythm guitars and gorgeous melodic clean guitar. The reverb from these instruments melds together creating glorious atmospheres that are lifted up by the presence of some distant but beautiful and sombre vocal leads, creating awe inspiring moments, for example the climax of "Beings Of Light".

These songs are crafted with care, the progressions and structures are strong, from start to end there isn't a dull moment and each of the songs bring a different flavor to this colorful sound. From track to track there are different degrees of which sound the song leans to, with some drawing closer to the darker Black Metal, and others the cleaner, melodic side, but all sounding true to the artistic vision. With a beautiful immersible sound Alcest have delivered an expressive work of high quality that never feels dull, and always captivates the emotions of the listener.

Favorite Tracks: Autre Temps, Nous Sommes L'emeraude, Beings Of Light, Summer's Glory

Rating: 7/10

If These Trees Could Talk "Red Forest" (2012)

If These Trees Could Talk are an instrumental five piece Post-metal band from Ohio, USA, who in 2012 released this, their second full length album. The five forge grandiose ethereal soundscapes with a dreamy and melodic sensibility that gives birth to a rich, indulging and relaxing listening experience across the nine tracks of this album.

With 3 guitars alongside the drums and bass Trees's sound is as expansive as it is immersible. It true Post-metal fashion they build rich and progressive atmospheres with the layered instrumentations of the 3 guitars giving them a lot of depth on the melodic front. The bass is somewhat quiet, usually plodding along behind the guitar leads, which do steal the show, however the bass's presence would be missed if non-existent. The drumming is terrific, being ever present in the songs and providing excellent structure, they never steal the show yet are a powerful part of the atmosphere.

From start to end there are plenty of varied moments, but Trees doesn't push the mold or try anything out of its comfort zone, which is quite fitting for their sound as it feels somewhat "complete" within itself. This is a very mature record with an immersible quality to offer. The aesthetic is warm, and slightly muddy. Theres no need for over the top squeaky clean production here, the instruments are given that room to bleed into each other slightly and it compliments the music well. Great record, hoping they will have another record out soon.

Favorite Tracks: The First Fire, When The Big Hand Buries The Twelve

Rating: 6/10