This is the debut album from Danish post-metal band Offernat.
Offernat play a hybrid form of music that blends black, progressive, doom, and post-metal elements together into four mammoth songs.
All Colours Retract is an album of exploratory soundscapes. It is constructed from a diverse array of influences drawn from across the extreme metal landscape, making for songs that form an intriguing and satisfying experience. Offernat use their diversity well, crafting epic-length songs that twist, turn, and mutate many times over in their running time. Dynamic changes to style, mood, and pacing work to the band’s talented strengths, heralding a new direction or atmosphere for the band to excel at.
The songs are heavy, but also layered and intricate. Brutal blackened violence is on display, as is the sort of apocalyptic post-metal that Neurosis do so well. Harsh dissonance is wielded like a weapon, while crushing riffs abound. Ethereal synths provide deep atmosphere, while introspective lightness gives the listener room to breathe. Airy post-rock further spreads the band’s wings, while melancholic melody brings the mood down low. Ritualistic qualities can be heard as Offernat worship the gods of distortion and layered extreme metal.
The vocals can be as diverse as the music. With three vocalists Offernat spread texture and colour across their music, which already has plenty of character and personality before the addition of the vocals. The delivery is again influenced by Neurosis, but I am also reminded of the singer of Deadguy in the main singer’s voice.
Yes, there’s a lot going on throughout the 48 minutes of All Colours Retract. The above is just a random sample of some of the types of material that Offernat deliver on this release. Throughout it all though, they tie everything together with strong songwriting, and a compositional aesthetic that makes sure nothing is left unconsidered.
While Neurosis is an appropriate reference point, as mentioned above, I’d also throw in Agrimonia too, as their long-form metallic output shares commonalities with Offernat. Cormorant wouldn’t be a wildly inappropriate reference either. Elements of Abstracter, Downfall of Gaia, Cult of Luna, Amenra, Inter Arma, Opeth, Mastodon, Nux Vomica, Dvne, Usnea…Offernat have enough variety in their sound to hear a wealth of different bands at certain points.
All Colours Retract is an enjoyable and rewarding album. Offernat take you on a multifaceted post-metal journey that’s worth taking the time to explore.
Highly recommended.
Wonderbox Metal 