Rannoch are a progressive death metal band from the UK and this is their third album.
Conflagrations offers a 52-minute journey into multifaceted music that falls somewhere between progressive death metal foundations and more ambitious extreme progressive metal proclivities. Bolstered by the percussive skills of the drummer of Ne Obliviscaris, Rannoch are a skilled band that have a clear vision for their brand of extreme music.
Conflagrations delivers a carefully crafted balance of powerful aggressive hostility, intricate substance, and an accessibility that’s unexpected in something that’s essentially a form of death metal at its core. There’s an angular dissonance in Rannoch’s sound that might recall bands like Meshuggah and Humanity’s Last Stand, but it’s only a surface-level resemblance, as Rannoch’s songs are more multigenre angles. As such, acts such as Opeth, Rivers of Nihil, Ihsahn, Fear Factory, Devin Townsend, Psycroptic, and Gojira can all be referenced at different points throughout Conflagations, although these only open the door to what Rannoch sound like; you have to step through to truly appreciate what they offer.
Conflagrations is loaded with brutal heaviness, crisp blast beats, and lethal riffs. Alongside this though, Rannoch have extensive capabilities that allow them to branch out from the trappings of their base death metal genre. Equally at home with tearing out a crushing groove that just won’t quit as they are building absorbing soundscapes that transport the listener, Rannoch have a lot of tools in their creative toolbox. Expansive atmosphere and withering intensity are both wielded with precision and purpose, making for a rich and varied collection of tracks that provide the listener with a wealth of meaningful content in which to become immersed.
Post-metal aspects and progressive explorations infect the album, worming their way down into the music’s death metal heart and blossoming into vast structures that simply demand you take the time to examine them deeply. The technicality on display is impressive, especially so with regards to many of the guitars, which offer both inventive brutality and nuanced hooks. Rannoch handle the creation of dark atmosphere very well, also making use of synths and electronic elements when needed to highlight and enrich the music’s emotive themes.
The harsh singing that forms the bulk of the vocals are filled with emotion and used well, and these are aided in places by the sort of clean singing that many a band’s singer would surely envy.
Conflagrations is an exemplary album that strides between the progressive realms of both the metal and death metal worlds with commanding ease. Rannoch have seriously impressed, and I urge you to check out Conflagrations as a matter of urgency.
Essential listening for fans of modern extreme heavy music.
Wonderbox Metal 