This is the debut album from US post-metal band Pillar of Light.
Caldera contains 56 minutes of hulking heaviness and shaded darkness. Pillar of Light blend doom, sludge, and post-metal elements into a churning pot and use these choice ingredients to produce something weighty and thick, yet surprisingly tasty.
As a starting point, think bands such as Cult of Luna, Amenra, and Neurosis to put yourself in the right headspace for Caldera. Once you’ve done that, add a few more metallic death/doom elements sprinkled around here and there, and you’ll have a good idea of where Pillar of Light are coming from.
Caldera is a huge album. It feels tangible, like a rock from a volcano that you can reach out and touch. Pillar of Light move though, through oceans of granite-hard distortion that somehow spreads like lava. The band’s use of heaviness to shape their songs is well-judged, but to seal the deal it’s their ability to embed texture into this heaviness that really elevates them. Heavy this undoubtedly is, but it also benefits from post-metal resplendence, delicate introspective enrichment, and a melodic touch that melts the heaviness in just the right way. So softened, Caldera becomes an expressive monolith, moving implacably through seven separate landscapes as it inexorably travels to its final resting place. The journey is an expressive and emotive one. The songs are clear and well-rendered, with a feeling-rich weight to them that speaks of great melancholy, despair, and raging catharsis.
Caldera is a strong, enjoyable album. The the style appeals to you, then there’s much here worth exploring.
Wonderbox Metal 