Grayceon – Then the Darkness (Review)

Grayceon are a progressive metal band from the US and this is their sixth album.

With a striking album cover and containing a member of the fantastic Brume, (also ex-Ludicra), how could I let this one pass me by? Containing a colossal 82 minutes of music, Grayceon are not without ambition, but thankfully have the skill and talent to pull off an endeavour such as Then the Darkness.

A lot of different sounds, ideas, styles, and influences have gone into Then the Darkness. Various aspects of varying types of styles, drawn from the progressive, avant-garde, doom, atmospheric, extreme, and post-metal varieties, (with some progressive/post-rock ones thrown in for good measure), are all brought together to become something atypical and quite special. Central to it all is the expressive and affecting cello, which everything seems to revolve around in one way or another.

Of course, the cello is not the only thing that makes Grayceon remarkable, despite its impact. Grayceon work their magic with less instruments than many, but with wider scope and vision than most. The guitar is used to add versatile texture and detailing, while also shaping the music with shapeshifter grace. Sometimes it’s all about the riffs, while at others it’s atmospheric weight, or maybe avant-garde flourishes. Wherever it is doing, it is not ever used as mere filler. The drums are used in a similar way, providing a capable backbone to the music, but allowing for percussive depth to arise naturally when it needs to. Vocally, we are given a compelling mix of harsh screams and feeling-filled cleans. Although this description may be simplistic, the singer’s delivery is as varied and richly rendered as the  rest of the music.

Then the Darkness has eleven tracks, and each of them showcase a different facet of the music’s formidable personality. Each song offers something a little different – sometimes greatly different. Grayceon’s impressive ability lies in not letting their ambition get the best of them. Instead, the songwriting allows the music to wander where it will, but coherently, with luscious flow, all working together in a comprehensive act of attentive worldbuilding.

Then the Darkness offers the discerning listener an intricate, intimate, emotionally resonant experience. It is unusual, in that frequently the band members almost seem to be playing different songs in different styles, but instead of a mess, it somehow gels into a seamless whole. At others though, the music comes together like the closest, most natural fit possible, like anything else wouldn’t have even been possible. Strikingly, whichever path Then the Darkness walks, it all works, especially when given the time and attention a record of this stature deserves.

This is my first encounter with Grayceon, and it certainly won’t be my last. Then the Darkness offers a journey that likely few will be willing to take, but those that do have such soundscapes to explore that they could be lost here for far longer than the album’s considerable runtime.

Don’t miss out on this.