Post-Rock – Page 25 – Wonderbox Metal

We Have A Ghost – We Have A Ghost (Review)

We Have A Ghost are from the US and this is their début.

The band play Electronica/Industrial-laced Rock. Think Nine Inch Nails/Mogwai/Ulver and you’re on the right lines.

Other points of reference include the little-known/remembered Electronic Rock band Vitro, who released an excellent album named Distort in 1999 of a similar style, as well as the fantastic experimental Paradise Lost album Host.

This is surprisingly complex music that weaves elaborate soundscapes around itself like a cloak of static and charged beats.

Atmosphere and tone are an important part of the We Have A Ghost sound, as well as fostering a futuristic sense of mystery.

A feeling of foreboding is hidden throughout this album. Sometimes it’s hidden underneath energetic sections and other times it’s right out there in the open.

This reminds me of the build-and-release style of Post-Rock/Metal if it had been given an Electronic/Industrial overhaul and the build/release sections were chopped up, warped and separately focused down into shorter songs.

Varied and expansive, this is a great listen, especially if you’re in the mood for something a bit different. The entire thing plays out like some form of soundtrack and the album is suitably cinematic in scope in this regard.

A slow builder that impresses on first listen but nonetheless really shows its charms after repeated spins; this album is a keeper.

Check this out – highly recommended.

Lune Kiri – Demo (Review)

Lune Kiri are a Post-Rock band from the US and this is their first release, containing 4 tracks at 35 minutes in length.

This is winding and exploratory, and pleasantly relaxed. Lune Kiri already seem to have mastered the art of mood and texture, and this EP would be really impressive if it wasn’t their first release, let alone the fact that it is.

Sometimes the meandering, wandering guitars paint a glorious picture and they sound so liquid you can almost imagine the brush sweeping them over the canvas. Other times they play heavier, murky, dirge-ridden riffs that want to suck you into their world. Stockholm contains both types in its 15 minute playing time.

My only real “complaint”, (and it’s not really a complaint), is why they called this a demo. The songs are so accomplished and the sound quality so good that this is essentially just a first EP. Apart from that head-scratcher I would advise anyone who likes bands like Red Sparowes, Pelican, Cloudkicker, etc. to immediately run to get this.

The Restitution – Waves (Review)

From the US The Restitution are a Progressive Metal band who aim to take a more cerebral approach to harder music.

According to the band they are influenced by modern Metal giants such as Deftones. The Restitution combine both clean and rough vocals over a more thoughtful and progressive musical background to create some good songs, and I hear elements of bands such as Isis, Devil Sold His Soul, Cave-In and Tool in their sound as well.

Melodies are used well and there is enough aggression strewn in with the Post-Rock elements to keep the energy of the tracks moving.

It’s obvious that a lot of attention and hard work has gone into crafting these songs and it all pays off. Whether they are raging and shouting or crooning and lulling, everything feels deliberate and you get the impression that every single second of this release was meticulously thought through and passed rigorous quality control methods before being confirmed as an actual part of the album. All of this leads to a varied and enjoyable collection of songs that work well individually but even better as a complete package of tracks – a listening experience.

Overall this is a high-quality release combining melodies and aggression seamlessly in a modern Metal style that leaves out all of the clichés and rookie mistakes that a lot of more accessible Metal usually makes. Recommended.

Rosetta – The Anaesthete (Review)

I’m a big fan of this so-called post-rock/post-metal genre. There seems to be no end of talented bands with great ideas out there. Rosetta are one such band. They have existed for quite long (relatively speaking) but have never quite reached the same level of recognition as their peers, (Isis, Cult of Luna, Neurosis, etc.), despite being of equal pedigree.

I have enjoyed all of Rosetta’s albums over the years but I have to say this is a strong contender for their best. Compared to a lot of ‘normal’ bands the songs may still seem quite long, but for this genre they are a bit shorter than normal – indeed on this album Rosetta appear to be tighter and more concise than in the past, much to their benefit.

The sound on this album is perfect; everything sounds crisp, clear and the drums hit like earthquakes. Nothing sounds sterile or dry though, and the sound is the absolute right one for the album to come across like a living, breathing force of nature. The songs are full of feeling and atmosphere, with plenty of great melodies and ideas.

If you haven’t heard Rosetta before then you should get this album. If you have heard them before then why haven’t you already got this album?

Cut the End – Dawn’s Death to Dusk

After their good-but-rather-average 2008 release The Beauty is Inside, Cut the End returned in 2011 with something very special indeed.

Death Metal gone post-rock. Post-Death Metal? Cut the End could very well be to Death Metal what Enslaved are to Black Metal. Here we have some epic length songs that rely on solid writing and delivery to entrance the listener in each and every turn.

Imagine a band like Cult of Luna if instead of a hardcore/post-rock background they had a Death Metal one with some nice thrash-y riffs sprinkled liberally around. The songs grow and grow, twist and turn, in the pleasing manner of old-school thrash epics such as The Call of Ktulu, etc. High praise I’m sure you’ll agree, but this band are something a bit different and more than live up to it.

If you are a bit tired of Death metal and are looking for something a bit more, yet still within the Death Metal genre then this is the band for you. Or maybe you like your post-rock and shoegaze, but wish is had a bit more bite? This is the band for you.

Have a listen and I’m sure you’ll be hooked.

https://myspace.com/cuttheend