By:
Andre Almaraz
Album Type: Full Length
Date Released: 17/03/2017
Label: Art of Propaganda
“Showcasing a consistent
ebb and flow of heavy riffs mixed with spacey passages, harsh to vicious vocals
throughout, and a rhythm section who can stand up to just about any I’ve heard,
“Throes” is a rock solid album and Allochiria are set to make a name for
themselves in the international post metal scene.”
“Throes” CD//DD//LP track listing:
1).
Thrust
2).
Little Defeats, Tiny Victories
3).
Cracking Fractals
4).
Lifespotting
5).
Counting Fives
6).
Denouement
The Review:
Allochiria is a post sludge metal band from
Athens, Greece. Their new album is called “Throes” and it is set to be
released on March 17th, 2017. Fans of Isis, Rosetta, Cult of Luna, and Red Sparowes should definitely grab a copy of this
recording. The opening track almost immediately ‘thrusts’ you into a
mesmerizing groove that doesn’t let up for over seven minutes. Some clever
playfulness between the bassist and drummer are prominent as they join forces
to make this one stand out right away and serve as a perfect opener. The song
swells and fades continuously, never staying with one dynamic for very long
which works well to keep the listener interested.
Second
track, “Little Defeats, Tiny Victories,” starts off with an ominous yet
groovy bass line that eventually brings us to a point where the whole band
joins in and takes us to a much darker place which the first track had only
touched on previously. The middle section of the song also has a nice passage
where the bassist is given the lead spot and he rightfully owns it. The heavy
stomp part at the end of the song leads into some pummeling double kick and
then takes the listener into some soaring, celestial guitar work. With the
third track, “Cracking Fractals,” we continue down the dark path we entered
in track two and also receive a slight twist of fate in which the drummer takes
center stage for the first time since the album’s beginning, and he nails it to
the floor like a boss. His fluttering hi-hat work is impressive and a perfect
accent to the dark jazz flavor of the song. After a couple minutes of spacey
groove, everything kicks in and rocks the listener to his knees in a stunning
disarray. The ending riff of this song is as heavy as anything you’ll ever
hear. The vocalist, who up until now has remained rock solid and ever steady,
rightfully answered the unrelenting call to change her tones in accommodation
of this heightened viciousness.
On
track four, “Lifespotting,” we begin with a smooth groove which makes good
use of some impressive ghost notes on the snare drum before the guitars begin
to weep and mourn as they draw us in to becoming a part of this congregation. A
mid-song break in the action gives way to more depressing guitars which sound
like tortured spirits of regret, yearning for their story to be told. Track
five, “Counting Fives,” begins with some swelling Moog like sounds
which act as the harbingers of something monolithic that is about to unfold, as
it undeniably does within the first minute of the song. More ghost notes and
tasteful hi-hat eventually bring the slow boil to a violent head. The bassist
is ever plodding along as the guitars soar and fade into oblivion. The mid-song
break in this one gives way to some soul searching guitar chords before the
heft returns to hit you in the face like a brick and slam you back into a full
on attack of the senses.
The
sixth and final track is titled “Denouement” and starts off with a
very rhythmic guitar passage as the drums join in shortly after. The drumming
in this one is nothing short of brilliant and the melody is unshakable. The
sheer grandeur of this song does not disappoint. The middle section has some
very nice heavy chugging going on and sounds increasingly maniacal as if
something is about to give way, but at over ten minutes in length, this levee
does not break as easily as one might foolishly anticipate. Finally, the outro
of the song strips away everything but the main driving force behind the entire
album; the rhythm section, who have painstakingly proven to keep things punchy and
interesting throughout the entire forty-six minutes of total running time. This
staggering duet between bass and drums is a fitting and impressive way to end
the album. Showcasing a consistent ebb and flow of heavy riffs mixed with
spacey passages, harsh to vicious vocals throughout, and a rhythm section who
can stand up to just about any I’ve heard, “Throes” is a rock solid album and Allochiria are set to make a name for themselves in the
international post metal scene.
