Make hail from Chapel Hill, USA and are a three piece Sludge/Drone/Pysch Metal group featuring .
Scott Endres (guitar, vocals)
Spencer Lee (bass, vocals)
Matt Stevenson (drums)
Trephine is a concept album about a fantasy world a hospitalised man encounters after a psychological breakdown. Inspired tragically in part by the death of Guitarist/singer Scott Endres's close friend, they have created a dark, psychedelic bruising album.
It is very difficult to describe Make's sound , at times a slow paced Deafheaven, a black metal Isis or a really,really pissed off Earth is the closest I can get. Altough there is much more to them than that, best to listen and enjoy for yourself.
I've had "Trephine" for some time, and been able to immerse myself in its world and its brilliance.
Opener "Ancient Tongues" sets the tone, growled vocals ,pulsating bass and some glorious riffs. Its apparent quickly this is a dense album, although not without a heavy dose of serene pysch/drone inspired moments .
There are times on Trephine when at its most ambient you can lose yourself, carried off on the waves of atmospheric passages. Often though these moments give way to a sledgehammer like awakening as another riff or barrage of sludge filled genius snaps you from any calmness.
"Returning to the Ruins of my Birthplace" opens with a huge riff, leading to a long instrumental passage full of ambient textures and when the vocals come in harsh they're offset with melodic guitar lines. A glorious lumbering song,"And time Came undone" follows, a gentle Earth like intro soon turns to a furious rage while still hooking you with those guitar lines.
"Valhalla" halfway through is an epic track, creating a morphine like euphoria of swirling drums and bass, Scott excels with some sublime guitar work,simply stunning.
It leads directly into "Surrounded By Silent Lies" with an opening riff that Page Hamilton would be proud to call their own. The track highlighting their diversity and ending with an almost choir like vocal.
"Rotting Palace" is a sludge filled ride with trippy vocals and chugging guitars. "Scorched Sky" slows the pace again, before the 12 minute epic "Into The Falling Gray" closes the album. Mixing both their psychedelic edge with the harsh vocals the track constantly shifts engrossing you before fading out to silence, the track returns with a wall of noise/feedback to pull you back into its world like a zombie hand reaching from the grave. It ends on that note full of drone ambience, giving you time to soak in the album . I find myself stepping straight back into "Trephine" and urge you to do the same.
The album is officially released on March 12th , although its available to buy on Bandcamp in various formats and packages where you can also pick up their debut Ep .
Pjsludge.
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