ALBUM REVIEW: Garganjua, "Toward the Sun"

By: Peter Morsellino

Album Type: Full Length

Date Released: 17/01/2020

Label: Holy Roar Records

“Toward the Sun” CD//DD//LP track listing:

1). Transcending

2). The New Sun

3). Mire

4). Transcendence

5). Light Bearer

6). Controlling Waves

7). To Ascend (Awakening)

The Review:

The true mark of an album of substantial creativity is the listeners ability to interpret it and form their own connection with it.  Garganjua's epic “Toward the Sun” provides a perfect example of one of those albums. While I cannot say for certain what the group was leaning into in creating this piece, it's floating highs and crushing lows certainly create a narrative that simply begs to be interpreted. In my opinion, this is an album about darkness, and how it can swallow us whole.  More so, it's an album about the light that peeks through that darkness, and how we can grab on to it.

Introductory track “Transcending” offers up a beautiful overture for the listening experience ahead. Solemn guitars create a dreamy atmosphere while an ominous voice over introduces the bleak tone of the album.  “The New Sun” continues down this path, offering glimpses of darkness with fleeting moments of light.  Anger consumes the deep sadness presented in the music before falling back into its persistent melancholy. 

Like angels intermingling with demons, this hard soft dynamic provides the centerpiece of the album. Beautifully melancholic melodies intertwine with crushing low tuned doom riffs.  Light, ethereal vocals float gently atop the crushing sludge.  All of this comes together seamlessly, painting a bleak portrait of the depressive mind.

Transcendence and transformation play a major thematic role over the course of “Toward the Sun”.  This is played to perfection in the penultimate track, “Controlling Waves”. With a much more triumphant tone than the preceding pieces, Garganjua sheds its darkness with a newfound fervor that carries into the beautiful closer, “To Ascend (Awakening)”.

“Toward the Sun” is an emotional onslaught of beauty and despair that begs to be interpreted. Give this one a listen and give it your full attention.  Garganjua want to show you something within yourself, and if you let them, you just might learn something.

“Toward the Sun” is available HERE

Band info: bandcamp || facebook

ALBUM REVIEW: Elephant Tree, “Habits”

By: Andrew Field

Album Type: Full Length

Date Released: 23^rd April 2020

Label: Holy Roar Records

“Habits” CD//DD//LP track listing:

1). Wake.Repeat

2). Sails

3). Faceless

4). Exit The Soul

5). The Fall Chorus

6). Bird

7). Wasted

8). Broken Nails

The Review:

Listening to “Habits” in advance of its release has remind me of the first time I heard Nirvana’s “Nevermind”, knowing that I was about to lose one of my favourite underground bands to the masses. A mix of joy and sadness pervades. On the one hand I’ll be able to say I was there at the beginning, watching them play tiny venues like The Unicorn in Camden or the Alma Inn in Bolton. On the other hand, I now know they’ll shortly no longer be our little secret. I’ll now have to share them with thousands (maybe tens of thousands) of others, because this album is going to catapult them into the stratosphere.

Elephant Tree have taken their time with this album. These seven songs have gestated during the four-year period since their eponymous second release in 2016, with the band honing them on the road and Riley Macintyre unleashing the multiple tools at his disposal at Church studio in London (U2, Paul McCartney, Radiohead). And boy does it tell. “Habits” sounds like a hundred million dollars. We’re not just talking about just the kitchen sink being in these grooves, they’ve fitted a whole house in there. Musically, “Habits” is a five-course meal. It sounds like it was recorded in a cathedral, or on a mountain top, and is musically uplifting and wondrous.

Lyrically we’re in polar opposite territory. This is one very dark record. Thematically it touches on loss, regret, fucking up, self-loathing, depression, loneliness, anxiety, paranoia, and the inevitability of death. Only “Bird”, with its refrain of “soft wings brush the cloud up above, soaring high - welcome rays of sun, fly, fly” offers any respite from the emotional murk and melancholy which seeps from almost every word Pete (Holland, bass and vocals) or Jack (Townley, guitar and vocals) sings.

A sense of sadness and poignancy is there from the first line of “Sails”, which follows introductory instrumental “Wake”: “So long, fading, don’t leave me alone” Jack sings and you instantly want to give him a hug. Then they springboard into far darker territory with the caustic “Faceless” (“crawling the walls, sapping my soul…. vision tunnelled, fluorescent black hole”). “Faceless” encapsulates all that is thrilling about Elephant Tree: a slow burning build-up anchored by multi-part harmonies and Sam Hart’s simple hi-hat shuffle, followed by a Jack Townley Dave Gilmour-esque guitar solo which will set your spine a-tingling. But that’s just a starter for the main meal, which comes in the second half of the song: the biggest, most head-noddingly savage passage which sees the main riff gently, teasingly bend around a single note, exploring either side of it before exploding into an almost orchestral, heavenly crescendo of widescreen sonic musical blancmange before fading in a drawn-out Krautrock keyboard drone. It is, quite simply, breathtakingly good.

“Exit The Soul” explores reflections on living and dying, and how we come to realise there’s an end point for all of us. It’s a seven-minute ethereal epic which makes you feel like you’re bathing in sound, eventually erupting into a palatial snail-pace drone and choir-of-angels Phil Spektor-eque wall of sound. “The Fall Chorus” is an achingly beautiful acoustic-driven number with harmonies and strings and Tow nley'sbest vocal yet. It brings to mind the soundtrack to a spaghetti western starring Clint Eastwood, wide open plains and the Rocky Mountains shimmering in the distance.

“Bird” is the album’s money shot: a mid-tempo soaring chorus with monster harmonies is the album’s high point and sole spirit-lifting moment.  “Wasted” is a waltz about what goes through your mind when you’re coming down after a massive bender (“I can’t stand the way I destroy everything in me”), built around fat, grinding dirt-under-the-fingers-nails guitar work from Townley.

The album closes with “Broken Nails”, which is the best thing the band has put its name to and hopefully an indication of where they’re headed next. It’s a brave and unique song, starting with an acoustic guitar recorded so close to the strings you can hear them scrape and slide, building via a passage of clashing dissonance into a full-blown space opera. It sounds like no-one else, takes a while to make sense, and leaves you wanting much more of it.

The weight of expectation after their last album must have weighed heavily on Elephant Tree’s shoulders. They needed to make a stunningly good record. They can rest easy in the realisation that they’ve done exactly that. “Habits” is an exceptional piece of work and an essential purchase. What a band they are. What an album this is. Sheer sonic perfection.

“Habits” is available HERE

Band info: bandcamp || facebook

ALBUM REVIEW: Car Bomb, "Mordial"

By: Eeli Helin

Album Type: Full Length

Date Released: 27/09/19

Label: Independent | 

Holy Roar Records

”Mordial” CD//DD//LP track listing:

1. Start

2. Fade Out

3. Vague Skies

4. Scattered Sprites

5. Dissect Yourself

6. Xoxoy

7. Hela

8. Blackened Battery

9. Mordial

10. Eyecide

11. Antipatterns

12. Naked Fuse

The Review:

If you are one of those people who went their way to declare the new Car Bomb album "Mordial" as the album of the year as soon as it was announced before hearing a single note, and want to stick to that notion without considering another side to it, I'd advice you not to read this review any further. Said album was released on September 27th to a wide acclaim, and the previous statements flew very broadly and high. Even though I got the album a month in advance, scribing a review took a while since after the first listen, I honestly didn't remember or even want to replay it. Given my expectations were gigantic, as their previous album "Meta" is simply one of the greatest records ever written, I still didn't even consider the possibility to be put off completely the way I was. Not to be overwhelmingly negative, after many, many listens, I can say "Mordial" is a good album, but that's about it.

Car Bomb's output has refined and evolved over the years, apparently hitting their peak with the anterior album, this newest one falling somewhere in the middle. "Mordial" is the kind of record that explores what has fallen through the cracks on the previous albums, and it thrives in just that. There's plenty of material that momentarily brings out the old giggling fanboy in me, but in its entirety, the album feels bland and flat. I mentioned that after the first listen I didn't feel the need to get back to it, and that is what underlines the opinion I have about it for the time being.

The customary, brain-melting and comprehension-meddling rhythms and weird effects dominate the overall scapes of "Mordial" exactly in a way most people were expecting them to do. While tracks like "Fade Out", "Vague Skies" and "Antipatterns" push the boundaries of what can be deemed rhythmical, at the same time they lack adhesiveness. It might sound stupid to say the twists and turns are hard to follow when the band in question is what it is, but few steadier and more digestable parts could've made a huge difference. You know, stuff that you can nod to. The integral chaotic and nonsensical aspect to the band is present constantly, but also feels too controlled this time around. Granted, the band's sound is deliberately mechanical, but that doesn't mean that the human touch should be left out completely. The atmosphere on "Mordial" is suffocated and more unnatural than before, which on it's part surely affects the taste it leaves behind it.

Not so surprisingly, the best moments on the album are those you didn't expect at all. Such things would be the clean guitars in the title track, the black metal-ish tremolo picking/ double kick section in "Eyecide", and the random Metallica influences on "Blackened Battery" for example. "Dissect Yourself", "Xoxoy", and "Naked Fuse" express the most "basic" side of the band, if you can call it that, but also work wonderfully each time. I'm aware of the contradictions I'm making here, but that's just to make my point clearer. There's better and worse sides to everything, but sadly the latter seems to stick with me when talking about this album. I’m also pretty surprised how ”Meshuggah” they went this time. Surely that band has had a huge effect on what Car Bomb is doing, but it’s a bit sad the lines can be drawn so directly to that one particular source of influence this time.

There's also a lot of recycled riffs and rhythms, which also goes to give that "between the cracks" feel to "Mordial". I don't doubt that people enjoy this album, but it feels that its place is somewhere in the middle and between everything. Opinions are prone to change, and I don't feel the need to state things definitively as I might be on the other end of the spectrum a year from now, but currently I feel that Car Bomb didn't reach the standard they ever so eloquently set for themselves with their past doings. 

”Mordial” is available HERE

Band info: bandcamp || facebook

REVIEW: Pijn & Conjurer, "Curse These Metal Hands"

By: Eeli Helin

Album Type: Full-length
Date Released: 16/08/19
Label: Holy Roar Records

”Curse These Metal Hands” CD//DD//LP tracklist:

1. High Spirits

2  The Pall

3. Endeavour

4. Sunday

The Review:

Pijn and Conjurer are both UK based, roughly categorizable as sludgy post-metal/hardcore bands. Both are on Holy Roar Records' roster and released impeccably strong albums last year, also making a collaboration appearance in ArcTanGent, one of the most momentous and meaningful festivals focusing on bands beyond the mainstream spectrum. The preparation and execution of said performance also planted the seed for a joint studio album titled "Curse These Metal Hands", released on August 16th, and with a release like this, the bands succeed to set a potent and firm example of how collaboration albums should sound. 

Like most of joint productions, this also looked fine on paper. After all, Conjurer's "Mire" and Pijn's "Loss" were amongst the most played albums in my household, as they were in so many others too. I've stated this somewhere else too, but when it comes to collaboration albums, they tend to be a hit or miss, with absolutely nothing in between. But with "Curse These Metal Hands", there wasn't a single reason to get cautious or worried about it. And there still isn't.

The pre-released track "High Spirits" opens up the album, and as the name suggests, it'll elevate your spirit right from the beginning. Slowly growing with clean guitars, tambourines and gentle drum hits, the song evolves in an uplifting manner, keeping a surprisingly positive vibe going throughout. After introducing strong dual vocals on top of a ridiculously heavy verse, the atmosphere tightens but the tone remains warm and wholehearted. 

Keeping in mind both bands' previous albums, this one differs from them greatly, which proves to make "Curse These Metal Hands" a justified, multiplex entirety with it's own narrative. The second song "The Pall" is mainly pulled together from similar realms, but instead shifts the gear into a bleaker direction. The second track also deploys more compositional dynamics, and there's parts where you can identify both bands' own sounds, but everything blends together seamlessly. I personally also really enjoy the writing on this one; albeit the track is almost nine minutes long, there's a ton of different riffs and sections, different tones and colours. It's so easy to build longer tracks over simpler and monotonous riffs that start to feel numbing really soon, and it's really refreshing that this album is bereft of the said approach.

The third track "Endeavour" is a mountain-movingly heavy, crushing two minute intermission. Vicious guitarwork and a constant triplet rhythm make the track stand on it's own, given it's still a smaller piece amidst the three gigantic tracks. What makes it shine through, is that while being in a minor position, "Endeavour" is not a futile transition song. This is often the case when an album is arranged like this, but that is yet another pitfall that the bands avoid very smoothly. "Sunday" closes the album with same emotion that the album started with. It's a consistent and uplifting epic, rejoicing in almost happy melodies, shifting through strong and soft passages until calling it a day for good. Structurally it's close to the other longer tracks, including a sense of closure and finality, utilizing tension in a very animate manner instead of being your run-of-the-mill "funeral procession"-like closing track.

Simply put, "Curse These Metal Hands" is an album that makes you feel good. It manages to create an almost transcendentally comforting and positive atmosphere without getting tacky at any point. That's also something a lot of people (me included) didn't expect from bands whose output tends to be from the more dismal and joyless end of the spectrum. "Curse These Metal Hands" doesn't redefine any genres or brave a new one, but it damn well exceeds in what it is set out to be; a perfect amalgamation of two different bands coming together.

"Curse These Metal Hands" is available HERE

Band info: Pijn || Conjurer

ALBUM REVIEW: Throes, "In the Hands of an Angry God"

By: Eeli Helin

Album Type: Full-length

Date Released: 26/07/19

Label: Holy Roar Recordings,

Deathwish

”In the Hands of an Angry God” CD//DD//LP track list:

1. Bad Meat

2. They Never Spoke

3. Nothing New

4. Derelict

5. From Their Nails

6. Carrion

7. Disillusion

8. Ruin

9. Fang

The Review:

On their debut LP "In the Hands of an Angry God", Throes deliver a striking and relentless blend of hardcore, sludge and post-metal, suited to kick the air out of you and keep you pinned throughout its duration. Formed on the ruins of Bone Dance, Throes explore and expand themselves on a somewhat similar ground, but taking far bleaker and dimmer turns along the way.

I was captured and fascinated by the Boise quintet's first single cut "They Never Spoke" over a month ago, and was equally excited to get a chance to review the album a few weeks later. The aforementioned track was a colossal wall of angry noise, that held its ground against a ton of other releases dropping around the same timeframe. The pounding felt oddly familiar, and it was only afterwards that I learnt about the current group's  history. Now, by saying this new output feels familiar, I mean that it is adhesive and positively infectious, not that they'd be replicating or recycling their past sound. Usually, when a band reforms under a different moniker, the result is a bland playback with a pseudo-fresh approach, but that's not the case with Throes. At all.

The first track, "Bad Meat" clocks in less than three minutes, and together with the closing, one and a half minute grinder "Fang", they set clear frames and boundaries to what everything else in between will be. These two tracks are also the most pissed off and most reminiscent of Throes' now buried past. However, while these two tracks also leave quite memorable imprints, it's everything in between them that will address and highlight what this entrant is set out to be.

The standout portion on the album is the triad of "Derelict", "From Their Nails" and "Carrion". These tracks advance in a sludgy pace, bulldozing and flattening absolutely everything in their way. The mood is pushed to so violent territory that it will increase your heart rate and inflict the kind of terror that is not very prominent in this style overall. That is a shame really, but on the contrary it gives bands like Throes a well-deserved edge against the plethora of acts in their respective realm. The slowly seeping, low-gain guitars breathe in a lot of unforgettable, atmospheric nuances, and you'll notice this afterwards. Saying that the music is "catchy" sounds a bit weird, but in the lack of a better word, catchy it is.

To step aside from the strongpoints of this album, I also have something to whine about. While "In the Hands of an Angry God" excels in what it set out to do in being ridiculously heavy and demolishing piece of music, it is also a bit ponderous and unsurprising after the first half. I personally would've liked to hear more variation towards the end, aside from the last track which will pull the rug from under your feet. One factor that may affect this feeling, is that due to the tendency of getting monotonous, the album could've been a bit shorter. The exclusion of one track or few repeated riffs here and there would've made a drastic difference to the overall fluency. Still, these are just my thoughts. I can't point out any lesser tracks or riffs per se, as nothing on the album is exactly bad or not worth your while. Each track works well individually, but the entirety is a bit off. However, if you like getting your skull bashed in constantly and give absolutely zero shits about factors such as mutability and unpredictability, then this album is definitely meant for you.

All in all, it is not a surprise that Throes got themselves signed to Holy Roar Records, a label who has proved to be the one you should always keep your eye on for. "In the Hands of an Angry God" is a powerful debut, that lays down a firm ground for Throes' future endeavours. A great deal of "flaws" can be overlooked when the band is considered to be a newcomer, but is that justifiable when the members' past is taken into account? My scale tips to their benefit this time, it'll be intriguing to hear if and how they're going to ameliorate their newfound form in the future.

”In the Hands of an Angry God” is available here:

Band info: bandcamp || facebook

REVIEW: MØL, "I/II"

By: Eeli Helin

Album Type: EP

Date Released: 07/06/19

Label: Holy Roar Recordings,

Deathwish Inc

”I/II” CD//DD//LP track listing:

1. Sundrowned

2. Airy

3. Makhachkala

4. Kathexis

5. Atacama

6. Rush

The Review:

Some great waves were put forth last year in the European shoegaze/post-metal scene, when the Danish quintet MØL released their debut album "Jord", through Holy Roar Records. Whenever a band like this comes along the way, a lot of people are eager to dive into their past, looking for any possible prior material. That seems to pay off on many occasions, since most bands today make their demos available through streaming sites, and usually release EP's or other smaller releases before tackling their first full-length. Same goes for MØL, who released their first two EP's in '14 and '15, first carrying the bands name and second being simply "II".  These EP's were then remastered and re-released as a compilation on June 7th through Holy Roar and Deathwish on vinyl, CD and digital formats.

Firstly, the bands style is extremely hard to put simply. The shoegaze/post-metal title in the first paragraph could also use the atmospheric black metal prefix, hence creating just another monster of a genre list for people too busy to actually listen to the music. That's also a tad problematic in today’s music scene; why everything has to be put to strict boxes, when people everywhere are encouraged to be and do what they want to do and not to care about external pressure and limitations? Well, this planet has a lot more work to do with that, so could we at least throw the genre cages to the garbage bin? Okay? Thank you.

Titled respectively as "I/II", the two EP's deserve to finally get a broader release. While you can argue all you want about the necessity of such thing because "digital this and digital that", the fact is that the music world is full of enthusiastic people that want the well-made, eye-pleasing physical copies of albums and that is perfectly fine. The key in having the tracks remastered is to boost up the atmosphere/clarity department and make the old work stand in line with the bands current one, and that's exactly what MØL has done with these EP's. It also has to be kept in mind that regardless of the additional polishing, the tracks themselves are still the old ones. So, the worst thing you should do is to expect any groundbreaking "wow" factors to appear anywhere, if you are already familiar with the old releases.

But the songs, they are good and have stood time better than most. The band also of course knows that, because they aren't exactly in a cash grab position that would "justify" digging up old demos and throwing them to their audience like scraps, which is something that bigger, bland and unimaginative acts tend do ever so often. Side A opens with "Sundrowned", the bands ignition. I personally wasn't aware of MØL before their full-lengths release, but it's easy to say in hindsight that their signature output was already present when they started out. The driving drum beat and painting distant guitars weave a beautiful web for you to coil. A lot of this bands essence has to do with creating mental landscapes through sound, and they excel in it. Similar patterns are vivid through the second track, "Airy". By similar, I mean by aesthetic. Both of these tracks you have to listen to multiple times until you get a grasp of what's happening, since they are overall as the second track suggests, very airy compositionally. The third song "Makhachkala" then again is where it's at. Starting with more black metal oriented feeling and blast beats until proceeding to clean passages, the track is the first longer one and goes to show how MØL thrives in a more ample setting, bouncing between the extremes.

Side B commences with "Kathexis", and early on it's clear that their songwriting somewhat matured between the creation of the second EP. The tracks still carry similar instrumentation, but all of them are more varied and structurally more interesting. Taking both releases into account, the following track "Atacama" shines the brightest. Taking a bit unexpected turns along its way, you'll also notice the aforementioned growth in their writing. The black metal-esque, high pitched howling vocals also have more raw emotion and feeling on this second half. You will get shivers from them, which only adds to the sense of completion you'll get from listening to this. The final track "Rush" doesn't offer any new angles to their output, but acts as a fitting closure for the release.

It's clear that these two releases are meant to be listened to as one entity, which is why this re-release is really fitting. Even if you heard "Jord" before these, you will still enjoy the tracks and won't get the "demo" feeling from them at any point. My only problem with "I/II" is the fact that it gets monotonous on times, which is something they managed to avoid better on their debut LP. Still, it's not a surprise that MØL caught Holy Roar's attention. Music like this doesn't come around that often, especially when speaking about the production side of things. Purists will whine and complain, but let them do that. In the end they're the ones missing out on everything.

”I/II” is available HERE

Band info: facebook || bandcamp

ALBUM REVIEW: Møl, "Jord"

By: Daniel Jackson

Album Type: Full Length

Date Released: 13/04/2018

Label: Holy Roar Records

the basic feel of the music is going to be very familiar, but it’s done so well, and with such conviction that virtually no one else, including the biggest names in the style, have the chops to match what Møl does here.

‘Jord’ CD//DD//LP track listing:

1. Storm

2. Penumbra

3. Bruma

4. Vakuum

5. Lambda

6. Ligament

7. Virga

8. Jord

The Review:

I’ve always imagined it being rough, being a band involved in a niche subgenre on the decline after its initial peak. It must have been rough to have been an American-style death metal band in the late 90s. It probably would have been similarly challenging to have been symphonic black metal band in the mid 2000s. And it also seems like it would be difficult to be a post black metal/blackgaze band in 2018. This is all anecdotal on my part, but it feels like if you were to go onto social media and talk up a band using terms like blackgaze or post metal, or post black metal; you’re likely going to be met with some apprehension from friends or followers.

There’s a burnout that follows the gargantuan wave and eventual collapse of a hot new subgenre, almost like at a certain point, there’s an unspoken moratorium on new bands in that style. But the truth is that none of that shit should matter. Good albums are good albums. And Møl’s debut full length, ‘Jord’, is a damn good album. Sure you can point to similarities the band shares with certain tentpole bands in the style, but you could also say that Møl is doing more with that style, and in a more compelling way than any other band occupying this space.

The hallmarks are all here: the soaring, effects-drenched leads, the rock-laced drumming choices intertwined with blast beat sections, and of course the harsh, higher-pitched shrieking. And yet Møl is putting these elements in their own unique context by infusing a northern European influence in their riff writing style you don’t run across often in this niche. “Vakuum”, as an example, features a main riff that feels like a Norse take on the rhythm-centric approach of Cobalt’s ‘Gin’. There’s more of a melodic sensibility to it, but it captures a similar energy.

Even the stuff that fits into the genre’s longstanding tropes are performed better on “Jord” than on any album of a similar style in years. “Lambda” is steeped in the sort of airy, wistful clean guitar work that’s been one of the genre’s calling cards since day one. But thanks to some slick, fluid drumming choices from Ken Klejs, and the brilliant craftsmanship of the rest of the band, the song never feels like a lazy rehash of old ideas. Yes, the basic feel of the music is going to be very familiar, but it’s done so well, and with such conviction that virtually no one else, including the biggest names in the style, have the chops to match what Møl does here.

And that’s what the story of ‘Jord’ as a whole. It’s familiar, but brilliant in its own right. Gorgeous in the ways you’d expect, but brilliant in subtler ways you might not expect. Whatever the status of your burnout level is with shoegazy black metal: if you loved the style once, you owe it to yourself to give this album a committed listen. You might just remember what you enjoyed so much about this kind of music to begin with. I have. 

‘Jord’ is available here

Band info: Facebook

ALBUM REVIEW: Garganjua, "Through The Void"

By: Ernesto Aguilar

Album Type: Full length

Date Released: 11/05/2018

Label: Holy Roar Records

“Through The Void” CD//DD//LP track listing

1. Crushed Beneath the Tide

2. Adrift

3. Through the Void

4. A Distant Shore

The Review:

English progressive doom trio Garganjua came onto the scene not too long ago with fresh paint on a time-honored sound, to much conversation. Garganjua does a prog-infused stoner blend that is profoundly complex. While sounding familiar, there are many elements that are largely unexampled – languid chords that are more diverse than the standard stoner playbook, breakdowns that offer expansive arrangements that are mirthlessly heavy, and song compositions with three-part vocals that stay in a space where they manage to be long enough to tell a story without feeling bloated and exasperating. The band's debut EP "Trip Wizard" was well received when it came out in 2014. The 2016 full length, "A Voyage in Solitude," saw growing buzz for the young crew. The band closed out 2017 by announcing this four-song, 45-minute return.

"Crushed Beneath the Tide" launches Garganjua's newest. Its vibe is a forewarning of the forthcoming cuts, with a lingering build and formidable bass assault by way of Gareth Owen. At 12 minutes, this is an adventurous opener, but Garganjua keep your attention with a mix of clean singing and rawer vocals. Later on, the lyrical divergence pays off quite handsomely. "Adrift" relies on power chords to set the scene, before cresting on a slab of drums courtesy of Benjamin Weston, and devastating vocals. While shorter, it is one of the better cuts off the release.

In the title track, it becomes clear that Garganjua are a quartet that is trying to submerge themselves into new places with its music. This song feels more emotional and purposeful, a moody opening, into a clean and not-clean crescendo, then rolling into a valley of guitars. The song is a small detour as far as what Garganjua normally does, and it is a welcome shift. Now three records in, the band seems to be evolving in this regard. "Through the Void" as a song goes into some progressive metal riffage and pacing, for the better. As the track concludes, you have to appreciate Garganjua for being willing to expand what you know of them.

The album ends with "A Distant Shore," a more proggy conclusion of an engaging return. Here you will find the guitar work by Scott Taylor and Gazz Chambers is at its finest, creating an atmosphere that is vast and unfathomable. The first two cuts on this release are solidly stoner through and through, but it's the last two tracks that prompts you to consider what Garganjua can mature into. "A Distant Shore" is quite serene for the most part, but offers you something bolder as the song continues – its dirge is special compared to Garganjua's catalog. Where the group goes is anyone's guess, but this album is a powerful reflection of what Garganjua is and can become.

"Through The Void" is available here

Band info: bandcamp || facebook