Album Type: Full Length
Date Released:
03/03/2017
Label: Hibernacula Records
Filled with
gurgling riffs, exquisite composition, somber aesthetics and dangerous amounts
of catchiness, “Slumbersong” is
a mesmerizing record. Clearly aware of what is happening in music right now, “Slumbersong” makes distinct nods to
contemporary acts such as Torche, Baroness, Mastodon and Pallbearer, while
retaining a distinct sound and identity of its own.
“Slumbersong” CD//DD track listing:
1). Praise And Hatred
2). Righteous
3). The Weight Of Gold
4). Ghosts
5). Bloodhound
6). The House
7). Old Tom
8). Shimmer
9). Slumbersong
The Review:
“Slumbersong” (the band’s
first release under the moniker Sail), sees the
British stoner/sludge quartet formerly known as Husk achieve the perfect balance of infectious hooks,
heavy riffing and flourishes of prog. Over a molten sea of oscillating grooves,
Sail employ
spacious, soaring vocal harmonies that are probably the root of all the Baroness comparisons
they have been receiving lately. The guitar work on this album is characterized
by crisp, beefy tones and an astute sense of melody; the guitar parts perfectly
complement each other and the vocal lines with a skill seldom heard.
“Slumbersong” demonstrates
significant artistic change and growth for Sail since their days as Husk. The production is much less murky, the song
structures are more inventive and “Slumbersong”
exhibits a sort of meticulous composition and masterful song craft only
hinted at by Husk. There is
stylistic change as well, as the band further explores many of the new
atmospheres and melodic sensibilities that they first toyed with on “Upon His Mountain” and
all but abandoned the dirtier, more straightforward sounds found on “Seven Pyramids”.
“Slumbersong” waste no time
displaying these changes. Opening track “Praise And Hatred” instantly bursts
forth with eerie guitar melodies and a pummeling groove that sets the tone for
the rest of the album. The most irresistible track on the album is certainly
the next one, “Righteous”. Brimming with tight, effective hooks, “Righteous”
is just over five minutes of shout along, head banging glory. The following
track, “The Weight Of Gold” gives it close competition though, and
it’s blend of toned down aggression, vocal emphasis, dark catchiness and solid
tempo makes it the album’s best chance of being heard on rock radio if it ever
had one.
The brief
instrumental track “Bloodhound” is ninety-three seconds of phased out, fuzzy
guitar strumming and dark ambience that is so intriguing that it is somewhat
disappointing that the passage was not realized in the context of a more
complete song. “The House”, a thundering, up-tempo battle cry of a song, sees Sail at their most joyous,
with a vigorous pulse, stampeding riffs and pronounced dynamics. The album’s
hardest hitting and sludgiest track, “Poor Tom”, has grooves as
deep as an ancient, buried god, creeping, anxiety provoking guitar leads, bombastic
drumming and the harshest vocals to be found anywhere on the album. “Poor Tom” shows that Sail, despite their knack for
crafting hooks, know how to appeal to fans of the more extreme end of the
sludge spectrum. The acerbity of “Poor Tom” is distinctly
contrasted by the lush, airy chimes that open the next and final track of the
album, “Shimmer”. The longest
track on the album (at six minutes and fifty seven seconds), “Shimmer” is an immersive, celestial
journey of wet, echoey tones and building dynamics. It is the perfect
conclusion for “Slumbersong”.
Filled with
gurgling riffs, exquisite composition, somber aesthetics and dangerous amounts
of catchiness, “Slumbersong”
is a mesmerizing record. Clearly aware of what is happening in music right
now, “Slumbersong” makes
distinct nods to contemporary acts such as Torche, Baroness, Mastodon and Pallbearer, while
retaining a distinct sound and identity of its own. With this album, Sail have established
themselves as an extremely exciting young band. Many will surely be anxiously
waiting to see what they do next.
