“Post-metal – like it’s nearest neighbor sludge metal – builds upon the foundations laid down by doom, keeping intact the throbbing riffs and ponderous pace while shedding much of the fantasy and occult trappings in favor of a more intellectual, existential outlook. If doom was about the “what” then one could argue post-metal is more about the “why?”” Ask why to the Mountain God.
Cult of Luna
Lòdz – Time Doesn’t Heal Anything Review
“Upon being handed the Lòdz torch, Grymm advised me to approach the Frenchmen from an emotional standpoint. Post-metal’s enjoyment is often predicated on embracing the primal, rather than the technical. Someone like myself who struggles to connect with the genre’s hardscrabble nature might fail to embrace the passion hidden within. For Time Doesn’t Heal Anything to resonate in my heart, Lòdz would have unlock my emotional chastity.” Only AMG can unlock those goddamn belts!
Allochiria – Throes Review
“While I’ve enjoyed some Pelican, Isis, and Light Bearer in my day, often the genre’s huge soundscapes and slow-burning buildups are simply too demanding for me to enjoy on a regular basis. On 2014’s debut Omonoia, Greek quintet Allochiria seemed to fit largely in this same mold. Drawing comparisons to the sludgy expanse of Year of No Light, a cursory listen revealed a layered, cerebral album whose dystopian atmosphere was delivered via a measured, methodical pace. Throes, however, is a much different beast — and one I think I’ll be spinning far more often.” Post beast is the new game in town.
Siberian – Through Ages of Sleep
“Sweden’s Siberian – with their second full-length Through Ages of Sleep – have transferred the contents of their dream journals into the realm of post-metal. Through their music, they present consciousness in flux with the physical fading into the incorporeal. The question is: is there enough tangible tastiness here to give weight to the fluffy incoherence of the dream world?” Dreamy post-metal? Is this all a dream?
Gloson – Grimen Review
“Monotone is modern; when we look at Helenistic sculpture or a Gothic cathedral, we see the beauty of shape set in stone without the competing influence of color. But when these wonders were first sculpted and erected, they were painted as part of the vision of their creators to reflect the heavens and the earth. Only with time did the colors erode, the bare contours scoured of their pigmented cloak, the first piece to yield. Gloson operate in this space, with phrases more suggestive than descriptive, the contours of metal worn but still noticeable.” Even masterpieces turn to gray.
Cult of Luna and Julie Christmas – Mariner [Things You Might Have Missed 2016]
“For me, the most compelling collaboration of 2016 was the transatlantic partnership of post-metal stalwarts Cult of Luna and post-hardcore siren Julie Christmas. Both acts on their own provoke ample curiosity — Cult of Luna for their orchestral post-metal machinations, and Christmas for her insanely talented and schizophrenic vocal acrobatics — but put them together and you have a recipe for something amazing.” It’s a post-Christmas miracle!
Latitudes – Old Sunlight [Things You Might Have Missed 2016]
“Very few genres have as clearly identifiable roots as post metal. Without fail, musicians under this label are always traced back to the same key acts. Neurosis. Isis. Cult of Luna. These are the bands that defined post metal for decades. For many, they also acted as the gateway into the genre itself, but not for me.” Gateways to education.
A Province of Thay – Atonement Review
“Music is capable of many wondrous things. It can arouse the senses and instill emotion in even the most hardened of battle vesters. Its melodies can spark furious debate and vehement fervor in scenic sadboys and teeny boppers alike. Indeed, music is just about the only artistic medium that has ever successfully made me shed angry, metal man-tears.” It’s okay to cry. Now report to HR.
The Holeum – Negative Abyss Review
“Whenever a band drops a landmark album, the inevitable game of genre pollution happens. Every now and then, one of that band’s influences creates an album or sound that’s as good, if not better, than the original. However, for the most part, the creative well runs dry after a while. Case in point: Spanish newcomers The Holeum are tossing their hats into the overly crowded post-metal ring with their debut, Negative Abyss.” Post metal for Post-Summertime.
Allfather – Bless the Earth with Fire Review
“Back in January, St. Louis trio