«Tocsin»
(Debemur Morti)
The third proper full length of Bordeaux-based instrumental outfit Year Of No Light (if you discount this year's «Vampyr» soundtrack-of-sorts, that is) gets going with a low, single synth key drone making you immediately feel ill at ease, like something bad is brewing somewhere, setting the tone for what follows. Juggling crescendos with a firm yet dynamic grip, these french have been evolving their atmospheric brand of post-metal in a very deliberate way ever since doing without their former vocalist after 2006's «Nord» and where «Ausserwelt» already hinted that something was very right with the new approach, «Tocsin» reveals an even more developed beast, crystalizing the sextet's current phase. Extremely cathartic, it succeeds by having desolation and hope joining hands throughout in an uncanny marriage, something Godspeed You! Black Emperor usually master to perfection. The shortest song, «Gehénne», actually wouldn't be out of place in those canadians latest record, its euphoric galloping making it the album's catchiest and most immediate cut. And while the remainder of «Tocsin» demands time to be properly digested, it's a fully rewarding process in the end. In a day and age where most seem to be looking for the quick fix, thankfully some bands still have it in them to be at odds with that. [PA]
«Clean.»
(Brutal Panda)
There's a sense of abandon on Whores.' sophomore effort, «Clean.», like this Atlanta-based noise rock trio simply has nothing to lose. Whereas their rage was directed at the outside world in their late 2011 debut «Ruiner.», now they turn inwards in a self-deprecating way, yet soaked in irony and defiance. Sounding in-your-face enough to bring Shellac's Steve Albini to mind soundwise - recording engineer Ryan Boesch's credits are no small feat either having worked with Melvins and Fu Manchu - «Clean.» contains so many grooves and ecstatic riffing, being so damn catchy, that its biggest disappointment comes when it abruptly ends after only 25 minutes. Vibes of Unsane and even the feral, unbridled agression of KEN mode come to mind, but the in-the-pocket playing of the bass/drums combo of Travis Owen and Jake Shultz, coupled with Christian Lembach guitar leads and especially his urgent, overdriven voice, gives Whores. a signature all their own. Leimbach in particular leads you to believe he's constantly on the verge of a mental breakdown. And breaking down never sounded this good. [PA]
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