At The Soundawn

Red Square: We Come In Waves

Written by: PP on 12/05/2008 01:27:21

Strange metal acts from Italy? Ephel Duath, Slowmotion Apocalypse, HouseMaster.. I\'m sure there are others, too, but those three pop into my mind on first try. Good, listenable metal acts from Italy? I\'m hard pressed to think of any. Until At The Soundawn\'s new record \"Red Square: We Come In Waves\" arrived on my review desk a couple of months ago. Why first review it now? It\'s dreamy instrumental landscape has kept me floating around and around the soundscape for too long.

You see, \"Red Square..\" is the kind of record that you can easily get lost in. Think about the ever-expanding sound of a band like Isis, and remember how easy it is to stop everything you are doing and just spend hours wandering around the layered guitars, inspecting their interplay with sublime drumming. Reminisce nostalgically how every element in their sound just drags you in, keeping you captive for weeks and weeks to come.

Well, welcome to exhibit A. At The Soundawn craft a similar feel on their album, mending together soothing clean vocals, raging screams, tranquil acoustic passages, monumental metallic storms, and much, much more. The softness of the production allows for easy access into their universe, and the progressive nature of the songs acts like a vacuum, sucking the listener into a world where music is most definitely considered an art form.

But best of all, At The Soundawn keeps things simple. There aren\'t any infinitely complex instrumentals to confuse the listener, simply layers upon layers upon layers of sound. The album sways between the quiet to the explosive cyclically, thus rendering the album title \"We Come In Waves\" as a highly fitting one - like waves landing on the beaches around the world, the heavy/quiet dynamic comes and goes in steady, calculated manner.

While on an Isis album one can easily get lost in the never-ending nature of their songs, none of At The Soundawn\'s songs are extensively long, apart from the six and a half minute centerpiece \"Phone Will\". Therefore by the 7th and last track, you\'re still as awe-inspired by the smooth flow of the sound as you were on the first song. Job well done, as I belong to that new generation of music listeners who just doesn\'t have time to sit down for 10 minutes at a time for a song, except on very rare occasions. If the thought of post-rock meets progressive metal tickles your taste buds, be sure not to miss At The Soundawn, the best band out of Italy that I can remember.

8

Download: Phone Will, Rain Falls, Submerged
For the fans of: Isis, Come Sleep, Boil, Tool, High On Fire
Listen: Myspace
Buy: iTunes

Release date 28.04.2008
Lifeforce Records
Provided by Target ApS

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