Review: Sundr – Solar Ships

Style: Post-Metal (Mixed vocals, mostly Harsh)
Review by: Chris
Country: Australia
Release date: September 18, 2020

Often we see Post-Metal made to feel big and emotive. They bounce between downtrodden and menacing, but often many give glimpses of hope in the midst of it. Solar Ships by Sundr feels like an album for 2020, in that it does not bring hope in its compositions; it really sells out into the hopeless, claustrophobic times we find ourselves in as a people in a sprawling 42 minute (albeit 4 track) album. It has moments of towering massiveness, spaced out reflection, and pure agonized expression. Continuing the 2020 theme It felt from the lyrics I gathered that the album focuses on themes of isolation and loneliness – certainly apt for the current moment.

Enough stage setting though, let’s talk about the album proper. It would feel useless to do real track descriptions for this album since it feels like one of those made to be endured as a whole piece instead of visited in small pieces – I would view the tracklist as a formality personally. Like most post-x genre albums, Solar Ships often finds its home in the spaced out moments, deliberately dragging you along in the mood before the inevitable next anvil of emotion drops onto you. The atmosphere is murky and heavy throughout, it feels at times like the album is holding you down and only just barely letting you catch your breath.

The vocal delivery is definitely a vehicle for that atmosphere and emotion, calling out from the sea of washed instruments with such lines as “I’ve forgotten how to be alone”. The guitars, as would be expected, are textural for a lot of the album. “Solar Ships” does have one of the nicer moments of guitar lead voicing with an almost acoustically clangy riff repeating itself continuously like one might chant a mantra.

In closing, I wouldn’t call this necessarily a pleasurable listening album in the traditional sense – I wouldn’t expect you to have fun with it – but it is definitely a great album, with a great use of atmosphere and emotive conveyance. As an album it reflects the current times and emotions I think a lot of us are facing, so wallowing in those may not be for everyone right now. However, Sundr choosing to wallow in them for the creation of this album was an excellent choice.

Recommended tracks: Solar Ships (I would really consider this an all or nothing album)
Recommended for fans of: ISIS, Nero Di Marte, Neurosis
Final verdict: 7.5/10

Related links: Bandcamp | Spotify | Official Website | Facebook | Instagram

Label: Crucible Art – Facebook

Sundr is:
– Scott Curtis (Vocals)
– Troy Power (Guitars, Vocals)
– Reyer Boekelaar (Bass)
– Dan Neumann (Drums, Percussion)