Style: Sludge/Punk/Groove (Mixed Vocals)
Review by: Sabrina
Country: Switzerland
Release date: October 1st, 2020
I’m going to be honest, when I first started looking into The Erkonauts I did not know what to expect from them. I see that they have just above 2K monthly listeners on Spotify and they have been around for as much as their third album, yet I have never heard their name before. And if you are familiar with the kind of music that is abundant in the metal underground scene a lot of the albums you will find are not pretty. However, I am very pleased to consider I Want It to End by The Erkonauts an aberration to that stereotype.
This album blends styles from many different sub-genres of metal as there are songs that have elements of sludge, groove, thrash, and even alternative metal. Additionally, these are combined with the fast rhythm and aggression of punk which, in this case, results in an album that is both tight and straightforward while still leaving a lasting impact on the listener.
When listening to this album for the first time, the first thing that sprung out and surprised me is how well this album is produced; in fact, for a band this underground, it’s immaculate. Which is a weird thing to say for a band with such strong sludge elements, which makes me want to clarify, that this band is able to walk a thin line between poppy and bouncy, and compressed and atmospheric. In my opinion, they pull off this tight rope finely which makes the album stand out in that respect.
Moving on to its songwriting style, this album is progressive but choppy. The average song length on this album is about 4 minutes and 15 seconds, which is fairly short for a progressive metal album. This could work towards the band’s advantage as they do not overstay their welcome and having 9 shorter songs will make the album more accessible for a wider audience. What you can expect to find with the compositions of each of these songs are memorable melodies, energetic instrumental interludes, and honestly great overall instrumental harmony. As much as each instrument gets its time in the spotlight in this album, I must say, the drums in this album are what stand out the most as they do a great job at guiding the rhythm of each song. My favorite song on the album is “Losing is the First Step” which starts out with a lone jazzy bass solo that is quickly stampeded by a massive and crunchy drum line that has a ton of speed and power. The song then transitions into a groovy synergy with the guitars, then into the main chorus which is reminiscent of something a 2000s alt metal band except with tighter musicianship.
This album is not just filled with aggressive tracks. One way this album shines is that it is able to provide sections that fall all over the spectrum of harsh and soft, heavy and light, which is something that progressive metal does the best. It’s impressive how much emotion and atmosphere the band can create on songs such as “It Could Be over Soon” or “Caravaggio” without overstepping their boundaries and becoming overly cheesy or campy. And the band is able to skillfully transition from a ballad to a very heavy song. Now that I think about it, the album’s most aggressive songs are proceeded by their ballads, which show the band is able to transition in tempo and tone in a way that is palatable.
With all this positive feedback, one may wonder why I did not give it a higher score than I did; this is due to a few reasons. One, though the band is able to create their own sound in the progressive metal community, they still wear their influences on their sleeve. Many songs on this album are very eerily Mastodon sounding in a way that is more than uncanny, combined with all their other influences from other bands, it is easy to tell where their sound came from, which may be indicative of a lacking in original ideas and innovation. Another reason is that this is being judged in the context of competing with albums from other progressive metal bands, rather than metal bands in general; there is stark competition in this community, especially in the areas of innovation and originality. When I think of an 8, 9, or 10 out of 10 progressive metal album, I think of one that is not just original but also that creates a sense of iconic essence which I do not think this album has. I Want it to End is not magnum opus material but I’m not sure it is meant to be.
Where this album exceeds in is writing catchy and atmospheric songs without overstaying its welcome, but it is not an album that is changing the meta of progressive metal. The way this album is skillfully produced makes me think that this band could easily have 20-50K monthly listeners if they got more publicity. I do think that this is an album that can appeal to a plethora of people, not exclusively prog nerds like myself, which is ultimately one of its strengths and one of its weaknesses.
Recommended tracks: Losing is the First Step, The Sun, The Cult of the Burning Star
Recommended for fans of: Mastodon, Gojira, Faith No More
Final verdict: 7/10
Related links: Bandcamp | Spotify | Official Website | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Metal-Archives page
Label: Independent
The Erkonauts is:
– Ales Campanelli (vocals)
– Fred Di Limoncelli (lead guitar)
– Los Sebos (rhythm guitar)
– Vinch Cerutti (drums)
– Ales Campanelli (bass)
4 Comments
Brian Kaplan · October 28, 2020 at 02:01
Could you explain the Mastodon reference? I do not hear Mastodon at all when I listen to this album. Listened to 3 Mastodon albums today and have listened to I Want It to End dozens of times since it came out and i just am not hearing the comparison. Thanks for the review. It is a really good album
The Progressive Subway · November 5, 2020 at 16:43
It really depends on which Mastodon albums you have listened to since they have changed stylistically quite a bit. But there is a whole ton of influence from the albums “Blood Mountain” and “Remission” in “I Want it to End”. Their more recent albums are a departure from this style of more aggressive prog sludge, in favor of a more accessible sound.
Brian Kaplan · November 5, 2020 at 18:14
Ok. This isnt any kind if gotcha, but, Ales Campanelli posted this review on facebook asking about the Mastodon reference. He has said he has never listened to Mastodon and was asking for people to list songs that sounded similar to the Erkonauts. Granted, Mastodon has been very influential over all and maybe there are other bands that were influenced by Mastodon that he is influenced by.
The Progressive Subway · November 5, 2020 at 20:48
That’s interesting. It may very well be a situation where Mastodon has influenced other bands that members of The Erkonauts listen to, which would explain the musical similarity.
I would say the Mastodon songs I can think of that remind me of this album are March of the Fire Ants, Crusher Destroyer, Tread Lightly, Hunters in the Sky, and Siberian Divide. For the ballads: Pendulous Skin, and The Sparrow.