Style: Post-metal (mixed vocals)
Review by: Callum
Country: Norway
Release date: January 15, 2021
I thought it would be rude not to give my new neighbours in Enrapture a listen, having just recently moved to Oslo myself. Not knowing what to expect I was impressed to hear the new and fresh sound they have captured on their debut, Another Green Drought. This is not your everyday post-metal. It’s got a little bit of a lot of things sprinkled throughout, dropping in stylistic deviations here and there all the way through to the final track. There are splashes of sludge, math rock, indie, and black metal that give the record a very modern-progressive feel, without seeming gimmicky or relying on any specific genre tropes. The biggest strengths here are the smooth dynamic shifts between styles and the big riffs. There are an abundance of big, juicy riffs.
The opening track, “Badlands” is heavy on the palm muted Yob-style guitar chugging, monotone harsh vocals and heavy hit drums that seem fairly straightforward. It isn’t until a bouncing riff in “Year One” drops in that the music shifts away from what one initially expects and a different sound emerges than was first demonstrated. More intricate arpeggiated chords with ethereal resonance are layered in over the main driving riff, just as Cult of Luna might do. Subtle key and tempo changes eventually build to a math-rocky crescendo where the twang of bass strings breach waves of flowing guitars. The album has two short, well placed interlude tracks that prevent too much fatigue from the other relatively long songs. The first, “fra en elvebredd”, is mostly acoustic, however, “MALSTRØM” is a chug-fest. An interesting difference that keeps the listener guessing.
The interludes put space between the most interesting tracks. “Floodwaters in the Desert” is a 9+ minute journey. There’s a fairly simple main rhythm beating throughout but with a lot of other musicality dancing around, including some indie rock/The Strokes kind of riffing. The sudden entrance of clean vocals is also surprising, and they are performed excellently with notable polish and clarity in the mix. More choral vocal harmonies come through in “Pillars in the Dust Cloud” that add an ethereal and foreboding atmosphere in contrast to the predominantly harsh storm of blast beats and rasped vocals. The harsh vocals on the album are just slightly mismatched against the fuller sound of the instrumentation, although I’d put this down more to the mix than the ability of the vocalist himself. Otherwise, the production shines here, especially in the midway build-up to a black metal-style crescendo followed by an odd, short little math-y outro. It sounds good, but I find the placement here questionable.
I’d consider “Groundswells” my favourite of the album. There are more black metal motifs here with plenty of blast beats and tremolo picking but incorporating some creative and technical guitar fills. Another big surprise is the twangy cowboy guitar that cuts through the din of cymbal crashes and extended screams. The crushing vocals at the end drive home the central concept of the danger of ignorance. Another Green Drought is a fresh, if strange, mix of fun riffs that really bounce, more serious blackened post-metal passages, and a few extra genre deviations for good measure. For a debut, it’s creative, ambitious and a lot of fun.
Recommended tracks: Groundswells, Floodwaters in the Desert, Pillars in the Dust Cloud
Recommended for fans of: Yob, Russian Circles, If These Trees Could Talk
Final verdict: 6/10
Related links: Bandcamp | Spotify | Official Website | Facebook | Metal-Archives page
Label: Independent
Enrapture is:
– Lars Løseth Takle (drums, percussion)
– Alexander Lange (guitars)
– Fredrik Schjerve (vocals, guitars)
0 Comments