Style: Progressive Metal/Rock, Djent (instrumental)
Recommended for fans of: Porcupine Tree, Cloudkicker, Soen
Review by: Sabrina
Country: US-TX
Release date: 14 July, 2023
Scaphoid is not your ordinary instrumental prog outfit. Though instrumental djent is one of the most saturated metal genres – not quite in competition with the one-man atmospheric black metal projects, rather closer to the quantity of the middle-aged heavy metal bands that dominate the metal underground – Scaphoid is set apart from the cluster of technical, palm-muted blur that has built the genre’s reputation for the last decade and a half.
Imagine you were to call in a unique order for your hungry ears: “I want an instrumental djent album, but one that centers its compositions around melodic hooks rather than raw technicality, make it atmospheric and brooding with an extra post-rock flavor, and be sure it’s written through the lens of a Fear of a Blank Planet fan.” That is more or less the sort of album one will get from your typical Scaphoid outing, and trust me, I have looked practically everywhere for similar albums: the very closest thing I’ve found thus far is Frakhtal’s 2022 debut Plima. Few albums have been able to satisfy this unique craving I have cultivated since my previous review in 2020 of Scaphoid’s debut, Absent Passages.
It appears as though multi-instrumentalist, Matt Hobart decided to maintain the successful songwriting formula utilized in his debut, except now with a new different sonic approach. The vision behind Absent Passages – characterized by a mysterious, ethereal, and spacey aesthetic – made for the perfect environment to illustrate Matt’s melodic chord progressions, gloomy keys, and dark, cave-like post-rock atmospheres. However, now the attempt is to illustrate these sounds in a kind of terrestrial, earthy style. I can’t quite tell whether this decision didn’t play into the artist’s strengths because of how it was executed or if earth really has just been the less interesting of the four Greek elements.
Furthermore, the album in general feels less impactful, partially because it was written much busier than its predecessor. The songs are crowded with guitar solo after guitar solo without the same sense of care given to their melodies and time for build-ups as in the previous album, making it much harder to feel distinct peaks and valleys in the composition. Hence, the climaxes fly by without as much of an impact. As a genuine fan of Scaphoid, This album feels too busy for its own good. I have revisited “Marauder”, “Shores of Ruin”, and “None So Blind” from Absent Passages like an addict – all three song structures are simplified to accommodate one climax each.
Opethian transitions and dynamics fill this album to the brim, with down-tempo chugging riffs and distorted guitar solos contrasting tranquil interludes of acoustic guitars layered with atmospheric padding. Matt’s signature formula, when it’s done well, begins by introducing a few main vibrant lead guitar or bass chords at the beginning, these compose the foundation whereby other elements are gradually assembled and reduced throughout the track, the track’s finale should convey the best combination of elements presented in their densest form, delivering hard-hitting peaks that good post-prog artists naturally excel at. This idea was best executed in “Baikalian Relic” where its final guitar solo explodes into a high scream which is followed by the lone familiar bass riff introduced in the opening. Other tracks like “Gloom” and “Luna Sangre,” in contrast, stand out for the sheer strength of their lead melodies. I’d say the melodies on all of the tracks exceed most djent projects – which one will see is what separates the Scaphoid experience from its peers.
Keeping in mind the album’s overall strengths, I still would not say that this is the superior of the two present Scaphoid LPs. Though I can appreciate the bongos on “Petroglyph” or scant keys seen on a couple of other tracks, this album sounds generally more homogenous than Absent Passages. Consequently, the experience can feel like a blur sometimes, especially when the more plodding tracks come in. The worst offenders are probably “Centralia” or the title track that bookends the album. Additionally, I wish there were more moments where the keyboards would shine like in some of the highlights on the previous album.
Though this album fell a bit short of my prior expectations, it is still far from a failure. Although, I would have wanted Scaphoid to put more effort into creating build-ups necessary for a satisfying climax rather than cramming space with guitar solos, this has too many great ideas to be hastily lumped in with the average instrumental djent album and certainly has the potential to intrigue the curious listener. However, I’d preemptively recommend Absent Passages over Echoes in the Rift any day of the week.
Recommended tracks: Gloom, Baikalian Relic, Luna Sangre
You may also like: Frakhtal, Jakub Tirco, Hecla, I Am Not, Xavier Boscher
Final verdict: 7/10
Related links: Bandcamp | Spotify | YouTube | Facebook | Instagram
Label: Independent
Scaphoid is:
– Matt Hobart (guitars, bass, drums, keyboards)
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