Style: post-metal, doom metal (instrumental)
Recommended for fans of: Cult of Luna, Pijn, If These Trees Could Talk, Latitudes
Country: Poland
Release date: 19 August, 2024
We humans, as social creatures, exalt the concepts of birth and new life. Whether it’s witnessing the literal birth of a child, or experiencing the genesis of a more metaphorical entity like an artistic project, there’s a special kind of feeling to those nascent moments. As a reviewer and avid music fan, I find myself extra invested in the latter kinds of origins, ceaselessly scouring spreadsheets for the chance to experience the formation of something new and meaningful like a scientist combing distant nebulae to observe protostar ignition. When I stumbled upon Polish solo act Ikaiora, a pseudonym for one Kuba Piszczek whose prior public musical output consists solely of a demo EP titled Some Random Shit, I could tell immediately that this was a fresh star about to be born.
While the musical polish understandably doesn’t quite meet professional standards, it more than suffices to allow Piszczek’s artistic vision to shine and to convey the emotions and moods contained within Ikaiora’s music. Beneath a Drifting Haze combines fuzzy post-metal guitars à la Cult of Luna or Pijn with a smattering of other styles, including the Tool-esque bass that opens “casting faint shadows” and the deep, dark doom metal tremolo scattered throughout the album. The end result is an incredibly expressive musical work, developing each of these influences into distinct segments throughout each track and highlighting the disparities within the musical whole. Ikaiora excels equally at producing individual snapshots that capture the audience’s attention and at building out longer-form suites, such as the way “casting faint shadows” mirrors its own structure with a soft lead-in, a more intense development as more parts stack atop one another, a beautifully bleak and expansive middle section, and finally the reverse to close it out.
The series of haunting standalone guitar licks at roughly the 3:30 mark of “casting faint shadows,” backed by little more than a faint drone, puts me in mind of Ode and Elegy’s masterful control of silence and emptiness in service of a track’s atmosphere. For one, it’s a gorgeous section of music, a dynamic and expressive performance filled with emotion. But also, the softness of that section creates a stark contrast against both the first and last thirds of the track, which opens with more urgency and and driving intensity and closes with a steady buildup of doomy distorted guitars before finally fading out with more of the same softness from the middle portion. Such contrast makes each portion feel even more vibrant and distinct, increasing the uniqueness of each mood expressed and showcasing Ikaiora’s lofty talent for songwriting.
While the elements that make up Beneath a Drifting Haze land with consistent high quality and clear purpose, the greatest common factor among the weaker moments is an absence of something unidentifiable, that little addition of an extra rhythm guitar lick or better matching the cadence of the percussion part with the guitars above it. At other times, the transitions between sections or tracks feel sudden and unplanned. Most of these changeovers show obvious care and carry the music smoothly between ideas, such as the “drop” just past 2:10 in “from within stone walls” or the steady, cumulative addition of more and more instruments throughout the long intro buildup in “casting faint shadows,” but not all do. Unfortunately, the latter kind are the far more memorable instances: the 3:20 mark in “from within stone walls” where one excellent and lively riff halts all its forward momentum as though striking a brick wall so a dour and unremarkable one can take its place, or the transition from that same track into “seeds scattered towards the flickering light.” I’m still not certain whether that transition is meant to be seamless or if the two pieces simply feature very similar drum rhythms in their adjacent parts. These stumbles can’t extinguish the impact of the legitimately excellent work which dominates Beneath a Drifting Haze, but their presence becomes all the more noteworthy for how much they differ from the backdrop.
Ikaiora is clearly a fledgling artist taking their first tentative flight into the world of music, and honestly I find it rather endearing. We’ve all been there, some time or other, just starting out in a new endeavor and unsure of what we’re doing or if anyone else will take notice, but just wanting to share something even if it means shouting into the great void of the internet. With the benefit of talent and creativity, Beneath a Drifting Haze has turned out to be a strong effort worthy of attention and response. Built from all the standard post-metal building blocks, this album excels at expressing bleak moods and emotions befitting its sparse composition, with only a few missteps where its creator’s inexperience becomes evident despite the overall high level of competence on display. If you, too, feel the allure of burgeoning artistic endeavors, I recommend you lend this one your attention.
Recommended tracks: all of them, but especially “casting faint shadows”
You may also like: Ode and Elegy, Shy, Low, Catacombe, Outlander
Final verdict: 7/10
Related links: Bandcamp | Spotify | YouTube
Label: Independent
Ikaiora is:
– Kuba Piszczek (everything)
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