Style: experimental doom (mixed vocals)
Review by: Dylan
Country: Sweden
Release date: 02-01-2019
NOTE: This album was originally included in Reports from the (progressive metal) underground: February 2019 – The Progressive Subway
I’m usually very mixed on music that’s heavily experimental. It can sometimes be cutting edge, bold and amazing. Or it can be literally completely unlistenable (as we’ll see later in this post). Luckily, Neuronaut fits into the first area with a degree of comfort.
The word experimental here doesn’t mean that the songwriting is sacrificed in order to sound weird, instead, it’s present thanks to the atmosphere Neuronaut builds. The whole album sounds quirky, strange and a bit awkward, which is overall very unique. Closest I can compare it to is “what if late contortionist fused with sci-fi Spacey themes?” And it works superbly. I can’t say you’ll enjoy all of it at first listen, but with repeated listens the music becomes easier to grasp with, and even has a couple hook-y moments.
The guitar work is responsible for bringing a lot of melody into the table, avoiding chugs and djent all together and just focusing on building weird melodies to embrace this album’s atmosphere. The vocalist isn’t really anything special when it comes to his range, but his voice fits perfectly with the musicianship of this record; it sounds like a man who’s been in space for years going insane and it’s simply well thought out.
All around, this is a very enjoyable and short experimental release, if you enjoy something unique, this is for you
Recommended tracks: Amnesia, Chromesthesia
Recommended for fans of: late The Contortionist, Opeth, weird stuff
Final verdict: 8/10
Related links: Spotify | Facebook | Metal-Archives page
Label: Duplicate Records – Bandcamp | Website | Facebook
Neuronaut is:
– Victor Barri (vocals, bass)
– Tatu Kerttula (drums)
– Par Johannson (guitars, vocals)
– Tobias Jannson (guitars, vocals)
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