Style: Progressive metal, djent (mixed vocals)
Recommended for fans of: (late) Voyager, The Contortionist, VOLA
Country: Georgia, United States
Release date: 20 December, 2019
[EDITOR’S NOTE: This review was originally published in the December 2019 issue of The Progressive Subway.]
The timing of this review is funny. I am reviewing one of our own reviewer’s (Chris) bands the same month he joined. Lucky for me the album is a solid one. Contextual Noise is a shorter EP, but don’t let that fool you, there is some good stuff on here.
Right away I noticed the production was on point, and being able to go directly to the source I learned that Jamie King mastered the album. The second thing I noticed was there is a bit of a combination of heavy riffing and ambient synths. The album starts off atmospheric and heavy with “Overgrowth”, and reminded me a bit of Voyager. The next track “Kill Castle” was one I was instantly drawn to, but after listening to the album a few times, it really grew on me. The track very much takes you on a journey. There are killer riffs, tasty dissonance, cool callbacks, and catchy melodies. If you only check out one song from this album, make sure it’s this one. The last individual track I’ll highlight is “The Silent Push.” There are some huge riffs on this one as well as some lush synths. Like “Kill Castle” it also takes you on a journey.
At a high level, there isn’t a weak performance on the album. Drums, vocals, and guitar are all on point. The bass is pushed a little down in the mix for my liking, but hey that’s just a preference thing. The only really negative I can find on the album is there were a few times where the melodies were a bit similar between a couple songs. It wasn’t a big problem in my opinion, but on a shorter EP, it did stick out a bit more. Overall, Contextual Noise was a short but sweet EP. Give this album a spin if you like bands like Voyager, The Contortionist, or VOLA; I don’t see how you wouldn’t enjoy this.
Recommended tracks: Kill Castle, The Silent Push
You may also like: Ihlo
Final verdict: 8/10
Related links: Bandcamp | Spotify | Facebook | Instagram
Label: Independent
Effuse is:
– Chris Deese: (vocals, drums, guitars, synth)
– Jarrod Blanton: (guitars)
– Greg Hendler (bass, guitars)
1 Comment
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