Article By: Pat ‘Riot’ Whitaker ‡ Edited By: Leanne Ridgeway
The Sheffield, U.K.’s heavy-as-all-get-out noise/sludge behemoths NAISIAN has just unleashed its new three-song EP, ‘Rejoinder‘.
Having landed on all landlocked shores with a resounding “Thud!!!”, one capable of scarring your eardrums if you aren’t carefully protected, things start with the aptly titled “90 FT. Stone“. It is such an appropriate title because of the solid, dense weight of the track which has the hefty impact of, well, ninety-foot of stone, actually.
Very much in a vein similar to early Helmet or Unsane, the song and NAISIAN both emanate with shuddering, yet somewhat subtle, savagery intact. The pair wields a calculated weapon of pummeling precision as heaving riffs carve out a thick rut of a groove. The depths of it are bolstered with gargantuan rhythms, gravity-generating drums, and outright unhinged vocals of undiluted aggression.
With “Mantis Rising“, things quickly reach a rawer, more combustible state right out of the gate. With a slightly doomier air about it, the gut-wrenched vocals alone are enough to relay the anger present within its confines. Add to that the intensified angst in the music itself and I think it’s safe to say that this is not “fuck about” music at all. No, this is serious, deadly serious, dealings in sonic extremity, readers.
The third and final track, “Lefole“, has become my personal favorite of the three as it seems to take things hinted at on its predecessors and melds them a bit more fluidly here. There is also an unmistakable modicum of melody added to this song, ever so slight and wafting within the airy guitar tones. Also adding to it are the minimal tinges of some sort of synths bubbling just beneath the surface here, which were hinted at a bit earlier on as well.
The ‘Rejoinder‘ EP from NAISIAN should quickly become known as their triumphant return after a five-year-plus absence, their first new music since 2012’s Monocle EP. Mastered by the legendary James Plotkin (Sunn O))), Cave-In, etc.), the EP is a studio-generated milestone marking the resurfacing of this underground entity.
Stream it now in our review, or head over to Bandcamp [LINK] where it is available to stream/purchase now.
