Article By: Pat ‘Riot’ Whitaker ‡ Edited By: Leanne Ridgeway
Without question, one of the brightest rewards of being a writer at Riff Relevant or any of the sites that cover independent music is being made aware of bands or releases that you might not otherwise know of.
Sure, sometimes you must wade through some questionable content, but all is rendered survivable when you discover that rare gem, a pearl among the swine if you will. Yes, that astounding album or that remarkable band, whichever, that you knew absolutely nothing about mere moments ago.
That is what we have here today with the band THROUGH THE CANOPY. From Trondheim, Norway comes their two-song début, the ‘Descension‘ EP (to be officially released on January 15th, 2019). The trio – Kristian Drivenes (guitar, vocals), Eirik Husum (bass, vocals), and Torgeir Nilsen (drums, vocals) – are able to meld psychedelic flavoring into a stew of thrilling post-metal and melodic, progressive doom.
These two tracks, “Seven Days” and “Illusions Lost“, are each over ten minutes in their individual running times, and together they render an intensely alluring, emotionally powerful listening experience. The first of the pair, “Seven Days“, invites you to accompany these players on a monumental movement that cleaves to heavily ethereal nuances. From its sedate, tranquil starting point, we are lulled into a state of heavenly, harmonious calm – at least at first – as soon, darker shadows gradually build and overtake the music.
Once we are well embedded within the song, there are grand ascensions in the music, epic climbs upon uptempo discharges followed by spiraling tumbles. There is a doom-laden underbelly also present, one that is offset by dual, separate vocal presentations while others are harmonized to where things feel lighter, if only briefly so.
With “Illusions Lost“, the longer track of the pair, things once again feature a minimalist, stripped-down start as echoing riffs pierce the aural veil. They continue as the rhythm section slowly works its way into the song with non-evasive drumming and subtle bass lines, but soon things begin to gain noticeable momentum. Eventually, they all reach a breaking point where menacing riffs now enter the fray, ones bolstered by much more aggressive drum work as the track seems close to combustion from within.
It only gets better, as things reach a place where full-on progressive metal passages burn their way across the airwaves, then suddenly they relent. In their place, hazy vocals linger, while laced beneath them music containing opiate-like qualities, ones giving you that sensation of peacefulness, pristine and refined. Yet, the heaviness will not be suppressed… it shall return and does.
To state things simply and precisely to the point, the ‘Descension‘ EP from THROUGH THE CANOPY is just magnificent, and what an introduction to the band it provides. It is one that is outstanding and enjoyable, and also one that we invite you to enter by means of the stream provided above. That, or perhaps you prefer to take flight over to Bandcamp [HERE] where it is also available to stream, as well as purchase.
The choice is yours – just do not choose to do nothing, for it shall be your loss.
For Fans Of: Baroness, Voivod, Porcupine Tree
