A.)Yes
B.) No
If you answered A, go to [2]. If you
answered B, go to [3].
[2] Do you really, really like
post-metal?
A OH GOD YES I FUCK AMPS AND SHIT
REVERB
B It's not bad. I enjoy those bands
like...what's the name, Isis? Yeah.
C I just don't give a fuck.
If you answered A, go to [4]. If you're
an average dude and picked B, go to [5]. If you really like that
Tupac song and chose C, go to [6].
[3] That's not very nice. Go to [6].
[4] If you really, really like
post-metal, nothing here (or anywhere, really) will persuade or
dissuade you from adoring Make's debut LP. Purchase this album when
it's released and remember to get incense sticks at the store for
your handmade Aaron Turner shrine.
[5] From the chapels and hills
of...Chapel Hill comes a band ready to unleash the sound and the fury
of post-metal upon the legions and legions of wild, crazy and
possibly drunk fans all across the globe. Hyperbole aside, North
Carolina band Make has already made waves with Trephine, their debut LP.
Band guitarist and songwriter Scott
Endres (who played on Horseback's acclaimed album The Invisible
Mountain) crafts a concept album about a hospital patient slowly
losing their grip on reality and regressing (or progressing) into the
realms of the fantastical. There have been concept albums regarding
descents into madness and the likebefore, of course; but not many quite capture
the despair of it as effectively as Trephine does. Reverb, tremelo
and a slow-tempo can capture a dark mood or emotion when deployed as
well as any array of techniques, and to his credit Endres makes (no
pun at ALL) it happen with gusto.
However, the problem with Make here is
not technical skill, songwriting or production levels. The real
culprit here is that Trephine is too post-metal, in the sense
that it is too firmly entrenched in the mire of its genre to really
be worthy of particular note. Truth be told, it's not totally Make's
fault: their debut Trephine is just that – a debut LP. Here there's
plenty of distorted prose, driving tremelo, crushing riffage, and
entrancing, enchanting drums and bass to enrapture the listener in a
vicarious experience of its concept. That's great, if you can dig the
feeling of being suffocates over layers of feedback and swallowed by
tidal waves of melancholy. However, there's nothing here that hasn't
been done before by other, ultimately better bands (Isis, Neurosis,
Pelican and the usual list of suspects). As a result, anyone familiar
with these bands and hasn't fallen in love with them will ultimately
yawn at the slow, sludgy riffs of “Ancient Tongues,” the
ham-fisted drums of “Returning To The Ruins of My Birthplace” and
the mourning, sorrowful closer “Into The Falling Grey,” which
flows well with the theme (presumably death) but also drags on for
far too long.
In fairness, there are some nice
moments on the album; “After The Dust Settles” both captures a
feeling of loneliness and doesn't overstay its welcome, “Valhalla”
combines doomy riffs with a psychedelic bent to create something
worthy of repeat play and the uplifting sense of streams of light
piercing the dark in “Rotting Palace” all indicate that Make has
some excellent potential. However, for now, we'll have to make do
with what Trephine is – a standard-press post-metal album.
[6] You need to go
here, as tradition dictates.
(Trephine will be available July 30 through Devouter Records. Click here to stream the album.)
-Shane D
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