We've covered a range of Albums / EPs in our previous feature, but there is one new releases which has sneaked out on Tuesday of this week, and it's a quite monstrous 2 track debut from Norwegian post-metal / prog-doom band 'Through the Canopy' - it's called 'Descension', and as we would probably expect from a post metal band with this type of name, both tracks are over 10 minutes long. This qualifies for an almost instant write-up in Nordic Music Review, we love music to get stuck into.
So 'Through the Canopy' are a 3 piece band from Trondheim (Kristian Drivenes, Eirik Mathias Husum and Torgeir Sølvberg Nilsen), and they were formed following the attendance of band members at a 'Pentagram' gig in 2016, describing themselves as being in the same field of music as bands such as Neurosis, Yob, Elder, Russian Circles, and Motorpsycho. Now I do like Russian Circles and have written about them elsewhere so I thought I might enjoy 'Through the Canopy', and indeed that turns out to be true.
Anyway 'Descension' was recorded in a basement in Trondheim, but mastered at Abbey Road by Sean Magee, and the sound quality is just marvellous. These guys simply make a great noise. The first of the 2 tracks is 'Seven Days' and it opens in that post rock / metal style I love, just a simple guitar theme which is gradually built and expanded upon until an inevitable crescendo and explosion of sound some 3 minutes in. Clearly there is a power and energy that carries this band along, but there is a coherence too that makes the tracks convincing, whilst the vocals are understated and don't simply spoil the music. 'Illusions Lost' is probably my favourite of the 2 tracks, I love the main guitar theme, but the change in direction 4 minutes in is overwhelmingly effective, and it's the contrasts and shades in the music writing I think work so well - the passage from 7 minutes from the solo bass line on is blisteringly good.
This is 'Illusions Lost'
These guys seem to have made a pretty big impression when they've played live, so I expected to hear lots more about them, and actually I think future releases will show even more coherence and development in their music writing. You can find them in the following places:
Instagram @throughthecanopyband