The inbox provideth. Trust in the inbox and it shall show you the way. These are words I whisper to myself when listening to the 50th terrible promo of the day from the blog’s email. I do it because, once in a while, it brings me something excellent. That’s really my main path to small, unsigned bands who are doing interesting things in the spaces of metal and beyond. Take Morrow for example. This unknown band from Seattle wowed me with their take on post-rock, atmospheric black metal and progressive metal with their The Weight of These Feathers. It’s an expansive and ambitious release, blending strings, furious guitars, impressive drumming, varied vocals from two vocalists and amazing, amazing (seriously it’s fucking amazing) bass work. I’m absolutely ecstatic to premiere one of the best tracks from the album today, “Elysium I”. Head on over below to get a taste for yourselves!
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Things start off calmly enough, showcasing the band’s post-rock influences. The build up which starts at just past the one minute mark is right off of the Mono playbook and highlights the incredible bass work on this album. Listen closely as it works with the drums and their lilting kick drums near the end of the build up, just before the guitar bridges over the gap into the acoustic segment which follows. From there, it’s a short hop into black metal a la Dreadnought, with the harsh vocals crowned over intricate guitar parts and constantly shifting drums. Later, you’ll find the guest vocals of one Summer Green, her beautiful timbre adding an epic and ethereal edge to the composition. As she reaches the peak of her part, the feeling channeled is of resplendent cliffs and expansive scenery, working in the same spaces as atmospheric black metal bands like Sojourner or Vallendusk. Make sure you don’t miss the small guitar touches nearer to the outro, before everything goes quiet again; they give me so much joy.
The amount of effort which went into these quieter parts, as well as into the acoustic segment we mentioned before and other such “interludes” on the album, really showcases how much Morrow care about their music. These are not just throw away, “deep” interludes but rather a glue that keeps the whole thing moving, yet another fully fleshed sound layered on top of and besides the rest of it. Pro tip: “Elysium II” builds on these and will absolutely shatter your heart.
All in all, the album is one hell of a ride and the rest of the album is just as brilliant. If you’re a fan of progressive black metal to any capacity, you need to check it out. It releases on July 21. Head on over to the Bandcamp link above to pre-order it!