I can’t believe I just typed the words “Infinity Shred are back”. I just want to open by saying that, by saying how much I love this project. Their 2016 Long Distance is one hell of an underrated release, blending metal, synthwave, EDM, and prog into one impossible, but somehow…
There is a potential Catch 22 regarding post-rock bands seeking partnerships with major labels. On one hand the average independent band in this genre is unlikely to be flush with cash, and it’s hard to get noticed working from within a niche realm. Every time you see a post-rock band…
It’s strange to think of how much the landscape of post-rock has changed in just past decade. Third wave post-rock took America – then the world – by storm, and while it remains a niche genre in the wider scope of things it unquestionably cultivated a rich soil from which…
What is it exactly about instrumental, progressive music that seems to appeal to us more when we’re younger? Everywhere I look, I see people who used to be really into progressive metal and, specifically, the instrumental kind but no longer are. Personally, I can say that something about the flamboyance and narcissism…
Today we are premiering “Prayers,” a new track from the upcoming debut record by shoegazing post-metal act SOM, a supergroup of sorts comprised of three underrated figures who have had their hands in more than a few integral musical pots over the past decade-plus. Singer/guitarist/keyboardist Will Benoit was a member of…
Toundra have an interesting career. This Spanish post rock/metal band have been operating in the same semantic fields as bands like If These Trees Could Talk, Sleeping Bear or Afformance making their way through the uncertain and, sometimes, downright disastrous, genre of heavy post rock. They were making music way before the current resurgence of the genre and, in Heavy Blog circles at least, were often cited as a light in the darkness, something original and fresh in a genre which seems to have lived out its welcome. Their second album, aptly titled II is a masterpiece, one of the best groovy/heavy post rock releases around. But now, when plenty of other bands are making fantastic music in the same vein, are Toundra still relevant? Following up on some releases that weren’t as powerful as the all-mighty II, are Toundra still up there with the best of them when it comes to making expansive, instrumental music?
It’s been a little over 4 years since both Eden and I joined Heavy Blog as fresh-faced, innocent souls who had not been completely tarnished by the world, and in that time the two of us have bonded over many things (understatement of the day). Although we share a lot…
We’ve spoken about A Thousand Arms a lot in the past few months and with good merit; as long as the label/collective continues to produce great releases, we’ll keep writing about them. Apparently, however, the people behind A1KA, as the label is known as, are talented musicians in and on of themselves.…
Richmond, VA post-rock/metal act Shy, Low are a band that have miraculously escaped our official attention on this site, which is quite simply a huge mistake on our parts. The band’s previous full-length, 2015’s Hiraeth, is an example of brilliantly-executed and emotionally-tinged cinematic instrumental rock that skirts the line between post-rock and metal in league with the likes of Caspian and We Lost The Sea. It’s great stuff that any fan of this kind of music should be listening to.
The annals of post rock will look kindly on the somber parts of the genre. In the past few years, they’ve been some of the most prolific, drawing on the once-not-obvious proximity between post rock and post metal. These bands, like If These Trees Could Talk or Outrun the Sunlight, create an atmosphere that is darker in its shadings than the post rock of the mid 2000’s, relying on booming drums and thick bass to garnish their delayed guitars. Into this context burst Astralia, a Barcelona based band with three albums to their name. Their most recent effort, released just a few days ago, sees them polish their style and cohesion. On Solstice, Astralia make a worthy addition to the realm of ponderous post rock and all the intonations one might expect from that label.
