As a lady reads out a graphic description of a degenerating world, there’s a quiet build-up of post rock. It’s a familiar sound but the guitar ring has a sweetness in its echo. It’s gentle, and supported by delicate splatterings from the drummer. The air is misty. Sometimes post rock can be mechanical without breadth. “Today Will Die Tomorrow” defies that theory. It worked its way through my soul. The progression is gradual. There is power and depth. As if dark clouds descend, the atmosphere becomes slower and deeper still. A growled voice pitches in. To long chords, the progress is deliberate and ominous. It’s now classic post metal in the spirit of Neurosis, Cult of Luna et al, but “Today Will Die Tomorrow” is an enticing appetiser which made me sit up and want to hear more from this Greek band.
After a cynical and humorous sample, “Oppression” brings us closer to the apocalypse. The drum now beats in war-like fashion. The atmosphere is of foreboding and sinister progressions, but it switches. Unusual deep sounds of the sea mix with melancholy to create a psychedelic sound wall – impressive. This would be good soundtrack material for an underwater adventure. As we enter more ferocious territory, the world expands. Patient and controlled, we find ourselves in a gripping expanse of emotion and tension. The extravagantly titled “Archetypal Attraction to Circular Things” is a monster. Sound waves are audible behind an emerging acoustic guitar. This gives The Ocean’s “Pelagial” a run for its money. It could be the sound of a vast wasteland but those luxurious sounds suggest the presence of underwater living forms. The direction changes as “We Crave What We Lack” is more straight-laced. Starting with heavy, apocalyptic and tantalising post metal, the mood softens and Allochiria then embark upon another thrilling passage which is characterised by beauty, emotive power and threat. A haunting voice can faintly be heard through the rhythmic panel beating. Disappointingly it stops in full flow. This was the first negative point of this gourmet extravaganza.
A post metal heartbeat resumes. This precedes a dark mechanical march. Jungle drums interrupt it. There is a sinister rumbling. The guitar has an intriguing Middle Eastern touch about it. The sound has an interesting and exotic distortion. Post metal is placed in the context of wild imagination. The vocalist roars inexorably. The ending suggests doom and so it goes on with quiet and methodical gloom in the air. The funereal touch gives way to a harder, deeper edge. The drum now beats ominously and lavishly. That echoing voice can be heard, adding a mystical touch to an already highly-charged atmosphere. It plods on patiently with outerworldly sounds coming from the guitar and adding a layer to the steady mechanical beat which paints the picture of a black and airy void. The vocal roars heighten the tension as ever. We’re now in the heart of the twelve minute “Humanity is False”. The mood becomes languid. The calm, as “Today Will Die Tomorrow”, allows lush sounds to seep through the edges, quietly at first before increasing in intensity but surprisingly not bursting out of its shell as I might have expected. Thus this album, which is so full of climax, ends on an anti-climax.
It’s amazing to think that this is Allochiria’s first full album release. “Omonoia” is mature and captivating. Its wide-ranging atmospheres provide the richest of experiences. Good post metal and music in general succeed in transporting listeners to another world. This album does just that.
(8.5/10 Andrew Doherty)
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